Exceptional Performance
23/04/12 21:24
No one argues that each of us is equal in either native ability or skill. Few would claim that everyone completes their work with the same level of performance. Most would say that exceptional performance should be more highly rewarded than average or poor performance.
The questions are: Is there any possible reward that is too much? Is there any possible reward that is too little? How great a difference should there be between the reward of the exceptional performer and the reward of the average performer?
A little consideration will reveal that there are some limits to how high or how low a reward may be. If an imaginary company has ten employees and income of one million dollars a year, it is clear that no one employee can be paid one million dollars a year. If one was paid one million dollars, no one else would continue working since there would be no money left to pay anyone else a wage. Let us say that the minimum wage needed for an average worker to live a good life is $50,000 per year. If all were paid that minimum, then our imaginary company would have up to $500,000 a year available from which they might pay bonuses to the exceptional performers.
So compared to the average performer how much more should the exceptional performer be paid? Twice as much? Three times as much? Or more?
This is a value question, isn’t it? How much more should the exceptional among us get? Worth a thought, isn’t it?
The questions are: Is there any possible reward that is too much? Is there any possible reward that is too little? How great a difference should there be between the reward of the exceptional performer and the reward of the average performer?
A little consideration will reveal that there are some limits to how high or how low a reward may be. If an imaginary company has ten employees and income of one million dollars a year, it is clear that no one employee can be paid one million dollars a year. If one was paid one million dollars, no one else would continue working since there would be no money left to pay anyone else a wage. Let us say that the minimum wage needed for an average worker to live a good life is $50,000 per year. If all were paid that minimum, then our imaginary company would have up to $500,000 a year available from which they might pay bonuses to the exceptional performers.
So compared to the average performer how much more should the exceptional performer be paid? Twice as much? Three times as much? Or more?
This is a value question, isn’t it? How much more should the exceptional among us get? Worth a thought, isn’t it?