Woof. Chew. Whine.

Colleagues,
 
MVP: Coercive power involves taking things away or withholding things from others and should be used sparingly.
 
Yesterday Collin’s dog, Ruby, chewed up my Roku remote.
 
I put her in her cage.
 
And chastised her.
 
I’m not sure which of these was the most severe punishment.
 
In one instance I put a restriction on her and in the other I inflicted disapproval.
 
Coercive power, similar to its twin, reward power, may take many forms. It also may be wielded by people regardless of hierarchical position.
 
The challenge with using coercive power is that if the person it is used on perceives the “punishment” to be unfair, they become resentful.
 
There are times to use coercive power but they should be few and far between. 
 
Today’s intention: Think about the multiple ways people have used coercive power on you and how it felt. Have you ever been motivated to perform better by being punished? 

Cheers!

Frederick