The 24-Carrot Manager: A Remarkable Story of How a Leader Can Unleash Human Potential [Hardcover]

Adrian Gostick (Author), Chester Elton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2002

In this companion volume to their successful Managing With Carrots, Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton present a remarkable story of how a great leader can unleash human potential--creating success in even the worst economy. Providing strategies and solutions for the managers of today, this book offers answers for improving employee commitment and profitability by strategically acknowledging employee effort. How is it done? The deceptively simply answer: with carrots.

Plentiful examples show how to choose the right reward for each employee, how to time the giving of a reward to motivate performance, how to effectively present rewards, when to give praise in private and when to make it a public celebration, and how to motivate employees to work harder and work smarter with the company's goals in mind.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Plentiful examples show how to choose the right reward for each employee, how to time the giving of a reward to motivate performance, how to effectively present rewards, when to give praise in private and when to make it a public celebration.

From the Author

After years of driving their troops forward using fear and intimidation, workers aren't willing to fight the battle anymore. They're leaving the ranks to join a growing number of recruits at firms that lead with carrots.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: Gibbs Smith; 1 edition (April 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1586851543
• ISBN-13: 978-1586851545
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 0.6 x 8.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #366,457 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Small Book Powerful Punch July 9, 2009

By Michael Gooch

Format:Hardcover

A couple of years ago, we used this book as the theme for our nation-wide HR. It was very well received. Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton have given timely advice on how a great leader can unleash human potential.

As our economy continues to spiral downward (with no clear end in sight) the lessons delivered are (and will be becoming) more critical to not only our success but very survival. The book gives great tips on ways of providing solutions for the managers by offering answers for improving employee commitment by building an employee acknowledgment culture into our organizations.

I wrote about this topic in Wingtips with Spurs. However, I just devoted a single chapter to this important issue. The authors have provided a plethora of illustrations regarding: * Choosing the right reward for each employee, * The timing of the reward to motivate performance, * Effectively presenting rewards, * When to give praise in private and when to make it a public celebration, * Motivating employees to work harder and work smarter with the company's goals in mind.

The book is laid out in a very easy to read format with natural progression through the reward process. I also appreciated that while taking the subject seriously, the authors never take themselves seriously.

This small book would be a good ROI for supervisors and managers.

I hope you find this review helpful.

Michael L. Gooch, SPHR

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple Ways to Energize Your Employees July 13, 2005

By Matt Papuchis

Format:Hardcover

I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Gostick and hearing him speak at the annual International Association of Business Communicators conference in June in Washington, D.C.

The value of this quick, easy-to-read book is remarkable. By learning how to do simple things to recognize and reward employees you will find excellent ways to engage your workforce, keep them loyal, focused and energized and have them reach their highest potential.

It is a great tool for all managers of any organization - big or small - or any industry.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars a review October 31, 2011

By A&D

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Offer carrots instead of sticks! how simple advise for all the business leaders! This is a great book illustrating how any manager can unleash their employee potential by creating carrots for their employees. They can succeed by keeping their employees happy and satisfied. This is the way to succeed even in the recession like we have now. This book describes some strategies and simple solutions for managers how to motivate their employees and their performance with carrots.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A recipe book for providing recognition April 11, 2003

By Luc Chamberland

Format:Hardcover

This is an easy-to-read book providing useful tips on how to develop and implement a recognition reward program in your organization.

It offers suggestions at a macro and micro levels. Therefore, you can benefit from it no matter what type of managers you are. There are numerous best practices shared from a wide range of private companies.

In my opinion, the authors spend too much time demonstrating the importance and the benefits of recognizing employees' contribution. If you read the book, it is because you are already converted, isn't it?

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Highest ROI book ever! July 30, 2002

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

After sinking my scarce time into a book, I do a rough ROI calculation by asking two questions: "Is this really going to build my business?" and "How rough a slog was the book to get through?" The 24-Carrot Manager might be my highest ROI book ever. I think it'll have big impact on my company . . . and it's a blast of fresh air to read.

4.0 out of 5 stars An important management tool often overlooked November 7, 2011

By redfuddman

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a short easy read that stresses the importance of non-monetary rewards and provides some great suggestions for these rewards and the frequency. Especially in today's economic conditions it is easy to get caught up rationalizing and forget about the importance of positive feedback and the value of non-monetary rewards. As the author points out raises and bonuses are important but during tough times are more difficult for companies to justify and in reality are rewards of diminishing returns. Whereas we do not have to hold back on other types of rewards that at the end of the day may be equally as important in instilling happiness and retaining employees.

5.0 out of 5 stars Highest ROI Book Ever? November 17, 2006

By Cliff Clive

Format:Hardcover

After I sink my scarce time into reading a book I always do a rough ROI analysis by comparing how much will it will help me build my business with how rough a slog it was to get through. This might me the highest ROI book ever ... it will have a profound impact on my business and it was a blast of fresh air to read!

5 of 8 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Execution is the key September 11, 2006

By Khor Chin Fun

Format:Hardcover

The idea that Gostick and Elton proposed is not new. In fact, it has been proposed in 1940s by Abraham Maslow in his hierarchy of needs. Maslow's argued that human behaviors are motivated by a series of needs, and are hierarchical in nature. If I understand correctly what Maslow had proposed and applied the same theory to this book, in fact what we are seeing is the execution of satisfying the needs on love/belonging and esteem. This is why an employee will prefer public recognition anytime compare to bonuses, since money, to a large degree, is use to satify the human needs for food and shelter only, which is at the lowest hierarchy of all human needs. The book carries no new theory of human behavior, but a new way in reminding managers that employees are human, and do satisfy human needs in the hierarchical form.