This story, published in The Guardian in 2013, shows the power of a positive focus.
Instead of just punishing crime, The Royal Canadian Mounted Police actively began rewarding young people for good behavior – from wearing a bicycle helmet to arriving at school on time.
Simple rewards like food vouchers or movie tickets yielded unexpectedly significant results.
Youth-related call-outs decreased by almost 50%!
More importantly, the relationship between police and young people changed dramatically.
Instead of being seen as ‘hunters,’ the police now became friends in the eyes of the youth.
This provides an important lesson: that noticing and rewarding the positive builds stronger bonds and more trust, not just in law enforcement.
How can we apply this at work, in our customer relationships, and in society?
Do we mostly focus on correcting mistakes, or do we take the time to encourage what is done well?
Let us be inspired by Canada and consider how we can become better at ‘catching’ and rewarding the positive around us.
