comp-banding

# comp-banding ## When to use - Levels and comp bands need a first pass (or an annual refresh) and the question is *what shape the ladder takes*, *where the bands sit*, and *how cash / equity trade*. - A specific compensation decision crosses the desk (counter-offer, retention, market correction, promotion, geo move) and the question is *which lever is the right one*. - A funding event, geo expansion, or org-stage transition makes the existing comp shape misfit reality. Do NOT use as a payroll / equity-administration substitute (this skill produces the cognition; payroll / cap-table tools implement), as an individual-performance review (route to Q4 `perf-feedback-craft`), or for hiring-loop / sourcing design (separate skill area). ## Cognition cluster - **Mental model 1 — First principles.** Strip every comp question to: *what behavior are we paying for, over what horizon, with what risk-bearing?* Cash pays for present effort; equity pays for future co-built value with risk; bonus pays for outcome-linked behavior. Mixing the levers without first-principles intent produces confusion. See [`mental-models.md`](../../../docs/contracts/mental-models.md) § 1. - **Mental model 28 — Inversion.** *"What comp shape would force our best people to leave?"* Inversion surfaces the load-bearing risks (condensation at senior levels, equity refresh gaps, geo arbitrage that punishes loyalty). - **Mental model 26 — Optionality.** Each comp lever preserves or forecloses future options. Abov...