The Carrot and Stick Myth

Have you ever seen a company throw more money at an unhappy employee and wonder why they're still unhappy?

I see this all the time. The standard playbook for behavior change is to "provide an incentive," and the default incentive is always cash. But when you give a disengaged employee a fatter paycheck without addressing the real reason they're disengaged—which is almost never about money—you don't solve the problem.

You just create a wealthier, unhappy employee.

Rewards, like the classic "carrot and stick," are a short-term fix. They work as long as you keep giving out the carrot. But the moment you stop, the behavior stops too. 

Why? Because the person's focus is on the reward, not the outcome. They're just doing a chore to get a treat.

The real goal isn't to buy behavior; it's to align an individual's self-interest with the company's objectives. That's when real, sustainable change happens. You don't need a carrot when you've already made the path worth walking.