Missed Deadline

45-sec read

You've probably seen this management strategy.

The story goes that in August 209 BC, two army officers, Wu Guang and Chen Sheng, were serving in the Qin Dynasty army. They were leading a small band of soldiers to a garrison linkup. Unfortunately they got delayed by heavy flooding in the area, meaning they were going to be late.

Under Qin law, being late was punishable by death.

The conversation probably went something like this:

Chen: We’re not gonna make it on time, are we?
Wu Guang: Nope.
Chen: What happens if we’re late?
Wu Guang: We get executed, so death.
Chen: What happens if we start a rebellion?
Wu Guang: We get executed, so death.
Chen: Well, we’re already late, so… a rebellion it is.
Wu Guang: …(sigh), okey dokey.

And this, folks, is how the Dazexiang Uprising started.

Later evidence suggests that being late only meant a fine, not death. But this didn’t matter.

By the time the dust settled, hundreds of thousands of people had died, and the Qin Dynasty, the empire that had just unified China, was finished.

All because two mid-level employees realised the penalty for a minor mistake was identical to the penalty for burning the whole organisation to the ground.

If your workplace incentives look like this, then congratulations, you’re one missed deadline away from a revolution.

Sea the carousel on Instagram.