Take a carrot today and every day
A carrot in its literal sense is a biennial Eurasian plant in the parsley family, widely cultivated for its edible taproot. It usually has a narrowing, elongated, fleshy orange underground part eaten as a vegetable. Metaphorically, a carrot invokes the image of the fruit tied to the end of a long stick and hung in front of a donkey wagon, the carrot being an unattainable reward for the donkey as it continues to move itself forward. The carrot is the reward for a desired behavior, and the stick is the punishment if the course goes wayward.
In business, as Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton, authors of the book The Carrot Principle, explained, “a carrot is something used to inspire and motivate an employee. It’s something to be desired. In fact, it tops the list of things employees say they most want from their employers. Simply put, when employees’ strengths and potentials are noticed and given praise, they are significantly more likely to produce value.”
“Embrace the power of reward and recognition” is the call to action of the comprehensibly researched and written book about the importance of using acknowledgment and gratitude tools to connect with employees, enhance their retention, and hasten individual and group performance. The study covers substantial data from a leading global initiative participated in by more than 200,000 managers.
The beliefs discussed in The Carrot Principle are supported by two all-embracing research projects that validate and demonstrate the points made by Gostick and Elton. It illustrates how your recognition skills can actually increase a leader’s performance in four basic areas of leadership: goal setting, communication, trust and accountability. When you focus on improving your recognition skills, you can bring your team to a higher plain and create a hugely motivated and innovative workforce. It is divided into three Parts: “The Accelerator,” which elucidates the kind of leadership needed to institute and nourish a “carrot culture”; “The Carrot Culture” — its framework, elements and functions; and “Managing by Carrots,” which helps determine the nature, extent, and funding of rewards and awards.
The Carrot Principle comes with a companion book entitled The Daily Carrot Principle, a handy, self-help read organized to bring inspiration and motivation. Each day the reader is encouraged to take a “carrot action” — words or acts of gratitude, appreciation or recognition of who you are as a person, as well as the people you deal with or relate to. Each of the 365 “carrot steps” is simple to embark on, yet promises to produce change.
If you’re simply looking for reading material that can help you get off the ground, make your corporate and corporal existence more meaningful, or break out of a rut, get ahold of the tandem hardbacks. This writer shares with you a personal list of “carrot actions” chosen from the fascinating roster in The Daily Carrot Principle.
• Make a list of your successes, and from there make a list of your goals that will build on that momentum. Dreams and ambitions can sometimes get a bad rap today. It’s easy to discount the former as childish and the latter as greedy. That’s a mistake. In a way, troubled times can make it easier for people to reorient their priorities. If there was ever a time to dream big, it is today. When the rest of the world says hunker down and try to survive, you say that it is time to thrive. So go ahead and dream. A dream is a powerful motivator.
• Give flowers that come with a love note. Express why you love the recipient so much. It will make whoever gets the flowers feel great — and you won’t feel so bad yourself. When was the last time you recognized the most important people in your life — your family, friends, or other loved ones at home? Don’t miss this chance to tell people that you care for them. No one can hear it enough and it never gets old.
• Perform every action with the thought that it could be written up tomorrow on the front page of the newspaper. Or get uploaded on YouTube, Facebook or Twitter. While you contribute to your own organization’s success, you also have the potential to hurt it. One mistake in judgment, one dishonorable action, could hurt the firm’s reputation in irreparable ways. In a company, the assets are not only capital and equipment, but also the employees and its reputation. Any of those can be diminished by outside or inside forces, but the last is the hardest to regain, so take exquisite care in all of the decisions you make.
• If you make a mistake, and you sure will, get out in front of the problem as soon as you can. Own it and offer a way to correct the problem. In any organization trust is built on honest, open communication in good times, and especially in bad. When you commit a mistake in a trusting environment, resources can be rallied — turning mistakes into opportunities to recover and make things right.
• When giving instruction, teach people why their responsibilities are important. Teach the “why,” not the “how.” True accountability occurs when people understand the whole picture. As William Butler Yeats averred, “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”
• Give back. When you feel like the world is closing in on you and nothing is going right, take a tip from the guy that came up with the theory of relativity, Albert Einstein: count your blessings and be grateful for all the people who love and support you, and make a conscious decision to help those who need help. Einstein proclaimed, “Many times a day I realize how much my own outer and inner life is built upon the labors of my fellow man, both living and dead, and how earnestly I must exert myself in order to give in return as much as I have received.”
• Reframe your dialogue to arrive at “yes” answers. Remember, the word “no” closes conversations. The word “yes” opens negotiations. Positive language influences you. Yet there is something just as impactful, if not more so, as the word “yes.” It’s the word “no.” Sadly, you say it to yourself and to those around you. Instead of getting self-motivated, it stops you in your tracks. And instead of raising your adrenalin, it shuts you off to the realm of possibility.
• Demonstrate an ability to be trusted in the things you do. Ethical companies are looking for employees who understand that the ends do not justify the means. They want people who will voice concerns if something feels wrong, and to do everything in a legal manner — even the little things. Honest people are in demand. Not surprising considering the worldwide brands and reputations that have been damaged and destroyed by individual bad apples.
• Listen and prosper. When people feel valued, companies prosper. Gallup’s multi-year research identified 12 key characteristics of successful workplaces — businesses in which employee retention, customer satisfaction, productivity, and profitability are at high levels. “At work, my opinions seem to count,” was one of the 12, establishing a statistical link between employees feeling valued and company profitability. When you know that what you say matters and is making a difference, you are more engaged and more productive, which results in better ideas and more energy.
• Make your actions speak louder than your words. It is all about quiet leadership and how to manage yourself when you’re tempted to tell people how honest you are. Telling people you’re honest is like boasting of your humility. Honesty isn’t yours to claim, it’s a judgment made by the people around you. You are a humble, quiet leader if you are considerate and courteous. You smile and greet coworkers every day, reflect on how your decisions will affect others, praise and recognize your employees and even your bosses, control your temper, and allow others to be kind to you.
• Stop the negativity in its tracks when someone with a bad attitude approaches you. Respond to the gossip, the complaining, and groaning by saying, “You know what, I’m actually excited about today. There’s a lot of great stuff going on here. I hope your days get better!” Assume an attitude that what matters is finding a solution to a problem — and that starts with you, remembering that a positive attitude can be just as contagious as any flu.
• Take note that recognition is public, and criticism is private. Reserve sharp comments and censures for one-on-one meetings. When you honor someone’s contributions in front of their peers in a dignified way, you build people. When you criticize them in front of their peers, you destroy them. Use recognition liberally and your disapproval sparingly. Recognition moments can help you build solid and valuable relationships.
A carrot a day is good for your personal and organizational health. Take one today.
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E-mail bongosorio@yahoo.com or bong_osorio@abs-cbn.com for comments, questions or suggestions. Thank you for communicating.
