One thing Hassan did to turn Schering around was to move the sales force’s compensation system from 60/40 salary-versus-commission split to an 80/20 split. When he made this announcement, he got a standing ovation, even from the salespeople who would be making less. You would think this audience would be more money-driven, but it wasn’t. “And I also told them something else,” Hassan said. “When it comes to choosing between making a sale and doing what’s right, that they should walk away if that’s what’s right. When people hear their leader standing there who absolutely tells them to lose a sale if they’re going to feel good about it because they didn’t do anything inappropriate, they feel very secure with that thing. That’s why they stood up and applauded. They were looking for that comfort, because on the inside, people want to do the right thing.” Hassan asserted that realizing your potential is less about making more money, and more about a deeper mission to become the best person you can be.

– From ‘Better Under Pressure” by Justin Menkes