Recognition drives engagement and performance.
The Carrot Principle →
Leadership Research
Research by Adrian Gostick & Chester Elton
For more than two decades, their studies of recognition, teamwork, culture, and resilience have shaped how the world's best organizations lead.
Two Decades · The Research Model
Recognition
The Carrot Principle
Teamwork
The Orange Revolution
All In · Culture
All In
Resilience
Anxiety at Work
1M+
Leaders Reached
30+
Countries
New York Times
Bestselling Authors
Research Used by
Fortune 500 Organizations
Trusted By
Microsoft
Pfizer
PwC
Salesforce
Johnson & Johnson
Lockheed Martin
The Foundation
Our Core Areas of Leadership Research
Two decades of research across four domains — each grounded in landmark studies and bestselling books, and each a framework leaders can apply.
Recognition & Engagement
How the best leaders use recognition to engage their people, retain talent, and accelerate performance.
Rooted in The Carrot PrincipleTeamwork & Collaboration
What separates the highest-performing teams — and the disciplines that turn any group into one.
Rooted in The Orange Revolution & The Best Team WinsCulture & Belief
How leaders align systems and behaviors to build a culture where people are engaged, enabled, and all in.
Rooted in All InResilience & Well-Being
How leaders reduce workplace anxiety and keep teams steady, healthy, and performing through change.
Rooted in Anxiety at Work
Two Decades of Discovery
The Evolution of Our Research
A continuous journey to understand what drives performance — each phase building on the last, never quite linear.
The Early 2000s
Phase 1
Recognition
- The Carrot Principle
- The 24-Carrot Manager
- Managing with Carrots
Phase 2
Teamwork
- The Orange Revolution
- What Motivates Me
- The Best Team Wins
Phase 3
All In · Culture
- All In
- Leading with Gratitude
Phase 4
Today
Resilience
- Anxiety at Work
- The Gratitude Habit
Flagship Research & Books
Research-driven ideas that have helped millions of leaders and organizations perform at their best.
Recognition unlocks talent and builds stronger teams.
The 24-Carrot Manager →
Recognition that attracts and retains the best people.
Managing with Carrots →
365 daily ideas for recognizing and motivating your team.
A Carrot a Day →
Use recognition to see the hidden potential in everyone.
The Invisible Employee →
Break down silos and align teams around shared goals.
The Orange Revolution →
Discover what drives individual motivation and strengths.
What Motivates Me →
The five disciplines of high-performing teams.
The Best Team Wins →
Build a culture of belief, accountability, and high performance.
All In →
Eight leadership practices for extraordinary results.
Leading with Gratitude →
Practical strategies for reducing stress and building resilience.
Anxiety at Work →
A 90-day journal to a more grateful life.
The Gratitude Habit →Research in Action
Our research has informed real-world initiatives and measurable results across industries.
Healthcare
Improving physician engagement and patient experience.
Financial Services
Strengthening leadership accountability and performance cultures.
Technology
Building collaboration and innovation in fast-growing teams.
Government
Strengthening service, accountability, and team resilience.
Education
Building positive school cultures and educator well-being.
Free Research Report
Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast
A 300,000-person study on what actually builds high-performance cultures — and why employee engagement alone isn't enough to sustain results.
Why engagement alone falls short
3 traits of the most profitable cultures
7 steps managers use to build them
How to apply it across your org
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