People do what you reward

People don’t do what you say.
They do what you reward.

Every company has a version of this gap.

They say they value:

• Innovation

• Accountability

• Customer focus

• Ownership

But when you look at what actually gets rewarded, you often see something very different.

• Innovation… but only if it works

• Accountability… unless it’s inconvenient

• Customer focus… until it slows down internal processes

• Ownership… as long as it stays within your lane

Over time, people figure it out.

They stop listening to what’s said…and start optimizing for what actually happens.

Because that’s the real system.

Not the mission statement.
Not the leadership offsite.
Not the all-hands messaging.

👉 The system is the incentives.

And incentives—formal or informal—always win.

Close:
If you want to change behavior, don’t rewrite the message.

Rewrite what gets rewarded.