#026 – Find Out Each Persons Thumbscrews
Find out each Persons Thumbscrew. ‘Tis the art of setting their wills in action. It needs more skill than resolution. You must know where to get at any one. Every volition has a special motive which varies according to taste. All men are idolaters, some of fame, others of self-interest, most of pleasure. Skill consists in knowing these idols in order to bring them into play. Knowing any man’s mainspring of motive you have as it were the key to his will. Have resort to primary motors, which are not always the highest but more often the lowest part of his nature: there are more dispositions badly organised than well. First guess a man’s ruling passion, appeal to it by a word, set it in motion by temptation, and you will infallibly give checkmate to his freedom of will.
As coaches, we need to find what motivates our team members. How do we get the most out of them? One of the biggest pitfalls we have in our industry is treating everyone the same. Thinking that everyone is motivated by the same purpose, desire, and vision is a trap. Show them that you understand what they want and demonstrate how you can help them get there. Most times, their vision can be incorporated with your vision or the mission of the team. That benefits all. Just going in blind to lead a team and not knowing their motivations is setting yourself up for disaster.
This blog series is based on the book “The Art of Worldly Wisdom” by Balthasar Gracián. This book was written for advice on how to achieve personal and professional success. This blog series aims to visit the points of wisdom and put them in the spotlight of the coaching and education lens.
