What are Two Massive Mistakes to Avoid When Motivating Others?

I’m guessing you have had the experience of being in the middle of a conversation with someone, when you suddenly realize – “Hey, they are pushing my buttons on purpose!”

Or you find yourself agreeing to something in the middle of a pressure conversation that you later regret.

Or you are the one trying to encourage and persuade a friend, but they don’t respond to your persuasion the way you expected.

As we take this next month to look at how each DISC Style is motivated and demotivated, it is worth spending this email talking about two massive mistakes it is easy to make with motivation:

1. Motivation is not manipulation – it can be easy to cross the line, especially when we understand what pushes the positive buttons for someone. According to Webster’s Dictionary – “Motivate – to provide with a reason or cause to act.” While Manipulate means “to manage or influence skillfully, especially in an unfair manner.” It is absolutely crucial to always use our learning of the DISC Styles with respect. Choosing to motivate but never manipulate is one of those options.
2. We tend to automatically choose to motivate others in the same way that motivates us. This can often be done without even realizing it. But as you will see, there is a vast difference in what motivates each style, so this approach can cause anything from a misunderstanding to a real backfire.

Just a couple important aspects to be extra careful with as we learn more about what motivates and demotivates each Style. There are innumerable ways to put all this learning into practice… as we will discover in these weeks ahead.

If you would like to learn more about your own DISC Styles, just click this link for the Resources page of my website to get more information on getting a DISC Assessment – an easy online process that will gain you lots of insight on your personal Styles.

QUESTION: Have you ever carefully considered the line between motivation and manipulation? I’d love to hear your thoughts and observations. Please share in the comment section below.