Page 24 - How To Analyze People: 13 Laws About the Manipulation of the Human Mind, 7 Strategies to Quickly Figure Out Body Language, Dive into Dark Psychology and Persuasion for Making People Do What You Want
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Whether it’s used for “good” or “bad”, manipulation is still, at the end of
the day, manipulation. Do any of us really have any right to dictate
another’s decisions or actions, even if we believe it is for their benefit?
What makes the idea of manipulation such an uncomfortable notion to deal
with is perhaps the fact that we don’t like the idea of someone else trying to
dictate what we should do, or pushing us into doing something we wouldn’t
otherwise be inclined to do ourselves.
Managers at work try to manipulate their staff all the time, although the
good leaders do it to try and keep their staff motivated or perform at their
best. Effective managers have skillfully mastered the art of positive
manipulation and turned it into an effective tool used to manage their
employees’ performance, pushing them to reach their goals.
This distinguishing detail is the defining difference between what’s
classified as manipulation, and what’s referred to as persuasion. Persuasion
is still a form of manipulation, but what separates it from the negative
reputation associated with manipulation boils down to three things:
Your intention.
Your honesty.
What the benefit or positive impact is going to be for the person
you’re trying to persuade.