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The Working Supervisor's Support Kit is a collection of information and tools to help working supervisors do a better job. It's based on what Wally's learned in over twenty years of supervisory skills training.

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In olden days, and even today, powerful people often have food tasters to make sure that the food they are about to eat is safe. I think big-company CEOs need to consider hiring "Compensation Tasters."

The job of the Compensation Taster (CT) would be to listen to an explanation of the CEO's compensation program. The CT could then warn the CEO that a particular provision, might give the appearance of greed, or might be viewed as outlandish, or might just strike most non-CEO human beings as funny.

The spark for this idea came from an article in the Wall Street Journal titled, "Companies Promise CEOs Lavish Posthumous Paydays." Here are a few of the compensation schemes described in the article.

"The CEO of Shaw Group Inc. is in line to be paid $17 million for not competing with the engineering and construction company after he dies."

Now there's a non-compete clause to conjure with. But it may not match a new way of cheating death that appears in another CEO's package.

"Lockheed Martin Corp.'s top officer didn't even need to die to get a death benefit; Lockheed paid out the sum, about $1 million, in March while he was still very much alive."

Evidently this was one of those cases where the rumors of death were "very much exaggerated" but the CEO got paid anyway. It's also an interesting way of paying a CEO for non-performance. But it's got nothing on my favorite example in the Journal story. Here it is.

"A $3 million life insurance policy is just a minor part of the death benefits that XTO Energy Inc. provides to its CEO, Bob R. Simpson. Had Mr. Simpson died on Dec. 31, according to the natural-gas producer's latest proxy statement, XTO would have owed his heirs a $111 million 'bonus.' Stock options that the 59-year-old executive had been granted, but that weren't yet vested, would immediately vest, bringing his heirs an additional $20.5 million. The Fort Worth, Texas, company also would have owed $4.4 million in salary for its deceased employee. And his death would trigger a $158,400 payment listed as a 'car allowance.'"

The company declined to comment for the Journal story which is probably a good thing for them. It's hard to imagine how anything they said could make the package seem reasonable.

But can you see where a Compensation Taster would help? The CT would have warned the company about how outrageous this package would look to anyone but the CEO and the people on the compensation committee.

Wally's Working Supervisor's Support Kit is a collection of information and tools to help working supervisors do a better job. It's based on what Wally's learned in over twenty years of supervisory skills training. Click here to check it out.

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Wally Bock has helped people learn to be great bosses for more than a quarter century. His latest book, Performance Talk: The One-on-One Part of Leadership, makes learning key leadership principles almost effortless by teaching through a story and providing lists of resources for further growth.

Click here to find out more about Wally's coaching services.

For weekly tips and resources pointers, check our Wally Bock's Three Star Leadership Letter.

Click here to find out more about having Wally speak to your company or convention.