The $1,000,000 Kick to the Crotch

Would you let me kick you in the crotch as I hard as I could for $100?

Before you answer, keep in mind that I have trained in the martial arts for over 20 years, and have a pretty strong kick.

Ok, if not $100, how about $1,000?
$10,000?
$100,000?
$1,000,000?

You know, I might let someone kick me full on in the crotch for $1,000,000. I suppose it would depend on whether I had kids already or not…

I believe everyone’s got a number that they would take a kick for. What’s your number?

Don’t worry, I am not planning on kicking you. Rather, I wanted to illustrate a point:

I have seen businesses try to keep people by offering them more money. I have also seen managers treat their people less than ideal because “the pay is better than they can get elsewhere and people should just be happy to have a job anywhere.”

Throwing money at people and expecting them to be happy is like my kicking offer. Maybe you’d let me kick you once a year for $1,000,000, but that doesn’t mean you would ever like it. And if you could find someone to kick you less hard for $1,000,000 you would jump at the chance. You might even leave for someone with a lighter kick who only offered $500,000.

Money is just one element in a person’s happiness. And the worse you treat them (i.e. the harder you kick them) the more you need to pay them. If you want the best people with the most loyalty, treat them well. Sounds too obvious to write about, but you can probably instantly think of a few people who violate this everyday.

Lesson: If you want to be successful, stop kicking people in the crotch.

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