Hello Reader,

This is the final installment in my six-part series on payroll imbalance, executive pay, and the value of work. It’s not my usual territory, but I’ve written it because I believe these issues connect directly to how we use our time and attention—and to what I call productiveness. If you’ve followed along, thank you. And as always, if you have feedback or insights, just hit reply. I’d love to hear them.

Over the past three weeks, we’ve explored:

1. ​The Disparity Dilemma: Why imbalance at the top versus the frontlines matters.
2. ​Quantity vs. Quality: Why what’s easiest to measure isn’t always what matters most.
3. ​Payroll as a Lever: What happens when it’s the only one leaders pull.
4. ​The Promise that Broke: How generational expectations about work and reward have shifted.
5. ​Productiveness in Action: Real-world examples that prove balance can work.

Now… it’s time to zoom out.

From exception to norm

Costco’s wage and promotion model. Ben & Jerry’s pay ratio guardrails. Japan’s cultural ballast around executive compensation. These examples prove balance is possible. But right now, they are the exception.

For balance to endure, it has to move from being a quirk of a few companies to being a norm across industries. That shift doesn’t happen by accident. It takes:

• Leaders with the will to implement guardrails even when shareholders grumble.
• Workers demanding better through collective action, boundaries, and voice.
• Consumers rewarding businesses that align their payroll with their values.

A movement is simply momentum in the same direction. And the pieces are already there.

Why productiveness belongs in this conversation

Productivity is about producing more. Productiveness is about producing what matters.

When companies balance payroll, they stop treating people as disposable quantities and start treating them as qualitative assets. It’s not just more humane—it’s more effective.

Because here’s the truth: time compounds only when people stay. Training, culture, trust, loyalty, customer relationships—none of that can be replaced quarter by quarter. It’s built, brick by brick, day by day.

Payroll isn’t just numbers. It’s a mirror of what a company values most.

What you can do

• If you lead a team: Experiment with small guardrails. Tie a portion of rewards to the outcomes your customers feel most.
• If you’re a worker: Recognize your boundaries aren’t entitlement. They’re leverage—and they matter.
• If you’re a consumer: Notice who treats their people like an investment, and support them.

No single action fixes the imbalance. But together, they build momentum.

Closing the series (but not the conversation)

This series may be finished, but the work isn’t. I’ll continue to write and talk about productiveness—the balance of quantity and quality, speed and sustainability, profit and people—because I believe it’s not just a better way to work. It’s a better way to live.

The wage gap isn’t inevitable. The imbalance isn’t permanent. Balance is possible.

I’d love to hear: which part of this series hit home for you? And what’s one lever you’d want to see pulled differently where you work? Hit reply and tell me.

See you later,
Mike

P.S. This week, I submitted the first draft of my next book to my publisher. It’s the project I’ve been hinting at for a while, and I’m excited to share more as it moves forward. If you’d like updates, behind-the-scenes insights, and early access opportunities, just reply to this email and I'll add you to the list.

In the meantime, my most recent book—The Productivity Diet—is out now. It’s a great way to dive deeper into these ideas while I keep working on what’s next.
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