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In real life, Billy is almost a shoe-in for the Baseball Hall of Fame because of the choices he has made, the relative success of the low-payroll Oakland A’s, and how he revolutionized the game of baseball through sabermetrics. He also provides an example of what you face as a leader. The Boston Red Sox could not motivate Billy Beane to be the team’s general manager with a huge paycheck and extravagant perks. Billy’s mom, Maril Adrian, is one of my dearest friends. It was fascinating to hear her perspective as Billy’s life unfolded in the media over the decade. Sports Illustrated corroborated her assertion that money didn’t motivate Billy: “After high school, Beane signed with the New York Mets based solely on money, and later regretted it. That played into his decision this time.”1 To understand Billy’s choices is to appreciate the true nature of human motivation and why motivating people doesn’t work. Billy was motivated. He was just motivated differently than one might expect. He was not motivated by money, fame, or notoriety but by his love of and dedication to his family and the game of baseball. Trying to motivate Billy didn’t work because he was already motivated. People are always motivated. The question is not if a person is motivated but why. The motivation dilemma is that leaders are being held ac c ountable to do something they cannot do—motivate others.