The vast majority of value for companies is created from discretionary effort of the employees.

Discretionary effort is not just "an hour more work."

It's more connective, seed planting, creative work.

It's work the employee did for its own sake, so it's more likely to be creative.

The problems the employee picks to work on will be more likely to be good challenge, not bad challenge (e.g. bureaucratic challenge).

Discretionary effort is very easy to undermine, to make the relationship between employee and employer more transactional.

To accidentally punish discretionary effort.

To have that kind of work have downside for the employee but no upside.

How can you encourage employees to want to apply discretionary effort?

Discretionary effort cannot be forced, it can only be freely given.

Not unlike love.

Discretionary effort is far more likely to create large positive indirect effects.

If you had to make the value legible, it would be too hard for that work.

But if you don't need to make it legible because you're doing it for its own sake, then you can just do it.