How do you get paid ... ?

Principles, purpose and people come before profits, so getting paid is not the most important thing.  Knowing what we have done is valued fairly and makes the desired impact is higher priority for us as is our sense of satisfaction in the use of our gifts and experience.  Usually, when the question arises ... "How do you get paid?" the answer is ... "It depends."  Typically we include an up-front commitment fee, a monthly fee for ongoing work, and / or a completion fee tied to significant objectives.  We do not sign up as "contract labor or leadership" trading hours for something in return.  We listen carefully, then invest quality time to craft a mutually satisfactory arrangement ... if we can.  If we cannot, it was not meant to be.   While we might not care much about price or cost, we DO care a lot about value.  

A parable about VALUE and how it works ....  Over a hundred years ago, a hydroelectric power plant manager was under pressure from his owners to bring a new plant online.  Everything was ready, water flowed, turbines turned, generators hummed, but no electricity.  Calling on a long-seasoned expert, "Whatever it takes, please help me ... " the manager said.  The expert rushed in, listened to the turbines, stood among the generators, and looked over the situation.  After a few minutes, the expert took a small hammer, crawled under a generator and tapped a spot twice.  The sound of the generators changed and electricity flowed.  A hundred-year cycle of power had begun.  A couple of weeks later the expert sent a bill to the manager for $50,000.  "Outrageous!", the manager shouted.  "Provide me an itemized bill at once!"  the manager wrote back.   Another week later a second bill arrived: