Editor's Note: Classic insights from Dan Walter, via anecdote, on the power of exceeding performance expectations!

Editor's Note: Ever feel like things are a little backward pay program wise? You're not alone, friend! Dan Walter, master of the compensation metaphor, shines a light on the Classic problem we all face at one time or another - particularly those of us who work in or serve smaller, entrepreneurial organizations.

We are moving rapidly into an increasingly “data-driven” age of Human Resources and Compensation. This data is translated into information. Some of it is quantitative, some of it is visual, all of it is probably biased. Understanding the origin and reasons for potential biases will give the most successful companies an edge that may be impossible to beat.