Problems as Reward
While most employees appreciate public acclaim and the occasional monetary award, the highest achievers want something more. They want bigger problems. They want an opportunity to tackle mean, hairy challenges and make a significant contribution to the company.
In THE SUPPORT ECONOMY, authors [Shoshana] Zuboff and [James] Maxmin observe that companies haven't kept pace with the culture at large, because people no longer want jobs—they want support to fulfill their dreams. IBM is a company that gets it. The company recognizes outstanding research scientists by bestowing on them the lifetime status of "IBM Scientist." Along with this title comes several years of time and seed money to develop leading-edge science and technology for the company.
This is one reason why Google has been rated the number-one company to work for. Far from discouraging risk-taking, the company actually demands it. You can’t "organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful" without overcoming a few obstacles.
What wicked problems exist at your company? How can you turn hairy obstacles into high-status rewards? Who out there looks hungry for a challenge?
Source: The Designful Company, by Marty Neumeier (p. 151)
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