Money, Fame, Power - Pick Two
Money, fame, and power. Many who lead want all three. But very few get the whole package. What if you were asked to pick two? Which would you plonk for?
Pick two is everywhere
The “pick two” idea is common. Macroeconomists have the Mundell-Fleming Trilemma: a country can fix its exchange rate, let capital move freely, and run its own monetary policy. But it can do only two of these concurrently. Try doing all three and the financial markets will call you out. Robert Mundell won a Nobel Prize for his work in this area.
I’m no Nobel laureate, but I have a “pick two” rule as well. And it’s one that every Singaporean knows: cheap, fast, and good ... pick two. Cheap and fast will not be good. Good and fast won’t come cheap. Good and cheap will never be fast. It’s time-tested wisdom that has saved me in many procurement tenders.
Back to money, fame, and power
The good news: these three are not mutually exclusive. Money often brings power. Fame sometimes brings both. Still, most of us end up with two at best, and usually fewer.
I looked at my own week to see what I have.
Board directorships. Theoretically, some power. Directors sit at the top of the governance ladder. Even then, it’s mostly soft power, by way of influence and collaboration. The money is modest. Almost no fame comes from being on a Board. Which is a good thing. When directors make the news, it tends to be for unfortunate reasons.
Public speaking. A little fame, a little money, no power. The audience does not have to do what I say. Some leave early to assert their agency. The rest check their devices between my sound bites.
Training and Facilitation. Power for three hours. I hold the PowerPoint clicker, and whoever holds the clicker has the room. When we finish, I hand the clicker back. Nobody salutes. I’m remunerated, within the limits of corporate training budgets.
Coaching. Zero fame, because it’s confidential. I’ve helped people become more powerful, better known, and richer. I cannot tell you who. My best work is invisible by contract. Thankfully, my clients are generous and they reward me well.
Writing. Small doses of fame. The blog collects a few likes. Apart from my family, I’m rarely sure who reads my stuff. I get paid nothing for my prose, but my blog has never sent me an invoice either.
Volunteering in the Catholic community. None of the three, by design. Unless you count as fame people noticing my name in the church bulletin. Curiously, more people appear to know me since, and I feel a need to smile and greet everyone. It’s either grace or pride. I check myself.
Add it all up, and I have some of each in a good week. In a bad week, I count myself lucky to have a little of one.
My two
I’m neither a saint nor a trust fund beneficiary - money matters to me. It pays for the apartment and the school fees. It buys conveniences that make life easier. And while I may make fun of having too much money, I’d be hard put to decline a larger pay cheque myself. But alas, size is relative.
And it’s the same with fame. Fame is attention, measured against the attention other people get. A thousand views for a post feels fine until the next person gets five thousand. I felt smug when I starred in my daughter’s TikTok post that got over 1.5 million views. She was roasting me in the clip, but that’s beside the point. Shortly after, she posted something that got 9 million hits. It featured her boyfriend.
As for power, it’s about whose view wins in the room. Two directors may hold equal votes, but each knows whom the Chair would look to first when a difficult decision is on the table.
So it does not matter which two you pick. We are all keeping score against the people around us. On that note, I will settle for two-thirds of each. It adds up to two whole ones, so I have technically picked two.
Provided you have less.
"You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you."
— St Augustine, Confessions, Book I
* I am a leadership coach. I help leaders master money, fame, and power. Results vary.
