Guy Reams (00:00.974)
This is day 274 reward, boldness and action. This is the fifth in a series I'm writing on how potential lessons from the golden age of piracy can help us in our own adventures. As I am currently out on an adventure of my own, this is a series that I wrote ahead of time and pre-recorded. Pirate crews were famously bold, often achieving significant rewards precisely because they were willing to take calculated risks.
Far from random bravado, their audacity was strategically incentivized by clear, equitable reward systems that encouraged decisive action and innovation. Unlike traditional naval or merchant ships of their era, pirate crews typically divided their spoils fairly, often distributing shares equally among all crew members, with additional rewards specifically set aside for exceptional bravery or initiative.
This incentive structure motivated individuals to act boldly, decisively, and creatively. The greater the risk taken, the larger the potential reward, leading to crews willing and eager to embrace risk rather than shy away from it. For example, I think I read that the famed pirate captain Bartholomew Roberts implemented a reward system where his crew received equal shares of captured treasure
with extra incentives and bonus for those who showed exceptional courage or ingenuity during a specific raid. This structure created an environment where taking the initiative was celebrated and not feared. Today, agile teams can significantly benefit from this pirate-inspired mindset. Too often, modern organizations inadvertently punish risk-taking by rewarding caution and incrementalism.
Yet to remain competitive and innovative, an agile team needs to embrace calculated risks and act boldly when opportunities arise. Creating clear, explicit incentives that reward innovation, rapid action, and courageous decision making ensures that a team not only tolerates but actively pursues intelligent risk taking. So what's the practical takeaway from our pirate friends?
Guy Reams (02:20.067)
We can establish clear, tangible incentives that reward boldness, swift action, and creative problem solving. We can celebrate team members who take calculated risks, even if not all incentives succeed perfectly. By structuring incentive to encourage bravery and decisive action, your team will develop the confidence to seize valuable opportunities quickly, just as a pirate crew once did upon the unpredictable seas.