On compensation

Once someone actually gets into Google, Bock said his department also looks at compensation differently. Most HR managers try to keep salaries within a limited range for any given position. But that creates a discrepancy between the productivity of the best workers and their salaries. The best employees are anywhere from 50-200% more productive than the average employee. “It makes no sense to pay them just this much more,” Bock said, holding his fingers an inch apart. “LeBron James is way better than just about anybody playing sports, and he makes a lot more money. And no one looks at that and says it’s unfair.”

Forbes, “Google HR Boss: We Don’t Care Where You Went To College

You are what you share

Sharing an idea you care about is a generous way to change your world for the better.

The culture we will live in next month is a direct result of what people like us share today. The things we share and don’t share determine what happens next.

As we move away from the top-down regime of promoted movies, well-shelved books and all sorts of hype, the recommendation from person to person is now the most powerful way we have to change things.

Seth Godin

On experience

If I believe that I already know the answer and possess the truth, then I’m not genuinely open to learning larger truths.

This is the danger of experience. We already know better, we already know that an idea or business won’t work. This is one reason that naive, young founders are often the ones who start the most successful companies — they just don’t know any better, and they’re often too arrogant to listen to those who do.

Paul Buchheit

John Schnatter on management

I don’t think you can control people. I don’t think you manage people. I think you give people a direction, you give them the resources, you lead by example. That goes from top to bottom, then I think people will manage themselves, they will motivate themselves.

John Schnatter, the founder and current CEO of Papa John’s International Inc.