#382: Safi Bahcall — On Hypnosis, Conquering Insomnia, Incentives, and More
The Tim Ferriss Show
Incentives and Organizational Dynamics
This chapter explores the complexities of incentive structures within organizations and their impact on culture and behavior. By analyzing examples from industries like technology and scientific research, it illustrates how poorly designed incentives can hinder collaboration and innovation. The discussion advocates for a strategic approach to incentives, emphasizing the need for thoughtful design to align employee motivations with organizational goals.
Safi Bahcall (@SafiBahcall) is the author of Loonshots: How to Nurture the Crazy Ideas that Win Wars, Cure Diseases, and Transform Industries, which debuted #3 on Wall Street Journal’s bestseller list. Loonshots describes what an idea from physics tells us about the behavior of groups and how teams, companies, and nations can use that to innovate faster and better.
Safi received his PhD in physics from Stanford and his undergrad degree from Harvard. After working as a consultant for McKinsey, Safi co-founded a biotechnology company specializing in developing new drugs for cancer. He led its IPO and served as its CEO for 13 years. In 2008, Safi was named E&Y New England Biotechnology Entrepreneur of the Year. In 2011, he worked with President Obama’s council of science advisors on the future of national research.
In this episode, we talk about many things we haven’t covered before, including hypnosis, conquering insomnia, thoughts on depression, optimizing incentives, and much more. You can also listen to my first interview with Safi at tim.blog/safi.
Please enjoy!
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