Manipulation is a matter of power.
Some people are motivated by power, some others by achievement and some others by congeniality. Those motivations are present in different degrees in every person.
The problem of being manipulative is that people do not like to be manipulated and at some point everyone realizes about manipulation.
Normally manipulation is about engaging in emotional games.
One common game is drama triangle
The Drama Triangle: Persecutor, Victim and and Rescuer