When Nothing Else Works, Try This

Schwab asked the day-shift manager how many heats his shift had made that day. "Six," came the answer. Without a word, Schwab chalked a big 6 on the floor and left. When the night shift came on, they asked about the 6, learned the day shift had made six heats, and chalked a 7 by morning. The day shift, seeing the 7, resolved to show the night shift up and turned out ten. Soon that lagging mill was outproducing every other in the plant — on nothing but the desire to excel.

Schwab summarized the lesson in a line Carnegie loved to quote: "The way to get things done is to stimulate competition. I do not mean in a sordid, money-getting way, but in the desire to excel." The chalk mark cost nothing; it simply turned dull labor into a contest, and the contest unlocked effort that money alone never had.

Harvey Firestone, the tire magnate, said much the same: "I have never found that pay and pay alone would either bring together or hold good people. I think it was the game itself." The chance to prove yourself, to feel important by winning, to express what you are made of — that, not the paycheck, is what draws spirited people and brings out their best work.

The deeper insight is that every person who succeeds at anything loves the game. They love the chance for self-expression, the chance to prove their worth, to excel, to win. This is what makes footraces and hog-calling and pie-eating contests; the desire to excel, the desire for a feeling of importance, is one of the most powerful motives there is.

The application is to frame the task, when motivation flags, as a challenge worth rising to. Set a clear, visible standard; invite people to beat it; make the work a game they can win. A friendly contest, a personal best to surpass, a difficulty named as a test of skill — these turn obligation into ambition. When appreciation, sympathy, and reason have all been tried, throw down a challenge, and watch people surprise themselves.