Here's something worth thinking about: throwing massive compensation packages at executives rarely translates into breakthrough performance.

It sounds counterintuitive, right? You'd think offering the moon would inspire teams to reach for the stars. But the data tells a different story. When CEOs and project leaders are overpaid relative to actual business fundamentals, incentive structures become misaligned. People chase the payday instead of driving real value creation.

This matters especially in crypto and Web3 projects. When project founders and executives lock in enormous salaries and token allocations upfront, what happens? Often, you see them focus on short-term wins or PR stunts rather than sustainable ecosystem growth. The compensation structure stops being a motivator and becomes a ceiling on ambition.

The real lesson: meaningful incentives work best when they're tied to measurable outcomes—community growth, protocol security, genuine adoption metrics. Not promises. Skin in the game, not just in the wallet.

Projects that outperform tend to align leadership compensation with long-term ecosystem health. That's the playbook that actually works.