In the competitive landscape of business, how we reward employees can profoundly impact their behavior, motivation, and, ultimately, on the success of the organization. Simon Sinek, a thought leader and leadership expert, has long advocated for the importance of rewarding initiative over mere outcomes. His insights offer a fresh perspective on how organizations can cultivate a thriving culture that fosters creativity, risk-taking, and growth. This article delves into Sinek’s powerful message: focus on rewarding initiative, not just results, and watch success unfold.
The Power of Initiative
Initiative is the engine that drives individuals and organizations forward. It is the spark of creativity and the courage to act when the path forward is unclear. It is not enough to wait for instructions or execute tasks handed down from above. True progress comes from those who take the first step, look at a situation and see an opportunity rather than a challenge, and are willing to invest their time, energy, and resources into creating solutions, even if there is no guarantee of success.
Simon Sinek’s experience at the advertising agency serves as a powerful example of how initiative can create unexpected outcomes. When Sinek and his colleague were tasked with a relatively minor project—preparing the pitch materials for the senior executives—they didn’t settle for the bare minimum. Instead, they dug deeper into the research, analyzing the data and conceptualizing an entire strategy. They created a pitch deck, a visual representation of their ideas, to accompany their strategy.
Though they were juniors, they acted like they were already leading the project. They didn’t wait for direction; in doing so, they displayed the traits that any great leader would want to see in their team: resourcefulness, creativity, and a commitment to excellence. Even though the outcome—winning the business—wasn’t achieved, their demonstrated initiative earned them recognition and a promotion. The reason is simple: initiative is a behavior that shows a commitment to excellence and growth. Employees prove they are willing to contribute, learn, and drive innovation by showing initiative.
Leaders must understand the power of initiative to shape a thriving organization. Empowering individuals to take the reins and actively participate in the decision-making process promotes a culture of continuous learning, resilience, and adaptability. These qualities are indispensable in today’s fast-paced business world, where constant change and the ability to adapt is paramount.
Why Focusing on Outcomes Falls Short
In traditional business environments, the obsession with outcomes—securing a new contract, hitting sales targets, or meeting deadlines—often creates a narrow view of success. This focus on results is often misguided because it overlooks the complexities and the necessary behaviors that drive those results. While outcomes are certainly important, they are a byproduct of the actions, strategies, and behaviors that led to them. Rewarding only the result misses the opportunity to reinforce the actions essential for sustainable success.
Employees may become fixated on achieving specific targets at any cost when a company’s rewards system is solely outcome-based. This mindset encourages short-term thinking, where the priority is to deliver results quickly, even if it means sacrificing long-term value. For example, a sales representative solely focused on closing deals might resort to aggressive tactics, promising more than the product can deliver or skipping necessary steps in the customer service process, all in the name of securing a sale. This behavior may yield immediate results, but it’s likely to damage the company’s reputation and customer loyalty in the long run.
Focusing solely on outcomes also creates a culture of fear. Employees may avoid taking risks, fearing that failure will result in a loss of rewards or, worse, job security. This can be particularly damaging in innovative fields where taking risks and experimenting with new ideas is necessary for growth. In such environments, the fear of failure stifles creativity and can lead to a culture of complacency, where employees play it safe and avoid stepping out of their comfort zones.
Simon Sinek’s insight here is powerful: outcomes are often beyond our control. External factors, timing, market conditions, and luck all play a role in determining whether a business wins or loses a pitch. If an organization’s success is only measured by these final results, employees will feel disempowered to act boldly or to experiment with new ideas. However, if businesses reward the process—the behaviors that lead to success, such as creativity, collaboration, and perseverance—they create an environment where individuals feel encouraged to act and push the limits of what is possible.
The Marine Corps Philosophy: Behavior Over Outcome
One of the most insightful lessons Sinek draws is from the United States Marine Corps’ approach to leadership. In the Marines, the focus is not solely on the outcome of a mission but rather on the leadership behaviors demonstrated throughout the process. Good leaders are taught that mission failure is sometimes inevitable, and that mission success does not always equate to good leadership. This philosophy is grounded in the understanding that the journey—how people lead, handle setbacks, and interact with their teams—is more important than the mission’s success or failure.
In business, the analogy holds that simply rewarding a successful project outcome doesn’t necessarily mean that the right behaviors were exhibited to get there. If leaders only reward the final result—say, landing a major client—they may overlook the necessary actions that made that success possible, like effective communication, strategic planning, or collaboration. On the other hand, if leaders reward the behaviors—such as how well a team worked together, how innovative their approach was, or how they adapted to challenges—they reinforce the attitudes and actions that will lead to long-term success.
The Marine Corps also teaches that bad leaders can sometimes achieve mission success. This idea can be unsettling in a business context, but it highlights a crucial point: success does not reflect leadership quality or strategic thinking alone. It’s also about how leaders engage with their teams, inspire and motivate them, and help them grow. Mission success that comes without good leadership is often a short-lived victory that might not be sustainable in the long term.
This is why, in both business and military leadership, behavior should be the primary focus. Leaders should prioritize actions like honesty, resilience, and the ability to adapt rather than simply aiming for perfect outcomes. By cultivating a culture where behaviors are valued, organizations create a foundation to sustain success, even in the face of failure.
Creating a Reward System That Prioritizes Behavior
To fully embrace the power of initiative, organizations must create reward systems that prioritize behaviors, not just results. This can be challenging because businesses often have established systems tied to tangible outcomes. However, if companies wish to create a culture of initiative, they need to rethink how they measure success and incentivize employees.
The first step in creating such a reward system is to identify the behaviors that align with the company’s mission and values. For example, if a company values innovation, behaviors such as proposing new ideas, experimenting with new technologies, or collaborating across departments should be encouraged and rewarded. If customer satisfaction is a core priority, then behaviors like empathy, active listening, and problem-solving should be recognized.
Once the desired behaviors are clearly defined, businesses need to find ways to formally and informally reward them. Formal rewards might include things like promotions, bonuses, or public recognition. Informal rewards, however, can be just as effective and might include a simple thank-you note, a team lunch, or a special mention in a meeting. The key is consistency—employees must understand that their efforts are being noticed and valued.
It’s also important that rewards are aligned with the scale of the behavior. For instance, taking the initiative to propose a new idea should be acknowledged, but going above and beyond to implement that idea and create real change might warrant a more significant reward. This helps reinforce that effort, creativity, and proactive behavior matter, not just the final result.
In addition to external rewards, creating an internal reward system that involves regular feedback and recognition can keep motivation high. When employees are given clear, actionable feedback about their behavior—whether they succeeded or failed—it provides a framework for improvement and encourages continuous growth.
The Ripple Effect of Rewarding Initiative
The impact of rewarding initiative goes far beyond the individual employee. When initiative is consistently recognized and celebrated, it sets a powerful example for others in the organization. This ripple effect is how culture is truly built in an organization. Employees begin to see that those who take risks, propose new ideas, and challenge the status quo are the ones who are valued.
This encourages others to follow suit. When leaders reward initiative, they create an environment where employees feel empowered to take risks. They no longer feel bound by strict boundaries or restricted by the fear of failure. Instead, they embrace the idea that it’s okay to try new things and learn from mistakes along the way. This helps foster a culture of resilience, where individuals and teams can continue to evolve, improve, and overcome obstacles without being paralyzed by the fear of making mistakes.
The ripple effect extends beyond the individual to the team, the department, and ultimately, the entire organization. When initiative becomes the norm, it creates a collective energy that pushes everyone forward. Teams start to collaborate more, share their knowledge, and innovate together. This spirit of cooperation and collective growth becomes ingrained in the company’s DNA, making it more agile, adaptive, and capable of tackling any challenge.
As employees see their colleagues being recognized for their initiative, they, too, will feel encouraged to take action, knowing that their contributions will be appreciated. This continuous loop of initiative and reward fosters a culture of creativity, continuous learning, and long-term success. The organization becomes a dynamic, forward-moving entity that thrives on innovation and resilience, well-positioned for sustained growth in an ever-changing world.
Conclusion: Embracing the Power of Initiative
Simon Sinek’s experience underscores a paradigm shift in how organizations should approach rewards and recognition. By prioritizing and incentivizing initiative over mere outcomes, leaders can foster a culture where proactive behaviors thrive, ultimately paving the way for sustained success and resilience in today’s competitive environment.
In essence, unlocking success isn’t just about achieving goals—it’s about nurturing the behaviors that lead to those achievements. Simon Sinek’s philosophy challenges traditional notions of performance-based rewards, offering a compelling argument for why initiative should be at the forefront of organizational culture.