--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you're managing a large number of…" description: "\"When you're managing a large number of people, you learn that incentives matter tremendously. You really want people to be rewarded for doing the right..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58f/ramez-naam-5111_customers_when-you-re-managing-a-large-number-of-p_2009940.jpg" --- # When you're managing a large number of people, you learn… ![“When you're managing a large number of people, you learn that incentives matter tremendously. You really want people to be rewarded for doing the right thing for the customers and the organization.” quote by Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58f/ramez-naam-5111_customers_when-you-re-managing-a-large-number-of-p_2009940.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58f/ramez-naam-5111_customers_when-you-re-managing-a-large-number-of-p_2009940.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58f/ramez-naam-5111_customers_when-you-re-managing-a-large-number-of-p_2009940.jpg) > “When you're managing a large number of people, you learn that incentives matter tremendously. You really want people to be rewarded for doing the right thing for the customers and the organization.” [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reward systems that align employee actions with customer and organizational goals drive performance and loyalty. **In simple terms:** Tie incentives to desired outcomes. Key Takeaway Align rewards with goals. Themes leadership incentives motivation organizational behavior Mood analytical motivational Type business practical When to use this quote - sales teams - customer service departments - non‑profit organizations - start‑up environments Key Concepts behavioral economics performance management customer focus Questions to Reflect On - How can we ensure incentives stay fair? - What metrics best reflect true customer value? A Different Perspective If incentives are misaligned, they can encourage gaming the system. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Customers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customers/) [Doing the right thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-the-right-thing/) [Incentives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incentives/) [Incentives Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incentives-matter-2464181/) [Large numbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/large-numbers/) [Learn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learn/) [Learn Incentives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learn-incentives-3584322/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Numbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/numbers/) [Organization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organization/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Rewarded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-rewarded-555362/) [Rewarded Doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rewarded-doing-2526320/) [Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right/) [Right thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-thing/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) ## Related quotes > [Incentives matter. Dreams matter. We cannot strip incentives away. Dreams are the foundation of the American dream, which is so intrinsic to who we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trish-regan/incentives-matter-dreams-matter-we-cannot-strip-incentives-away/) [Trish Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trish-regan/) > [I'm trained to button scenes and round things off, and I get rewarded for doing that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-gilroy/i-m-trained-to-button-scenes-and-round-things-off-and-i-get-rewarded/) [Tony Gilroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-gilroy/) > [“If you don’t feel rewarded by doing small steps and making gradual improvements, then you’ll rarely stick with something long enough to feel the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-doepker/if-you-don-t-feel-rewarded-by-doing-small-steps-and-making-gradual/) [Derek Doepker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-doepker/) > [I tried my hardest and people rewarded me with applause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfredo-di-stefano/i-tried-my-hardest-and-people-rewarded-me-with-applause/) [Alfredo Di Stefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfredo-di-stefano/) > [Business people get many undeserved prizes - golden parachutes and bonuses even when companies fail. I don't think people should get rewarded for screwing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-ibrahim/business-people-get-many-undeserved-prizes-golden-parachutes-and/) [Mo Ibrahim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-ibrahim/) > [In the world at large, people are rewarded or punished in ways that are often utterly random. In the garden, cause and effect, labor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-weil/in-the-world-at-large-people-are-rewarded-or-punished-in-ways-that/) [Andrew Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-weil/) > [People are rewarded in public for what the practice for years in private.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/people-are-rewarded-in-public-for-what-the-practice-for-years-in/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [Today, our incentives aren't set up well - you can make a lot of money burning fossil fuels, digging up wetlands, pumping fossil water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/today-our-incentives-aren-t-set-up-well-you-can-make-a-lot-of-money/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) > [If the incentives are aligned right - towards better preservation and restoration of nature and natural resources - then you'll see a tremendous amount…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/if-the-incentives-are-aligned-right-towards-better-preservation-and/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) > [If your incentives are set up wrong - if for some reason you reward people for behavior that's actually bad for your customers or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/if-your-incentives-are-set-up-wrong-if-for-some-reason-you-reward/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) > [When it comes to trying to manage how our entire planet-wide market and all the people and businesses in it deal with nature and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/when-it-comes-to-trying-to-manage-how-our-entire-planet-wide-market/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) > [Both in their origins and effects, boredom and stuffy air resemble each other. They are usually generated whenever a large number of people gather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-wilhelm-friedrich-schlegel/both-in-their-origins-and-effects-boredom-and-stuffy-air-resemble/) [Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-wilhelm-friedrich-schlegel/) > [I'm always surprised when large numbers of people buy my books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-cornwell/i-m-always-surprised-when-large-numbers-of-people-buy-my-books/) [Patricia Cornwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-cornwell/) > [I don't think any woman in power really has a happy life unless she's got a large number of women friends ... because you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/i-don-t-think-any-woman-in-power-really-has-a-happy-life-unless-she-s/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [The risk of developing carcinoma of the lung increases steadily as the amount smoked increases. If the risk among non-smokers is taken as unity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-doll/the-risk-of-developing-carcinoma-of-the-lung-increases-steadily-as/) [Richard Doll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-doll/) ## More by Ramez Naam > [In the end, our minds and their ability to create new ideas are the ultimate source of all human wealth. That's a resource nearly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/in-the-end-our-minds-and-their-ability-to-create-new-ideas-are-the/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) > [We're fortunate enough to live on a planet that's bathed in thousands of times more energy than we use and that's stocked with thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/we-re-fortunate-enough-to-live-on-a-planet-that-s-bathed-in-thousands/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) > [Technology is vital. We have to have development in new technology if we're going to solve these environmental problems without throwing humanity back in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/technology-is-vital-we-have-to-have-development-in-new-technology-if/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) > [We have to slow down the emissions of carbon dioxide and methane from coal burning, oil and eventually natural gas... And the best ways…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/we-have-to-slow-down-the-emissions-of-carbon-dioxide-and-methane-from/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) > [I'm a geek through and through. My last job at Microsoft was leading much of the search engine relevance work on Bing. There we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/i-m-a-geek-through-and-through-my-last-job-at-microsoft-was-leading/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) > [Technology is incredibly powerful. And in many ways, the sky is the limit in terms of what you can actually accomplish with the right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/technology-is-incredibly-powerful-and-in-many-ways-the-sky-is-the/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) > [On almost every environmental issue I care about, in fact, I've been wrong at one point or another. I used to think that climate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/on-almost-every-environmental-issue-i-care-about-in-fact-i-ve-been/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) > [The accumulated knowledge of materials, computing, electromagnetism, product design, and all the rest that we've learned over the last several centuries converts a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/the-accumulated-knowledge-of-materials-computing-electromagnetism/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) > [In the end, I expect we'll have AI that is better than we are at nearly every narrow task but which are still our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/in-the-end-i-expect-we-ll-have-ai-that-is-better-than-we-are-at/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) > [If we fix our economic system and invest in the human capital of the poor, then we should welcome every new person born as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/if-we-fix-our-economic-system-and-invest-in-the-human-capital-of-the/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) > [We have climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions, mostly from human power and transportation infrastructure. At the same time, we have 2 billion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/we-have-climate-change-caused-by-greenhouse-gas-emissions-mostly-from/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) > [Many of the most science-fictional tools to fight climate change are untested, are almost impossible to truly test at planetary scale - we only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/many-of-the-most-science-fictional-tools-to-fight-climate-change-are/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) > [If the incentives are aligned right - towards better preservation and restoration of nature and natural resources - then you'll see a tremendous amount…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/if-the-incentives-are-aligned-right-towards-better-preservation-and/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) > [I've read science fiction my whole life. I never really dreamed that I'd be a published science fiction writer myself, but a short story…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/i-ve-read-science-fiction-my-whole-life-i-never-really-dreamed-that-i/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) > [“We think of ourselves as individuals, but all that we have accomplished, and all that we will accomplish, is the result of groups of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/we-think-of-ourselves-as-individuals-but-all-that-we-have/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) [Explore all 103 Ramez Naam quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) ## More Customers quotes > [The best way to hold customers is to constantly figure out how to give them more for less.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/the-best-way-to-hold-customers-is-to-constantly-figure-out-how-to/) [Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/) > [Corporations invest in sophisticated CRM, or Customer Relationship Management, programs to effectively oversee their relationship with their customers at every point during the buying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-ostrofsky/corporations-invest-in-sophisticated-crm-or-customer-relationship/) [Marc Ostrofsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-ostrofsky/) > [One of the Internet's highest-profile companies, Priceline once dreamed of transforming the way consumer goods are bought and sold by offering customers the chance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-berenson/one-of-the-internet-s-highest-profile-companies-priceline-once/) [Alex Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-berenson/) > [If we get better our customers will demand we get bigger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-truett-cathy/if-we-get-better-our-customers-will-demand-we-get-bigger/) [S. Truett Cathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-truett-cathy/) > [Research is an organized method of trying to find out what you are going to do after you cannot do what you are doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kettering/research-is-an-organized-method-of-trying-to-find-out-what-you-are/) [Charles Kettering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kettering/) > [Without a customer, you don't have a business - all you have is a hobby.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-peppers/without-a-customer-you-don-t-have-a-business-all-you-have-is-a-hobby/) [Don Peppers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-peppers/) > [In open source, you really have to be near the watershed to have an impact on the source code. Customers want to be near…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-fenton/in-open-source-you-really-have-to-be-near-the-watershed-to-have-an/) [Peter Fenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-fenton/) > [Get a minimum viable product out there, test it out, see how customers respond.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shira-goodman/get-a-minimum-viable-product-out-there-test-it-out-see-how-customers/) [Shira Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shira-goodman/) > [Tachyon OPC+ is a natural extension of our market-winning Tachyon platform, giving customers a clear path to minimizing the OPC error budget and producing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-vaughan/tachyon-opc-is-a-natural-extension-of-our-market-winning-tachyon/) [Bill Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-vaughan/) > [I think technology advanced faster than anticipated. In that whirlwind, a lot of companies didn't survive. The reason we have done well is because,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bezos/i-think-technology-advanced-faster-than-anticipated-in-that-whirlwind/) [Jeff Bezos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bezos/) > [In a very real sense, there are only two roles in organisations: customers and suppliers. Everybody functions simultaneously in both roles, whether inside or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/in-a-very-real-sense-there-are-only-two-roles-in-organisations/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [Why is Caterpillar bad if we create a new job in India or China to receive U.S. exports? It makes no sense to me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-r-oberhelman/why-is-caterpillar-bad-if-we-create-a-new-job-in-india-or-china-to/) [Douglas R. Oberhelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-r-oberhelman/) > [Enthusiastic service providers create enthusiastic customers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-kaufman/enthusiastic-service-providers-create-enthusiastic-customers/) [Ron Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-kaufman/) > [The more a prospective customer clicks on you and your stuff, the easier it is for them to make a buying decision in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-gitomer/the-more-a-prospective-customer-clicks-on-you-and-your-stuff-the/) [Jeffrey Gitomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-gitomer/) > [You have to treat your employees like your customers. When you treat them right they will treat your outside customers right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kelleher/you-have-to-treat-your-employees-like-your-customers-when-you-treat/) [Herb Kelleher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kelleher/) [Browse all 2,036 Customers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customers/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When you're managing a large number of people, you learn that incentives matter tremendously. 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