use something as a carrot

use (something) as a carrot

To use something as an incentive or motivation in order to persuade someone to do something. Companies need to start using better benefit packages as a carrot to keep employees loyal or they will inevitably lose their staff to the competition that offers a better deal. I find that it's better to use rewards as a carrot than threaten punishments when trying to get the kids to behave themselves.See also: carrot, use

use something as a carrot

If you use something as a carrot, you use it to try to persuade a person or people to do what you want. We show our best staff the path they can take to the top of the organization, using that as a carrot for improved performance. Note: Carrot is used in many other expressions to do with persuading people to do things. The player is being offered this huge sum as a carrot to sign on with the club for another few years. Note: The image here is of someone encouraging a donkey to move forward by holding a carrot in front of it. See also: carrot, something, use