A "conditional statement" in English is one that begins with a hypothesis, and follows with a conclusion. Often, we think of these as "if/then" statements. Examples: I'm bringing this up because of the new pay structure that Walmart rolled out earlier this year for its 4,700 U.
S. store managers. The top performers can now earn as much as $530,000 annually in total compensation.
But the way in which Walmart announced it made me think of the power of conditional statements, and why you should consider using them more often in your business. Let's set the stage: $530,000 is an eye-opening number. In fact, one Walmart Supercenter manager who was interviewed this week by Bloomberg said that he " almost fainted " when he realized how much he could make under the plan.
Granted, managing a Walmart is a very difficult job. As John Furner, president and CEO of Walmart U.S.
put it , Walmart store managers are actually running multimillion dollar businesses, usually with hundreds of employees. Another manager followed by The Wall Street Journal for a day managed 300 employees, brought in $100 million in annual sales, worked at least 50 hours per week, and walked between 8 and 10 miles per day. I admit: I think I work hard, but that sounds a lot harder.
Anyway, long time readers will know that I am a big proponent of the simple idea that whenever possible, business owners should: Unless you're omniscient, and you can figure out in advance in every instance what would advance your business.
