I just finished a book that shook me out of the ordinary and made me rethink many of the concepts I usually defend as a compensation specialist. “Além da Queda – O Que Perder Tudo Me Ensinou Sobre Vida, Saúde Mental e Negócios” (“Beyond the Fall – What Losing Everything Taught Me About Life, Mental Health, and Business”), by Juliano Godoy, is one of those accounts that forces us to look beyond numbers, charts, and incentive program formulas. It is a real, courageous, and above all, profoundly human story about the backstage of variable compensation programs and their impact on people’s lives.
I’ve known Juliano for over twenty years. Our paths crossed in a company that was a benchmark in high performance, where meritocracy was celebrated and professionals were encouraged to pursue extraordinary results, rewarded with aggressive bonuses and long-term incentive plans. It was the perfect win-win scenario: satisfied shareholders, motivated professionals, and businesses growing at an accelerated pace. But, as the book itself reminds us, there are also risks.
When a company designs its compensation strategy, each choice carries powerful messages. The comparison market, the level of competitiveness, the balance between fixed and variable pay, the award mechanisms—all of these influence behaviors, expectations, and above all, decisions. What happens when we choose a lean fixed salary and a robust variable pay? Or when we exchange immediate gains for promises of future rewards tied to company performance? Are we really preparing our professionals to deal with the pressure, uncertainty, and risks of this model?
Juliano’s book lays bare the less glamorous side of this equation. He narrates his trajectory of success, his move to the United States with his family, and the excitement of receiving an incentive package that seemed to guarantee financial stability. But, as often happens in the corporate world, the future had surprises in store. Even with total dedication, well-structured business plans, and positive internal indicators, external—and often unpredictable—factors can change the game. The market may interpret results differently, crises may emerge, the company’s reputation may be shaken by third-party decisions. And suddenly, that promising scenario turns into a steep fall.
What is most striking—and unsettling—is realizing how many professionals are unprepared to deal with frustration in these situations. The book invites us to reflect: are companies transparent about the risks involved in incentive programs? Do those eligible for these plans receive enough financial guidance to make informed decisions? How many executives truly understand the rules of the game and the consequences of their choices? It’s not uncommon to see professionals leaving money on the table when exiting a company, or betting on unlikely scenarios fueled by unrealistic expectations.
As an enthusiast of variable compensation programs, especially long-term incentive plans, I believe in the transformative power of these mechanisms. They are indeed valuable tools to align interests, engage talent, and drive results. But we need to move beyond rhetoric. It is urgent to invest in financial literacy for executives, create spaces for dialogue about risks, and prepare people to deal with market uncertainties. It’s not enough to offer generous incentives—we must ensure that everyone understands how the programs work and is ready to make informed decisions.
Another highlight of the book is its exploration of the behavioral biases that influence our choices. Juliano delves into concepts such as confirmation bias—the tendency to seek out information that reinforces our beliefs while ignoring contradictory evidence; the halo effect, in which a positive or negative impression influences our opinions in other areas; and prospect theory, which explains why we often take greater risks to avoid losses than to pursue gains. These are mental traps that affect even the most experienced professionals—and that can be costly.
The great merit of Beyond the Fall lies in transforming a painful experience into a manual of self-awareness and prevention. Juliano doesn’t just tell his story: he shares lessons, sparks reflection, and offers a real “answer key” for those who want to make more conscious decisions—whether in financial life, career, or business.
The book is an invitation for companies and professionals to study their own biases, question certainties, and be open to learning from mistakes before it’s too late. As the author himself demonstrates, true success is not about never falling, but about knowing how to get back up—and grow—after the fall.
Source: Forbes
