Commitment can't be bought

How to inspire your team to do their best work – in 30 seconds

I once quit a job that paid $1,600 a day because the founder never thanked me.

In my first six months, I accelerated acquisition, lowered CPAs, improved retention and revenue per user. I hired some great people, and even helped them line up financing.

Then I sat down for a 1:1 with the CEO and he unloaded: "Matt, you have a problem, we’re not growing nearly fast enough. We need to be growing 2X - 3X faster. Give me a plan."

I was stunned.

I was not inspired. I knew that if he didn’t appreciate the work I’d already done, he wouldn’t appreciate any new work I did either.

It took me about 2 hours to realize I needed to quit.

Here’s what kills me:

He was 30 seconds away from making me his most motivated employee – if he'd only framed it this way instead:

"Matt, we're lucky to have you. I appreciate all the work you've done so far, but we need to find a way to grow even faster. I don't know how to do that, but if anyone does, it's you. Please give the matter some thought. I'd love to hear your ideas, and of course, let me know anything I can do to help."

A few words of acknowledgment would have cost him nothing. Two minutes.

I would have gone home thinking, "How can I grow this business?" instead of, "How fast can I get out of here?"

Look, I get it.

You're frustrated. You're paying bonuses, handing out equity, goals, metrics, 1:1's... doing everything right on paper – and still not getting the results.

But here's the thing: That frustration is blinding you to the one move that actually works.

We don't forget to say thank you. We're so wrapped up in what's going wrong that we can't see what's going right. And that frustration - however justified it feels - is exactly what prevents us from inspiring anyone.

Simple next step

Think of one person on your team who's done good work. Take 10 seconds to thank them for it, and watch what happens.

This has no downside. If you have a poor performer, berating them won’t help. And if someone’s killing it, acknowledging that keeps them going.

If you ask anybody “who inspired you most in your life?” they’ll describe someone who believed in them. That doesn’t mean you can’t push people, it just needs to come from the right place.

One last story, a happier one…

I don't remember how much I earned in 2006. Or my bonus. Or my performance rating. But I remember this: One day I was standing at a printer, and Stephanie Tilenius – head of our division – walked by, looked me in the eye, and said 'thank you, Matt.'

Five seconds. Twenty years ago. Still with me.