Performance Management 125
Another example of rewarding people according to their labor was
Gordon Bethune’s $65 bonus for on-time performance at Continental
Airlines. Up until that time, such immediate rewards for desired per-
formance had not been part of Continental’s reward arsenal. Not only
was the effect immediate and positive, it set the stage for more exten-
sive, ongoing rewards for positive performance in a number of other
areas. The ‘‘domino’’ effect of these rewards helped Continental turn
around to become the profitable, on-time airline it is today.
Rewards figure strongly in the Book of Esther, particularly rewards
bestowed directly from the top of the organization. A great deal of
thought is given to the question, ‘‘What is to be done for the man the
king delights to honor?’’ In that story, Mordechai, the Jew whom the
king’s minister Haman tried to have executed, is led through the streets
by Haman himself, garbed in a magnificent robe and seated on a power-
ful steed. Moreover, Haman is forced to shout, ‘‘This is what is done
for the man the king delights to honor.’’
Modern ‘‘kings’’ have dispensed with robes and horses, but the wise
executive knows that rewards given directly from the top can have a
large effect on employee actions and productivity. At Custom Research,
a marketing company with just over one hundred employees, owners
Jeff and Judy Pope took a large chunk of their profits to reward the
entire staff when the firm won the coveted Baldrige Award in 1996.
Rather than award a robed ride on horseback, they took the entire staff
on a five-day, all-expenses-paid trip to London.
An extravagance and an exercise in overkill for a small company?
Not at all, says Jeff Pope. ‘‘It was money well spent. I’ll do it every
time. If you share the pie, it gets bigger.’’
When Midwest Airlines went public in 1995, CEO Tim Hoeksema
wanted to give a meaningful and lasting award to the employees who
helped them get there. And so, over the objections of his investment
bankers, he insisted that $1 million of stock be set aside for employees,
even part-timers. This decision echoes King David’s decision to divide
the spoils of war among all his men, including those who had ‘‘merely’’
provided support behind the battle lines.
Hoeksema’s actions also mirror Joshua’s generosity toward his fol-