Jonathan and Marlene recount their own journeys to find words to understand why they, each in their own way, found and find externally imposed motivation structures (both the positive “carrot” kind and the negative “stick” kind) to be so confusing and counter productive. They propose using “intention” as a third way that Leadership Practitioners can use to escape the tactical “carrot/stick trap.” They explore exactly how this higher-level strategy avoids so many of the carrot-stick pitfalls, and the value it can bring to anyone practicing leadership, particularly in tough organizational contexts where one might have fewer colleagues sharing similar mindsets.