My kid is in the back seat on the way home from school. I want him to put on his seatbelt. “Son, I tell you what, you put your seatbelt on and we’ll stop at McDonalds so you can have vanilla shake.”

Motivation or manipulation?

Okay, it’s positive reinforcement, but is it motivation or manipulation? Positive manipulation?

“Son, I tell you what, you put your seatbelt on or else, when we get home, there will be no computer access for the night.”

Motivation or manipulation? So, this is more clear cut. Negative manipulation. So, whichever carrot or stick I use, my kid puts his seatbelt on, what do I care? When, as a manager, you want your team members to do something, and they do it, what do you care how you got them to do it?

“Red Team, I know it’s Friday and it’s 5:00pm and most of you are ready to go home, but if we could all stay another half hour, we got pizza coming. If everyone stays, we can get this project finished in the next 30 minutes.” Motivation or manipulation? If everyone stays, what do you care?

Don’t get me wrong. Manipulation is not necessarily a bad thing. I have always said the manager carrying a well-maintained sidearm is a force to be reckoned with… But here is the critical difference for managers.

Manipulation gets short term compliance as long as the Manager is present. And sometimes, that’s enough. The critical criteria are:

• Duration of the behavior
• Compliance
• Presence of the Manager

Motivation gets longer term commitment and the presence of the Manager may not be required. The same criteria exist:

• Duration of the behavior
• Commitment
• Presence of the Manager

Before the Manager makes a decision about the current ploy to gain cooperation from team members, these are the questions to ask:

• How long do I need the behavior to last?
• Do I need commitment, or will compliance be good enough?
• As the Manager, will I be present, or do I want to be present for the duration of the behavior?

Understanding these three differences between Motivation & Manipulation will help you decide which approach you want to use. Motivation takes time to figure out, but the impact lasts a lot longer. —TF