The Carrot principle
by Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton
Review by C.S. Clarke, Ph.D.
How would you like to have a magic wand that made your employees'performanceand productivityincrease in leaps and bounds? That madethose employees more creative? That made those employees more loyal?That made both you and your employees enjoy working together and for your company? That made those employees contribute significantly to a constantly growing bottom line?
Open the treasure-chest book called The Carrot Principle, and you'll find that magic wand inside.
The subtitle nicely presents the essence of the book: How the Best Managers Use Recognition to Engage The People, Retain Talent and Accelerate Performance. Indeed, that is exactly what the book does. It tells how. How to use the techniques of recognition effectively and with predictable results. Moreover, it shows how. With many interesting case examples. And, it has a 10 year study of 200,000 managers and employees to back it up.
Not only does The Carrot Principle teach the techniques of employee recognition, it also describes and teaches the four basics essentials of good management that first must be in place for recognition to be effective. The four essentials are: 1. Goal Setting; 2. Communication; 3. Trust; and 4. Accountability. Only after making their points about the necessity of management fundamentals forming a basis for recognition effectiveness do they go into the details of how to do recognition and why it works.
The authors' emphasis on the interrelationship of recognition and other good management techniques is one point that differentiates their approach from much of what you may have read before. You must have a basis for your employees to value and trust your recognition. That is critical. Another difference is their plan for a "carrot culture" based on building blocks of different recognition types: day-to-day recognition, recognition of one-time excellent performance (each time it happens, at the time it happens), recognition of career milestones (like hire date anniversaries), and celebration events (such as when a team project is completed.) The plan includes details of when, how and what kind of reward to use. Even better, the authors show how a "carrot culture" has been implemented without particular organizational support, within a single department, by a single manager. Of course, when results show how effective the techniques are, they start to spread throughout the organization. (If it is an otherwise worthy organization.)
If you've tried recognition programs in the past and found them ineffective, it will become clear to you why that happened once you've read this book. When you've finished, you will be confident that if you apply the principles of The Carrot Principle, you will be able to make a recognition program work.
Stephen R. Covey's 8th Habit
The 8th Habit is about seeing and harnessing the power of a third dimension to the 7 Habits that meets this central challenge of the new Knowledge Worker Age. It is about finding your voice and helping others to find theirs. Voice is unique personal significance—significance that is revealed as we face our greatest challenges and that makes us equal to them. When you engage in work that taps your talent and fuels your passion—that rises out of a great need in the world that you feel drawn by conscience to meet—therein lies your voice, your calling, your soul’s code. The purpose of The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness is to give you a roadmap that will lead you from pain and frustration to true fulfillment, relevance, significance, and contribution in today’s new landscape—not only in your work and organization, but also in your whole life.
The 8th Habit is the answer to the soul's yearning for greatness, the organization's imperative for significance and superior results, and humanity's search for its "voice." Profound, compelling, and stunningly timely, this groundbreaking new audiobook will transform the way we think about ourselves and our purpose in life, about our organizations, and about humankind. The 8th Habit is a true masterpiece, a must-read. These principles of personal and organizational leadership, when lived, unleash human genius and inspire deep commitment and magnificent levels of service and satisfaction.
Monday Morning Leadership
Cornerstone Leadership Institute —2002 (110 pages in hardback)
Author David Cottrell
ISBN 0-9719424-3-9This is a short but highly engaging book. It is written in a way that draws you into the subject. The book begins by explaining why it was written. The author begins by explaining in the prologue a story about an executive named Jeff Walters. Jeff’s life was falling apart. He was in a slump in his career, personal relationships and health. He needed help and was at a crossroads, desperately needing direction. He rekindles a relationship with an old friend of his father’s named Tony Pearce. Tony, being a respected and successful semi-retired business leader, offers to help but only on two conditions. The first condition is that the struggling executive must agree to meet with Tony every Monday morning for eight weeks of tutelage. The second condition is that the author must promise to teach others the experiences and lessons Tony teaches him. Monday MorningLeadership is the fulfillment of the second condition.
This is a short but highly engaging book. It is written in a way that draws you into the subject. The book begins by explaining why it was written. The author begins by explaining in the prologue a story about an executive named Jeff Walters. Jeff’s life was falling apart. He was in a slump in his career, personal relationships and health. He needed help and was at a crossroads, desperately needing direction. He rekindles a relationship with an old friend of his father’s named Tony Pearce. Tony, being a respected and successful semi-retired business leader, offers to help but only on two conditions. The first condition is that the struggling executive must agree to meet with Tony every Monday morning for eight weeks of tutelage. The second condition is that the author must promise to teach others the experiences and lessons Tony teaches him. Monday Morning Leadership is the fulfillment of the second condition.
The eight chapters of the book are a synopsis of the Monday morning sessions with Tony. Jeff shows up with his spiral notebook ready to learn and grow. Each Monday morning session is educational and entertaining to read. There is no new ground covered here regarding known leadership principles, but the analogies used by Tony puts many in a new light. For example, in the third chapter (The Third Monday – Escape from Management Land) Jeff learns that many managers fall into a trap called management land. In this artificial world things are not always as they seem. Simple things become complex and games are played. People are rewarded not for performance but for saying the things managers want to hear. Jeff learns that he must “escape from management land and get in touch with your people”. He also learns there are three types of employees or “stars” on every team and how to deal with them.
This is a book you will enjoy and it ends with a collection of quotations from Tony that are thought-provoking and helpful. You will be able to read it in one or two short sittings. Monday Morning Leadership deftly covers a number of important leadership principles in a refreshing way. If you want something different, easy to understand, and a pleasure to peruse, Monday Morning Leadership is a book for you.
