Hello Reader,

I want to be upfront: This is the second email in a series that is a little different from what I usually send. Normally, I’m writing about time, attention, and productiveness. But I’ve been reflecting on the wage gap, payroll imbalance, and how we define value — and I can’t help but see the connection to my own field. If you read something that resonates — or something you disagree with — I’d love to hear from you. Just hit reply and let me know.

When companies make payroll decisions, they almost always reach for the numbers first.

It makes sense: quantity is easier to measure. Hours worked. Sales closed. Units shipped. Percentages and ratios. These numbers look neat in a spreadsheet, and they’re easy to justify to shareholders, boards, and analysts.

But there’s a danger here: What gets measured tends to get managed — and what doesn’t get measured gets ignored.

And that’s where quality quietly slips through the cracks.

The Blind Spot of Quantity-First Thinking

Quality is harder to measure because it’s subjective. You don’t see it on a balance sheet until it’s gone.

• A customer who keeps coming back because of a kind word at checkout doesn’t show up as a line item.
• A flight attendant who calms passengers during turbulence won’t appear in quarterly results.
• A veteran employee who prevents small mistakes from becoming big disasters may never be recognized in the data.

These things are invisible to the spreadsheet, but invaluable to the business.

Quantity gives you speed. Quality gives you staying power. When you lean too far toward one, the other suffers.

A Tale of Three Tables

Imagine you need a new table. Where you buy it depends on your goals and your budget:

• Walmart: Cheap, disposable. You’ll replace it soon.
• Ikea: Functional, mid-range. It’ll last a few years if you take care of it.
• Costco: Solid, durable, priced fairly. More upfront, but better value long-term.
• Custom woodworker: Expensive, heirloom quality. Built to last for decades.

Each option balances quantity and quality differently. None is inherently wrong—it depends on your needs. But if every business chooses “Walmart quality” just to keep costs down, customers eventually notice.

Payroll Works the Same Way

Cutting hours is like buying the cheapest table. It solves today’s budget problem, but it creates tomorrow’s retention, morale, and service issues.

Paying fairly and promoting from within is closer to the Costco or custom approach. It costs more upfront, but it builds loyalty, trust, and durability.

Quantity-only decisions look efficient today. Quality-focused decisions pay off tomorrow. The real challenge is having the will to balance the two.

Proof in Practice

We’ve already seen this dynamic in different industries:

• Airlines that cut staff to protect margins ended up with delayed flights, frustrated customers, and burned-out employees.
• Retailers that raised wages and invested in training saw lower turnover and stronger sales per employee.
• Tech firms that obsess over quarterly growth often find themselves scrambling when customer trust erodes.

None of these outcomes show up immediately in the spreadsheet. They appear in culture, reputation, and retention — things that don’t fit neatly into KPIs but drive real, sustainable growth.

The Bigger Truth

Here’s the bigger truth: Quantity is objective. Quality is subjective.

That makes quantity easier to defend. You can say, “Payroll is 28% of revenue” and sound precise. But try to explain, “Our culture is strong, our employees are loyal, and our customers trust us,” and you’ll sound fuzzy — even if it’s more valuable in the long run.

But business isn’t only about what you can measure. It’s about what matters. And often, the most important things are the hardest to quantify.

Looking Ahead

In the next email in this six-part series, we’ll talk about payroll as a lever — how it gets pulled in most organizations, and what happens when it’s treated only as “the controllable.” I’ll also share some real-world alternatives that prove this lever doesn’t always have to mean cutting from the bottom.

For now, I’ll leave you with this...

Quantity is easy to measure, but quality is what lasts.

When have you seen quality sacrificed for the sake of the numbers? How did it play out? Reply and let me know — I’d love to hear your story.

– Mike

P.S. Speaking of balance, The READY Retreat kicks off next week for TimeCrafting Trust Premium members. It’s three mornings of reflection, focus, and clarity — designed to help you reset your rhythms without stepping away from life for an entire day. Premium membership starts at just $14 USD per month (or $20 CAD if you’re Canadian). Click here to learn more and join today.​

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