Rewarding kids for good behavior or decisions will help kids do it again.

Hey Timmy if you score a goal today I'll give you $20.

References to Punished by Rewards by Alfie Kohn.

Studies show that positive reinforcement works in the short term but actually results in decreased performance.

The Miller and Estes study in 1961 confirms this.

A group of 9 year old boys played a memory game matching pairs of faces. Half were rewarded with money for correct answers and the other half were only told if they were correct. The boys that were paid performed worse than those that were not. The rewards decreased actually decreased their performance.

If we base our coaching on this positive reinforcement principle we could be hurting our team.

What the heck do we do instead?

Rewards and punishment, incentives and evaluations are all just different locations on the same spectrum of coercion. Get rid of them and create and environment with the following characteristics to breed intrinsic motivation and increase performance.

Collaboration. People work with the most enthusiasm in a community or group that they belong to. Help everyone feel like they are a part of the team. Camaraderie for all!

Content. People want to do things that are meaningful. To provide meaning to simple actions, explain how what they are doing is having an impact on others.

Choice. Enthusiasm increases with autonomy. Give players the opportunity to solve the problems at hand how they want to or are able to.