Instant gratification or delayed gratification?

Instant gratification is easy, but is it always the right thing to do?

Whether you're designing a new incentive scheme for employees or a loyalty / reward program for customers, there're 2 important questions you need to ask:

Are you incentivizing the right social behavior?

Are you delaying the incentive enough to a moment of less desperation?

“Instant gratification is the desire to experience pleasure or fulfillment without delay or deferment. Basically, it’s when you want it; and you want it now.” - Neil Patel

Exciting people to take an action by offering an immediate experience of pleasure (to drive desired business results) may seem to work in the short / immediate term, but may not necessarily lead to better human behaviors & wellbeing in the long term, which is what the world ultimately needs.

Source: Infographic by Wearefetch, based on a poll by YouGov with UK citizens aged 18+

During the 2017 financial crisis our business went through, we had an important observation on human behavior (one of the key lessons in behavioral economics, you get to learn only in scarcity). 

People are more open to receiving transparent feedback from peers when they see an immediate monetary incentive, attached to acceptance & action. People are more open to saying - "I disagree, but accept", when there is at-least a 50% incentive that's more immediate, instead of a deferred decision on the pay increment.

While monetary incentives can be great motivators to turn inwards for positive transformative action, are we prepared to get ourselves together, at moments in life when there're no instant rewards to be better? When being more self aware and improving our behaviors & situational responses is our only personal responsibility? 

This is the quality we look for in leaders we draw inspiration from, and nurture our children to be. What do you think?