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.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Podcast Introduction
• 0:49 Reading the Room Challenge
• 1:56 Understanding the Three Motives
• 3:08 Connecting with People-Motivated Teammates
• 3:50 Engaging Performance-Motivated Colleagues
• 4:46 Resonating with Process-Motivated Individuals
• 5:30 Leadership Challenge and Takeaways

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:03

Welcome to the 12-Minute Leadership Podcast where, in 12 minutes or less, I'll share small things that you can put into immediate practice that will make a big difference in your leadership effectiveness. I'm your host, elise Boggs-Morales, leadership professor, consultant and coach. For the last 17 years, I have helped thousands of leaders level up their influence and achieve remarkable results. If you want to trade compliance for true commitment and create your dream team, you are in the right place. Get ready for a quick hit of practical wisdom to increase your team's engagement, inspire top performance and retain your best talent. Ready to level up your influence and get better results. 12 Minutes starts now. Hi everyone, elise here, welcome to episode 12.

Speaker 1: 0:57

Have you ever shared a great idea with your team only to feel like no one heard you? Or maybe you gave feedback that seemed perfectly reasonable, but it didn't land? Chances are, the problem wasn't what you said. It was how you said it and who you were saying it to. Today, we're unpacking a leadership insight that can shift everything how to read the room using the three core motives that drive human behavior people, performance and process, or the three Ps as I like to call them. This framework comes from the core strengths model, which is one of the most popular trainings I do with leaders and teams, and it's one of the most practical tools I've seen for helping leaders connect and communicate more effectively. Why is this important? Because, as leaders, we are in the business of influencing others, and if we don't know how to read the room, we will find ourselves confused why our intended message keeps missing the mark.

Speaker 1: 1:54

So let's start by breaking down the three motives. The first is people motivated, represented by the color blue. These are your relationship-centered teammates. They care deeply about collaboration, harmony and how everyone's feeling. You'll often hear them ask how will this affect the team? The second is performance-motivated, represented by the color red. These are your results-driven players. They want to move fast, win big and make a measurable impact. They're asking what's the goal and how do we hit it. Third is process motivated. Represented by the color green. These are your detail-oriented thinkers. They value logic, structure and getting it right. The first time they're asking is this fair, accurate and well thought out? Every person leads towards one of these or a blend, and as a leader, you have to listen for it. For simplicity's sake, I won't focus on all the blends in this episode, even though myself I am one. I'm almost equal parts performance and people. So now that you're familiar with the three motives, let's talk about how to read the room and, more importantly, how to respond.

Speaker 1: 3:08

If you're talking to a people-motivated person, a blue, they'll use words like connection and support. They care how decisions impact relationships. I also noticed their desire to talk and connect before diving into the task at hand. That's a sure way to spot a blue, so you might want to ask them about their weekend To connect with them. You also might say here's how this change will strengthen our team culture. Or I want to make sure you feel heard as we move forward. They respond best to empathy, warmth and inclusive language. Also, appreciation is one of their love languages, so be sure to give them regular and specific appreciation.

Speaker 1: 3:49

Let's switch gears. If you're talking to a performance motivated person or a red, they'll want you to get to 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 strategy would help us beat our Q3 goal by 15%. Or you're someone I know who gets 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-motivated blues. Reds want to get straight to the point and skip the small talk. And finally, if you're talking to a process-motivated person or a green, they likely ask a lot of clarifying questions. They want to think things through. They don't mind pushing back if something seems unfair or unclear. So with them you might say let me walk you through the steps we've mapped out, or your eye for detail is going to be critical in making this work. They appreciate when you show your work, use logic and avoid hype. Where reds want to get it done, greens want to get it right.

Speaker 1: 4:59

So what happens when you miss the motive? We've all had moments where we've missed the motive. Here are a couple of examples you try to fire up a process-motivated teammate with passion and they just blink at you. Or you send a five-paragraph email to a performance-motivated leader and they never read you. Or you send a five paragraph email to a performance motivated leader and they never read it. Or you come in hot with data and your people motivated team feels cold and disconnected.

Speaker 1: 5:24

Here's the truth. It's not about being manipulative. It's about being wise and strategic to make a connection. When you speak their language, you build trust, reduce resistance and unlock energy. The other person feels like you get them. So here's your leadership challenge. Before your next conversation, whether it's a one-on-one, a presentation or a tough feedback moment ask yourself what motive might this person be leading with right now and how can I adjust my message so it speaks to that motive?

Speaker 1: 5:55

We prepare for so many different things in life. Why not prepare your communication? You're going to get your message where it needs to go more quickly, more efficiently. It doesn't mean you change your values, just your approach. Great leaders are translators. They take their vision and they speak it in a way that others can hear.

Speaker 1: 6:16

If this sparked ideas on how you can lead more effectively, I'd love for you to share it with someone on your team or leave a quick review. It helps more leaders like you find this podcast and if you want to go deeper into how core strengths could help your leaders and teams work better together, check out my website at eliseboggscom slash training for more info. Thanks for listening. If you'd like to learn how to use the three Ps to prevent and manage conflict, join me for next week's episode. I'll see you then episode. I'll see you then. Like what you heard on today's episode and want to go deeper Subscribe to this podcast so you never miss an episode. You can also pick up my book Lead Anyone on Amazon. Then go to my website to check out ways that we can support your leadership goals. From executive retreats to customized training and coaching, my team of experts will help you level up your leadership and accelerate your results. Go to wwweliseboggscom for more info.