Episode 12: Read the Room: The Hidden Language of Motivation | 12MinuteLeadership

Ever shared what you thought was a brilliant idea with your team only to watch it fall flat? Or delivered feedback that seemed perfectly reasonable but somehow missed the mark? The problem likely wasn't your message—it was how you delivered it and to whom.

Leadership effectiveness often hinges on communication, but many leaders overlook a crucial element: matching their delivery to their audience's core motivational drivers. In this engaging episode, leadership expert Elise Boggs-Morales unpacks the powerful "Three Ps" framework from the Core Strengths model that explains what truly drives human behavior and decision-making in the workplace. You'll discover how to identify whether someone is primarily motivated by People (relationships and harmony), Performance (results and achievement), or Process (accuracy and fairness)—and how to adapt your communication to connect authentically with each type.

When you learn to speak the language of each motivation type, everything changes. Your people-motivated "blues" need connection before content, while your performance-driven "reds" want you to cut to the chase with clear outcomes. Meanwhile, your process-focused "greens" require logical explanations and thorough information. This isn't about manipulation—it's about strategic communication that builds trust and reduces resistance. As Elise explains, "Great leaders are translators. They take their vision and speak it in a way others can hear."

Whether you're delivering feedback, pitching an idea, or navigating a difficult conversation, understanding these motivational drivers transforms your effectiveness. Take the 12-minute leadership challenge and start reading the room before your next important interaction. Your team will feel truly heard, your ideas will gain traction faster, and you'll cultivate the kind of authentic influence that turns compliance into genuine commitment. Ready to level up your leadership communication? Start with the Three Ps.

Follow on Instagram: @12minuteleadership

Order my book, Lead Anyone!

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to the 12-Minute Leadership Podcast
where, in 12 minutes or less,I'll share small things that you
can put into immediate practicethat will make a big difference
in your leadershipeffectiveness.
I'm your host, eliseBoggs-Morales, leadership
professor, consultant and coach.
For the last 17 years, I havehelped thousands of leaders

(00:25):
level up their influence andachieve remarkable results.
If you want to trade compliancefor true commitment and create
your dream team, you are in theright place.
Get ready for a quick hit ofpractical wisdom to increase
your team's engagement, inspiretop performance and retain your
best talent.
Ready to level up yourinfluence and get better results

(00:47):
.
12 Minutes starts now.
Hi everyone, elise here,welcome to episode 12.
Have you ever shared a greatidea with your team only to feel
like no one heard you?
Or maybe you gave feedback thatseemed perfectly reasonable,
but it didn't land?
Chances are, the problem wasn'twhat you said.

(01:08):
It was how you said it and whoyou were saying it to.
Today, we're unpacking aleadership insight that can
shift everything how to read theroom using the three core
motives that drive humanbehavior people, performance and
process, or the three Ps as Ilike to call them.
This framework comes from thecore strengths model, which is

(01:30):
one of the most populartrainings I do with leaders and
teams, and it's one of the mostpractical tools I've seen for
helping leaders connect andcommunicate more effectively.
Why is this important?
Because, as leaders, we are inthe business of influencing
others, and if we don't know howto read the room, we will find
ourselves confused why ourintended message keeps missing

(01:52):
the mark.
So let's start by breaking downthe three motives.
The first is people motivated,represented by the color blue.
These are yourrelationship-centered teammates.
They care deeply aboutcollaboration, harmony and how
everyone's feeling.
You'll often hear them ask howwill this affect the team?
The second isperformance-motivated,

(02:16):
represented by the color red.
These are your results-drivenplayers.
They want to move fast, win bigand make a measurable impact.
They're asking what's the goaland how do we hit it.
Third is process motivated.
Represented by the color green.
These are your detail-orientedthinkers.
They value logic, structure andgetting it right.

(02:38):
The first time they're askingis this fair, accurate and well
thought out?
Every person leads towards oneof these or a blend, and as a
leader, you have to listen forit.
For simplicity's sake, I won'tfocus on all the blends in this
episode, even though myself I amone.
I'm almost equal partsperformance and people.

(03:00):
So now that you're familiarwith the three motives, let's
talk about how to read the roomand, more importantly, how to
respond.
If you're talking to apeople-motivated person, a blue,
they'll use words likeconnection and support.
They care how decisions impactrelationships.
I also noticed their desire totalk and connect before diving

(03:21):
into the task at hand.
That's a sure way to spot ablue, so you might want to ask
them about their weekend Toconnect with them.
You also might say here's howthis change will strengthen our
team culture.
Or I want to make sure you feelheard as we move forward.
They respond best to empathy,warmth and inclusive language.
Also, appreciation is one oftheir love languages, so be sure

(03:45):
to give them regular andspecific appreciation.
Let's switch gears.
If you're talking to aperformance motivated person or
a red, they'll want you to getto the point and quickly.
They might interrupt with ideas, challenge you or ask what's
the ROI To connect with them.
You could say this strategywould help us beat our Q3 goal

(04:07):
by 15%.
Or you're someone I know whogets results.
Here's how I think this aligns.
Keep your message fast-paced,goal-oriented and confident.
Be brief, be brilliant.
Be gone.
Unlike our people-motivatedblues.
Reds want to get straight tothe point and skip the small
talk.
And finally, if you're talkingto a process-motivated person or

(04:30):
a green, they likely ask a lotof clarifying questions.
They want to think thingsthrough.
They don't mind pushing back ifsomething seems unfair or
unclear.
So with them you might say letme walk you through the steps
we've mapped out, or your eyefor detail is going to be
critical in making this work.
They appreciate when you showyour work, use logic and avoid

(04:53):
hype.
Where reds want to get it done,greens want to get it right.
So what happens when you missthe motive?
We've all had moments wherewe've missed the motive.
Here are a couple of examplesyou try to fire up a
process-motivated teammate withpassion and they just blink at
you.
Or you send a five-paragraphemail to a performance-motivated

(05:14):
leader and they never read you.
Or you send a five paragraphemail to a performance motivated
leader and they never read it.
Or you come in hot with dataand your people motivated team
feels cold and disconnected.
Here's the truth.
It's not about beingmanipulative.
It's about being wise andstrategic to make a connection.
When you speak their language,you build trust, reduce
resistance and unlock energy.

(05:36):
The other person feels like youget them.
So here's your leadershipchallenge.
Before your next conversation,whether it's a one-on-one, a
presentation or a tough feedbackmoment ask yourself what motive
might this person be leadingwith right now and how can I
adjust my message so it speaksto that motive?
We prepare for so many differentthings in life.

(05:58):
Why not prepare yourcommunication?
You're going to get yourmessage where it needs to go
more quickly, more efficiently.
It doesn't mean you change yourvalues, just your approach.
Great leaders are translators.
They take their vision and theyspeak it in a way that others
can hear.
If this sparked ideas on how youcan lead more effectively, I'd

(06:20):
love for you to share it withsomeone on your team or leave a
quick review.
It helps more leaders like youfind this podcast and if you
want to go deeper into how corestrengths could help your
leaders and teams work bettertogether, check out my website
at eliseboggscom slash trainingfor more info.
Thanks for listening.
If you'd like to learn how touse the three Ps to prevent and

(06:40):
manage conflict, join me fornext week's episode.
I'll see you then episode.
I'll see you then.
Like what you heard on today'sepisode and want to go deeper
Subscribe to this podcast so younever miss an episode.
You can also pick up my bookLead Anyone on Amazon.

(07:06):
Then go to my website to checkout ways that we can support
your leadership goals.
From executive retreats tocustomized training and coaching
, my team of experts will helpyou level up your leadership and
accelerate your results.
Go to wwweliseboggscom for moreinfo.