Rethink Your Bonus Program
Description
On today’s Dear Heretics segment, Kelli and Nolan analyze why traditional bonus programs fail at early-stage companies, advocating for flexible sprint incentives and spot bonuses over rigid annual structures that create organizational debt.
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KEEP UP WITH NOLAN + KELLI ON LINKEDIN
Nolan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nolan-church/
Kelli: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellidragovich/
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TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00 ) Introduction: The Bonus Program Question
(01:04 ) The Cyclical Wave & Sales Incentives
(01:42 ) Why Early-Stage Companies Struggle
(02:46 ) The Coin-Operating Problem
(03:26 ) The 96% Problem: Legacy & Recruiting Pressure
(04:34 ) You Can’t Put the Toothpaste Back
(05:30 ) Equity Over Bonuses
(06:09 ) Inconsistent Application Across Teams
(06:43 ) Walking It Back Is Brutal
(08:06 ) Sponsor: Metaview
(09:28 ) Technical Debt vs People Debt
(11:10 ) Second Order Consequences
(12:31 ) MBOs Are a Fable
(12:53 ) The Solution: Sprint Incentives
(14:04 ) Surprise and Delight: Spot Bonuses
(15:08 ) Discretionary Budgets & Agility
(15:54 ) Final Thoughts: Avoid People Debt
(15:59 ) Outro
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hrheretics.substack.com
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