In one of our interactions with a client during a recent workshop I received a comment about how cleverly I was manipulating the attendants to achieve the results I wanted them to achieve. I took it first as a compliment, confirmed by the positive end result of the workshop and the recognition of the participants.
I remembered to have heard that comment repeatedly many years ago during another series of workshops on organizational effectiveness, as the one responsible of the corporate training program. Hence I am having this reflection.
Dictionaries link manipulation to words like unscrupulous, misleading, unfair, insidious, suit one´s purpose or advantage, etc. At the same time, manipulation is linked to words like clever, skillful, artful, manage, influence, etc.
A manger with the last set of skills will be able to take the group to the desire objective. If everyone is aligned with such objective without hidden agendas, all the negative aspects of manipulation disappear, letting the positive ones fully shine.
To achieve the desired end result, the art and skill of a great leader starts by creating an inspiring vision and generating the right dynamics (clarity, enthusiasm, alignment). This is true in a workshop, in an organization, or in any other environment. However, it does not end there. This is when the art and skill of managing those dynamics (creatively, cleverly, skillfully, etc.) takes over to realize the vision enthusiastically and creatively.
The difference between a great manager and a great manipulator is not in the skills they have, but in the use they make of them.
Agustín Ramos
Dícere ToBeinn 