Recently, I had a brief conversation with a manager about his employees. He mentioned that he gives them a bonus twice a year when they achieve their objectives. A classic way to stimulate performance. However, this time something had gone wrong.
With one employee, everything indicated that the target would be met. Therefore, the manager had already paid out the bonus in advance as an extra incentive. But in the end, the goal was not reached. And now he had a problem. Asking for the bonus back didn't feel ideal. After all, he didn't want to lose the employee. But simply leaving the bonus as is raised another question:
What do you do with the employees who did have to meet their target before they received their bonus?
As he explained his situation, I noticed something else. Not just the bonus problem, but especially how strongly achieving results dominated his thinking. And I thought:
What happens to people when they work every day in a world where results are constantly at the forefront?
What do you actually reward?
A bonus seems simple. Target achieved → bonus.
But what you reward, you also direct.
If revenue is important, people will pay more attention to revenue. If speed is important, speed becomes important. If individual performance is central, competition arises.
And if the end result is what matters most, the path to it may slowly become less important. That can start very subtly.
A salesperson who notices that a customer is hesitant will push just a little harder. An objection is no longer seen as information, but as an obstacle. A product that may not quite fit is still sold. A detail is not mentioned because it could complicate the sale.
No one needs to think: Today I will act dishonestly. The system can gradually push someone in that direction.
When the number becomes more important than the customer
That may be the real risk of a strong results culture.
The question shifts from: “What is the best solution for this customer?” to: “How do I close this deal?”
And that difference seems small. But it is enormous. Because once achieving the target becomes the primary goal, the customer can unintentionally become a means to that end.
That is exactly where pushy sales begin. Not necessarily with bad people. But with people who have learned that achieving a result is more important than how you achieve it.
Not everyone wants to play that game
And here something interesting happens. Some employees adapt. They learn how the system works. They meet their targets, receive their bonus, and may even become the most successful salespeople in the organisation.
But others are starting to drop out. Not because they do not want to perform. Not because they lack ambition. But because they are not willing to subordinate the customer, quality, or their own integrity to a number. And so they leave.
Not because they cannot perform, but because they do not want to become who they need to be to be successful.
That is an important difference.
And thus a culture selects itself
When people who do not identify with a certain way of working leave, the organisation changes. Slowly. The people who stay are often those who can find themselves well within the existing rules.
New employees come in and learn from them: This is how we do it here. What was once an exception becomes normal. What once felt uncomfortable becomes part of the culture.
And eventually an organisation may ask itself: “Where have the people gone who valued quality, care, and integrity so highly?” Perhaps they have not disappeared. Perhaps they have left.
Targets are not the problem
Let that be clear. Organisations need goals. People may be held accountable for their performance. And good performance may be rewarded.
The problem arises when results become the only criterion. Because two employees can achieve exactly the same target and still deliver a completely different performance. One has helped a customer with a solution that truly fits them. The other has convinced a customer who would have been better off with a different product. On paper: the same result. In reality: a world of difference.
Therefore, perhaps the question is not only: “Have we met our targets?” but also: “How did we achieve them?” And: “What behaviour have we rewarded?”
What are we actually telling people?
Every bonus scheme, every target system, and every KPI tells employees something about what really matters in an organisation. The message can be: Results are important, but so is quality. Or: The customer is central. Or: We want to grow, but not at each other's expense. But it can also subtly become the message: The number must add up. How you get there, we’ll see later.
And employees are particularly good at recognising that underlying message. They do not only listen to what an organisation says. They look at what is being rewarded.
Perhaps we should therefore ask a different question Not: “How do we get our people to meet their targets?”
But: “What way of working do we want to strengthen to achieve our goals?”
The way in which results are achieved
Because an organisation ultimately does not only achieve the results for which it rewards people. It also gets the behaviour that proves necessary to achieve those results.
And that behaviour in turn determines who feels at home in the organisation. Who stays. Who leaves. And who will never choose the organisation.
So yes, meet your target. But also take a look around occasionally. Who have you taken along the way? Who have you lost along the way?
And perhaps the most important question: Are you proud of the way you achieved the result?