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How To Accomplish (Almost) Anything with Strong Incentives
Inertia is the enemy, and the solution is to design incentives that make the status quo uncomfortable
One morning, in May of 2005, I realized I had been living a lie. For nearly two years, I had been building a business, but finally came to accept it was all a lie. In hindsight, the signs were obvious. During my 18 months in business, I had only closed one deal.
Reality somehow had eluded me, and it wasn't until my bank balance dwindled to one month of living expenses that I finally gave up my delusional fantasy.
Recognition of my impending financial doom didn't solve my problem; it exposed a deeper one.
I needed a job, but my skills were stale, and my dated résumé too embarrassing to blast out. Still, I was desperate, and that motivated me.
The next day, I picked up the telephone and called every one of my contacts for a lead on a possible job. If they had none, I asked for the names of peers who might know something. I'm not the kind of person who likes to ask for help. And since then, I don't think I've ever asked anyone to go out of their way to help me. I'm usually the guy who says, "If it's not too much trouble, would you… But please don’t feel obligated." Even then, my…
