I agree -- and I've personally tried to create those incentives, whereby those people who have gone out of their way to improve things get the promotions and raises, and I make sure everyone knows why they're getting paid more. They see it going to the quiet guy who just kept tackling things he saw needed to be fixed, and then asking for more, and it certainly helped open some eyes. But not as much as you might expect.
One thing I did recently was go on a two week vacation where I was barely reachable. When I got back my company was in better shape than when I'd left and all of the people working for me had stepped up to do the things I had been doing. It was really eye opening for all of us.
This seems to be a common experience. Felix Dennis mentioned the same thing in his book - earlier on in his career, he'd just 'flip out' and go somewhere remote for a couple weeks, without even telling people ahead of time (more quirky and unplanned than your vacation!). But the same thing happened; he found that rather than adding tremendous value every second he was there, the company did much better when he got out of their way.
