The Carrot and the Stick

There is an old phrase that I am becoming more and more familiar with. That phrase is “carrot and stick” or more modernly known as “carrot OR stick”. The phrase is a metaphor for punishment and reward. The story goes, a guy ties a carrot to the end of a stick and hangs it in front of his donkey to get the animal to move and carry heavy loads. The animal, not very bright, steps forward to retrieve his reward but is unable to reach it. Before he knows it, he is taking steps after his reward but its instead doing what the man desired and carrying his loads for him, only to reach his reward when the task is complete.

This is all well and good, if you get your reward. Too often, companies now utilize the more modern approach to this metaphor and it’s either the carrot OR the stick…and more often than not, it’s the stick. No employee can handle working under the pressure of constant fear of the stick. A carrot must be dangled every now and then and it must also be obtainable in the end.

Stick creates fear, fear creates doubt, doubt create mistakes, and mistakes create former employees.

Carrots give hope. Hope that there are perks to doing their job to the best of their ability.

Carrots can take the form of many different things. They can take shape in what works best for the company or for each individual. There must be more to the carrot than “you get to keep your job”. Jobs are a living, breathing thing. They must be nurtured and cared for as any living thing is. If you beat down your employees enough, they will not bloom. If you nurture and care for your employees, they will flourish.

There can be a harmony with the carrot and the stick. As with anything in life, there are ups and downs, there is good and bad, there are punishments and rewards. The key is to find the balance in the carrot and the stick. Find that balance to keep your workers happy and doing the best job they can. Don’t manage with all stick, LEAD with a mixture of both