Many of us are familiar with the carrot and the stick. It's been part of the vernacular between parents and their children for decades. Because it's familiar, a workplace analogy can give us insight.

Caricatures We've Known and Loved
Should you emulate the carrot or the stick? The cliché refers to rewarding good behavior and punishing bad. In the workplace, it's less about reward and punishment and more about style. The carrot embodies a friendly, people-oriented, feel-good kind of style, while the stick is more directive, assertive, and controlling.

One isn't better than the other per se, but neither is good when one or both elements are severely turned up or turned off. The challenge is to find the optimal balance of carrot and stick so that you can most effectively guide your people to achieve the results you want, when you want them. If you don't work on your balancing act, you may find yourself in one of these categories:

The charismatic micromanager. He turns up both the carrot and the stick to full volume. He is a 100 percent driver, but is so friendly and enthusiastic that his people don't realize what's happening when they follow him over the cliff.

The control freak. She also operates in high driver mode, but there's nothing sweet or people-oriented in her communication or her actions. Her style is fear-based, and her subordinates constantly talk about how dreadful she is behind her back.

The smiling doormat. This manager oozes with carrot attributes, however, is timid when it comes to getting results. She'll ask her people to do something, and when they push back, she apologizes for the inconvenience and does it herself. Her people know who she is, and they take advantage of it all the time.

The wax zombie. This person is neither people-oriented nor action-oriented. He is someone who completely shirks managerial responsibility and works alone … when he works. He should never be in a managerial job.

When you think about managers you've loved or loathed, I'm sure you saw some resemblance to one of the four types. To avoid being cast in any of those bad managerial roles, keep the following in mind.

 Overcome Managerial Mistakes

• Break the stick. The authoritative, controlling manager has been out of mode for a long time. Sometimes I see young managers try to assert their authority by becoming overbearing with no consideration for the people they manage. This is a prelude to an exit. People won't put up with this, nor should they.
• You're not their best friend. This is another big mistake. These managers try so hard to be friends with their people, with the expectation that they'll extract results through friendship. Wrong. This doesn't mean you can't be friendly to your team, it just means that you need to establish and maintain boundaries.
• The apologizer. Sometimes we find people who do a reasonably good job of asserting their authority and directing their people, but they feel so badly about doing so that they are virtually apologetic after they ask for something. Don't do that! It's your job to direct, and no need for apologies. Trust me, your staff will see this as a huge weakness.
• Business as usual. This often happens when someone has been promoted and is working with former peers. He doesn't change from being an employee to a manager, and thinks that he'll get results by osmosis. It won't happen. Ask for a mentor or a coach to help make the transition to being a good manager.

Truth be told, the ideal manager takes motivation to the next level by knowing what motivates her people. We'll explore this next time.

Managing People Take Away

Motivating your team towards results doesn't come easily, so work on creating a style that works best for you.

• It's essential to find your optimal managerial balance between "carrot and stick" (i.e., friendly versus authoritative style). This will allow you to effectively guide your people to achieve the results you want, when you want them.
• We have all had managers we've loathed. Learn from those experiences to avoid becoming loathed yourself.
• People expect to be managed, so don't be timid about giving direction.
• When you make the transition from employer to manager, take ownership of your new role.

Lisa Aldisert is a New York City-based management consultant and professional speaker specializing in executive development and organizational growth strategies. She is the author of Valuing People - How Human Capital Can Be Your Strongest Asset. Feel free to e-mail her at lisa@businessgrowthcenter.com and visit her Web site at www.businessgrowth center.com.