#3799: The Real Reason That Incentives Drive All Behavior

People will give you their reasons for why they did something. They’ll talk about their intentions, values, personality, or what they meant to do. But if you really want to understand why somebody behaves the way they do, look at the incentives. What are they being rewarded for doing, and what are they being rewarded for avoiding?

In this masterclass, I break down why every behavior is solving some kind of problem, why incentives beat intentions when the two are in conflict, and why changing the incentive structure changes behavior. If you want to understand yourself, understand other people, or change the behavior of a team, stop listening to the explanations and start looking at the incentives.

Show Notes:

[06:20]#1 Every Behavior Is Somehow Solving A Problem

[12:10]#2 Incentives Beat Intentions

[16:12]#3 When You Change The Incentives, You Change The Behavior

[20:39] Recap

Episodes Mentioned:

2338: The TRASH That Is The American Medical System

2245: What’s Up With The Business Suits?

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