The central theme of “The Carrot Principle” is to arouse the motivation and enthusiasm of employees. The book’s writers, Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton, say the main catalyst for that effort is recognition.
The first part of the book begins with Charles Goodyear’s experimentation, hard work, failures, and eventual success in devising the prototype of today’s rubber industry. Once the writers engage the reader with that riveting story, they proceed to present their more-or-less proven theory of management rewards to stimulate employee engagement.
They classify leadership into four basic areas: goal setting, communication, trust, and responsibility. When and if a manager becomes proficient in these areas, he still needs something else as an accelerator or catalyst for employee motivation. That catalyst is recognition. Recognition is not a monetary reward, because money, however much it may be appreciated at first, is spent and forgotten in due time.
Real recognition comes in many forms: form of daily recognition, more formal recognition of employees when they go above and beyond the call of duty, general recognition of the employee’s career, and celebration with the entire team or company.
Whether running a ten-person company or a large mega-company, by following the carrot principle, managers achieve greater success with productivity, employee engagement and retention, and customer satisfaction. The book, The Carrot Principle, emphasizes the triumph of its main idea with statistical proof by showing several notable graphs and case studies from ten years and numerous managers.
For those who say they have budget or other issues with proper employee recognition, Chapter Ten offers 125 recognition ideas such as: “Don’t send a card on an employee’s birthday; give it to them in person. Before the visit, Write a short list of the person’s accomplishments over the past year on the card. Read it over together. It will be a gift they won’t soon forget.”
As seen in the quote above, the language of the book is easy to understand and the ideas in it are explained powerfully and clearly to get and keep a motivated workforce that will empower any business.
The book, ISBN-10: 0743290097 and ISBN-13: 978-0743290098, is 176 pages long and divided into three parts and ten chapters with four appendices at the end.
Of the two authors best known as the carrot boys, Adrian Gostick earned his master’s degree in Strategic Communication and Leadership from Seton Hall University, where he is a visiting professor on organizational culture. An employee motivation expert, Gostick has appeared on several television shows and is the leader of the OC Tanner Company’s recognition training and publishing practice. Gostick has written several successful books, including the New York Times bestseller The Invisible Employee. He also wrote the Wall Street Journal and Business Week bestseller A Carrot a Day; The advantage of integrity. His books The 24-Carrot Manager and A Carrot a Day are sold in more than fifty countries around the world.
Chester Elton, the other carrot boy, is a motivational speaker and writer. He is also the co-author of The Invisible Employee; The 24-Carrot Manager, which Larry King called a “must read”; and the Wall Street Journal and Business Week bestseller, A Carrot a Day. As a motivational expert, Elton has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and Fast Company magazines, has been featured in The New York Times, and has been called “an apostle of appreciation” by the Globe and Mail (Canada). . He has also been a guest on NBC’s Today Show, CNN’s Business Unusual and on National Public Radio.
The Carrot Principle is an indispensable book for any manager; however, it is also a good book to read by the layman, because the ideas it contains can be easily applied to everyday life.
