Jerry had a staff member he desperately wanted to retain but who was considering graduate school. He knew that a small salary increase would not change her mind. Instead, he offered her a 50 percent increase, which amounted to tens of thousands of dollars. She stayed, and the dramatically higher-than-expected salary increase changed her entire way of thinking about her position and future with the organization. She is still there as one of the top leaders of the organization, and the investment in her salary continues to pay enormous dividends.
