"They'll focus all their energy on coming up with new and creative ways to flatter you because they'll find that sucking up is an easier way to get funding than paving roads."
"When they discover that no amount of flattery or praise can reliably get them the benefits and resources you control, they'll start to panic."
"And when people panic, they'll do anything to keep their positions. That's when they'll resort to the most basic form of competition. Only then will they start meeting the hard targets you've set. Only then will they pave the roads, crack down on crime, and actually get to work."
Leo asked, "So how should I respond to this grand gesture from Bowman?"
"You need to treat flattery as a political lubricant."
Roosevelt offered a specific strategy.
"You have to understand that in a vast bureaucracy, lower-level officials are under immense pressure."
