Dictate Direction with Incentives: The Gravity Model

In the early days of leadership, I made the mistake every rookie manager makes: I tried to lead by nagging.

I would stand at the front of the room during our morning briefings and plead, “Guys, we really need to focus on Project X. The developer is counting on us. The margins are good. Please push it.”

The team would nod. They would say “Yes, Boss.” And then they would walk out the door and go right back to selling what they were comfortable selling.

I was trying to push the river upstream. It was exhausting, and it yielded zero results.

I realized that human beings are like water—we follow the path of least resistance and greatest reward. If I wanted to change the direction of the river, I didn’t need to yell at the water. I needed to dig a new channel.

The Apple Ecosystem Experiment

We had a specific project from a developer that was moving slowly. It was a good product, but it required a bit more effort to explain to clients than the easy, low-hanging fruit my agents were used to.

Instead of another lecture on “loyalty” or “hard work,” we instituted a simple, tiered incentive structure. I called it the Apple Ladder.

• Sell 1 Unit: You get an iPad.
• Sell 2 Units: You get a MacBook Air.
• Sell 3 Units: You get the latest iPhone Pro.

I didn’t say a word about “obligation.” I just posted the poster on the wall.

The atmosphere in the office shifted instantly. The conversation changed from “This project is hard to sell” to “I need that MacBook.”

Suddenly, agents were staying late to study the project brochures. They were practicing their pitches. They were calling old leads they hadn’t touched in months.

We cleared the inventory in weeks.

I hadn’t changed the agents. I hadn’t changed the product. I had simply placed a magnet in the compass that pointed North/East. The team naturally followed the physics of incentives.

Guiding with Pleasure, Not Force

There is a profound leadership philosophy hidden in this simple tactic: We do not force; we guide with pleasure.

In business, force creates friction.

• If you force an employee to work late, they resent you.
• If you force a client to sign a contract, they look for loopholes.
• If you force a partner to agree, they secretly plot their exit.

But if you align their selfish interests with your company goals, you create a frictionless flow.

When an agent sells that unit to get the iPad, they aren’t doing it for me. They are doing it for themselves. I am just the architect facilitating their desires effectively.

This applies everywhere.

With Clients: Don’t force them to refer you. Create a referral program where they look like a hero (and get a reward) for introducing their friends. Guide them to the sale by showing them how it solves their pain, not how it hits your quota.

With Staff: Don’t nag them to be punctual. Create a “Perfect Attendance Bonus” that is paid out monthly. Watch how quickly they start setting their own alarms.

The Blueprint for Incentive Design

If you want to dictate the direction of your company without raising your voice, follow this blueprint effectively:

1. Identify the Behavior

Be specific. “Work harder” is not a behavior. “Close 3 deals on Project X” is a behavior. “Submit the report by Friday 5 PM” is a behavior.

2. The Tiered Reward (The Low Barrier)

The mistake most bosses make is setting the bar too high. “Top Salesperson gets a Ferrari.” That motivates one person and demoralizes ninety-nine others. You need an obtainable first tier—like the iPad for just one unit. This gets the momentum started. It convinces the average person, “I can do this.”

3. The Escalating Value (The Stretch)

Once they bite on the first tier, the second and third tiers should pull them further. “I already sold one… if I just sell one more, I get the MacBook.” This maximizes the output of your top performers.

4. Immediate Gratification

The reward must be tangible and relatively immediate. A “yearly bonus” is too abstract. An iPad sitting in a box on the manager’s desk, ready to be handed over? That is gravity.

Conclusion

You are the Captain of the ship, but you are not the engine. Your team is the engine.

You can’t get out and push the ship. Your job is to set the coordinates and fuel the engine. Incentives are that fuel.

Stop nagging. Stop pleading. Start designing rewards that make the right path the most profitable path.