Idiom
a carrot and stick approacha carrot and stick (approach)
rewards and punishments that influence someone's behavior.Our company uses a carrot and stick — more money is the carrot, loss of your job is the stick.
Usage notes: used in different forms to describe different combinations of rewards and punishments:
Management's proposed deal is all stick and no carrot.The latest round of peace talks offers both sides the carrot as well as the stick.
Etymology: based on the reward of a carrot (= a long orange vegetable) and the punishment of using a stick to encourage a horse to move