Reward the Reach means reinforcing the act of responsible risk-taking, not just the result. “Good” looks like acknowledging bold attempts, sharing positive examples, calling out useful failures, and rewarding initiative. Leaders who reward reach build teams willing to stretch beyond safe work.
This imperative drives two outcomes: more discretionary effort and greater ROI from risk-taking done well. When reach is rewarded, people propose better ideas, challenge low-value work, and push for improvements.
Teams default to safe, predictable output. Innovation dries up. Leaders carry the burden of ideation alone. Risk-taking shrinks, and improvement slows. Customers experience stagnant products, outdated workflows, and slower responsiveness.
Innovation energy surges. People stretch beyond their job description. KPIs improve: stretch-goal completion rises, innovation attempts increase, and improvement proposal quality strengthens. Teams build momentum through bold, intelligent effort.
A director noticed her team stopped proposing improvements after a failed experiment months earlier. She began celebrating reach efforts publicly, highlighting the learning and thanking contributors. Within a quarter, innovation proposals doubled and a stretch project delivered a major efficiency gain.
To amplify stretch behaviors, explore Innovation 200: Test Cheap, Learn Fast for small experiments and Coaching 200: Walk the Timeline to help people map their reach to strategic outcomes. For stronger decision context, see Purpose 300: Budget Your Why.
