What are the key principles of MI for leadership and supervision?

1 The spirit of MI

The spirit of MI is the underlying attitude and mindset that guides the practice of MI. It consists of four elements: partnership, acceptance, compassion, and evocation. Partnership means working with your employees as equals, rather than imposing your authority or agenda. Acceptance means respecting and affirming your employees' strengths, values, and autonomy, even when they differ from yours. Compassion means caring for your employees' welfare and best interests, and supporting their growth and development. Evocation means drawing out your employees' own motivation and resources, rather than telling them what to do or how to do it.

2 The processes of MI

The processes of MI are the stages that describe how MI can help people move from ambivalence to action. They are: engaging, focusing, evoking, and planning. Engaging means establishing a trusting and respectful relationship with your employees, and showing genuine interest and curiosity in their perspectives and experiences. Focusing means agreeing on a specific goal or direction for change, and clarifying the role and expectations of each party. Evoking means eliciting and reinforcing your employees' own reasons and values for change, and helping them overcome their doubts and barriers. Planning means developing a realistic and feasible action plan with your employees, and supporting them in implementing and reviewing it.

3 The skills of MI

The skills of MI are the techniques that enable you to communicate effectively and empathically with your employees, and facilitate their change process. They are: open-ended questions, affirmations, reflections, and summaries. Open-ended questions are questions that invite your employees to elaborate and express their thoughts and feelings, rather than answering with a yes or no. Affirmations are statements that acknowledge and appreciate your employees' strengths, efforts, and achievements, and boost their confidence and self-efficacy. Reflections are statements that restate or rephrase what your employees have said, and demonstrate your understanding and acceptance. Summaries are statements that recap and link the main points of your conversation, and highlight the progress and direction of change.

4 The traps of MI

The traps of MI are the common pitfalls that can undermine your effectiveness and rapport with your employees, and hinder their change process. They are: confrontation, premature focus, labeling, blaming, and expert trap. Confrontation means arguing or challenging your employees' views or behaviors, and creating resistance or defensiveness. Premature focus means jumping to a solution or goal before engaging and exploring your employees' needs and interests, and losing their buy-in or relevance. Labeling means assigning a fixed or negative identity or diagnosis to your employees, and limiting their potential or agency. Blaming means attributing the responsibility or fault for the problem or situation to your employees, and ignoring the external or contextual factors. Expert trap means assuming that you know what is best for your employees, and disregarding their input or preferences.

5 The benefits of MI

The benefits of MI are the positive outcomes that can result from applying MI to leadership and supervision, both for you and your employees. They are: increased motivation, improved performance, enhanced engagement, reduced stress, and strengthened relationship. Increased motivation means that your employees are more likely to initiate and sustain change, and achieve their goals and aspirations. Improved performance means that your employees are more capable and productive, and deliver higher quality and results. Enhanced engagement means that your employees are more involved and committed, and feel more satisfied and valued. Reduced stress means that your employees are more resilient and adaptable, and cope better with challenges and changes. Strengthened relationship means that you and your employees have more trust and respect, and collaborate more effectively and harmoniously.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?