Million Dollar Christmas Turkeys...

That's what AIG and the others are handing out. I worked at a shop that gave out both monthly performance bonuses and Christmas Turkeys. For the guys on the shop floor performance bonuses were tied to both volume of overhaul services (electric motors) out the door in a given month AND net profitability...for a good bonus (and it could equal nearly a weeks pay) everybody had to hump on the job and guard against waste and equipment damage (ever priced a 10KW polyphase signal injector?).

So the bonus even in a 40 man shop was tied to both getting stuff out the door and making money doing it. The result was that incentives addressed both flow and outcome. Somehow the masters of the universe missed this, Hey?

Oh yeah, and at Christmas EVERYBODY got a turkey.

Apparently, they don't teach that in the Ivy League business schools.

My grandfathers taught me how to treat people in business, and I've always had crews that made me the envy of other managers - yet they never had a clue how I did it. No comprehension.

You are (fill in the ivy-league school name)class of (year). You are special. Not everyone can meet the criteria to be a member of your class. A degree from this institution on your resume will open doors when others are turned away. Blah Blah Blah.....