In my previous article, I looked at a straightforward way to identify a person’s dominant behavioural and communication preferences using the DISC framework. This article goes to the next stage with tips for managing and working with people across the different DISC profiles.
Because I prefer practical to theory, I’ll use a major project experience to illustrate what applying an understanding of the various styles would mean in practice, based on some of the people involved.
What is DISC
As a recap, DISC is an assessment tool that categorises people into four distinct profiles based on their behaviours, motivations, and communication styles. The key dimensions involved are the preferences for an individual, firstly to focus mainly on tasks or mainly on people, and secondly for their pace to be outgoing and direct, (act more quickly), or more cautious and indirect, (act more slowly).
The four DISC profiles are Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness. (For more detail please refer to Understanding Different Communication Styles)
THE PROJECT
While the project I am going to refer to involved dozens of people over time, in its early stages there were half a dozen key individuals with very different ways of working.
What attracted those involved was the fact it was an exciting, ground-breaking project – it was going to challenge everyone! We were all going to need to contribute our very best and to do this find ways of collaborating across multiple disciplines and geographies.
On the team were experts in a variety of specialist technologies, people targeted with building significant relationships with other businesses, technical writers, those who engaged with end users, marketing professionals, and legal and financial support – we certainly had skill diversity but of course, it came with an inevitable array of approaches, likes, and dislikes.
,
Ideally, each person needed to find a productive way to work with a wide range of styles and preferences as the project team grew.
The reality is that some did, and some didn’t.
THE PROJECT SPONSOR: GETTING IT OFF THE GROUND
I’ll start by describing the project sponsor who was very focussed on getting an outcome as fast as possible no matter what it was going to take. She was prepared to make decisions quickly and showed her impatience if anyone didn't summarise the main points in a discussion, or get to the point rapidly. Yes, a strong ‘D’ profile!
What we learnt to pay attention to as a project team was:
Being direct and to the point: As someone with a dominance profile our project sponsor was action-oriented and results-driven. She preferred direct and concise communication that cut to the chase. We at all times needed to avoid long-winded explanations or small talk!
Respecting her time: She valued efficiency and productivity, and with a very busy schedule she disliked having her time wasted. We needed to be punctual, organised, and prepared for our meetings.
To focus on solutions, not problems: We could really irritate our project sponsor when we talked about the problems rather than the ways forward we had considered. As someone with a dominance profile, she was an excellent problem-solver. We learnt the hard way that it was important that we came prepared with potential solutions.
To be confident and assertive: with a dominance profile, our sponsor respected confidence and assertiveness. And while we found it helped to speak confidently and assertively, we also needed to be prepared to listen and take on board her opinions and ideas. She also happened to be intelligent and quick so taking notes and sharing them afterwards turned out to be vital!
At this point are you recognising someone you work with as having a D profile?
Or maybe you have someone with this profile who works for you?
If the latter is the case, then here are a few more tips that will help optimise your working relationship:
Allow for autonomy:
People with a D profile prefer to work independently and make decisions on their own. Avoid micromanaging them or trying to control their work too closely.
Give them a challenge:
Provide clear expectations and goals:
BACK TO THE PROJECT...BRAINSTORMING & STRUCTURE
In the initial stages, it was important to brainstorm and work through various ideas and approaches to getting the whole project off the ground. There were some individuals for whom this was a natural and preferred way of working – those with an (Influence) "I" profile featured heavily here.
People with an "I" profile are typically outgoing, social, and optimistic. They are often creative, and persuasive, and enjoy interacting with others. Important to leverage for reaching out and developing new contacts and relationships.
For me, it was clear that these team members needed to be able to engage without too many restrictions so they could explore and play around with ideas. This was vital to allowing us to progress the relationships and collaborations needed for the project to be a success.
However, such freedoms didn’t sit that well with our project manager. He was looking for structures and clear outcomes, not debates and conflicting ideas that required working through. Experienced in this type of role, he had been selected for his attention to detail and high standards. Yes, our project manager was dominantly a "C" profile and the "I's" were finding this quite a challenge!
As the business head of the project, I wanted to leverage the preferences and associated strengths of all team members.
To engage the I’s meant I needed to find ways to:
Allow time to build rapport:
I’s value relationships and social connections, they wanted to build rapport by sharing stories, engaging in casual conversation, and having others take an interest in their personal life.
Allow opportunities for interaction:
Be flexible:
Remember to provide positive feedback:
What I also needed to be mindful of was
The need for clear guidance and management of distractions:
People with an Influence profile can be easily distracted by new ideas, opportunities, or social interactions and can sometimes struggle with details and follow-through. Project goals were used to provide structure and set clear expectations. Reporting progress regularly encouraged focus and any necessary realignment of expectations.
The need for support:
WORKING TOGETHER
For this project, one of my solutions was to book meeting rooms in a different part of the building. This meant we could work in a less structured way, playing with options and ideas until we had selected one of two to move forward with that could be shared with the broader team.
That broader team included individuals who would be essential to the ‘gluing’ that is critical to a successful team, especially a large one. We were fortunate to have a couple of people with a high Steadiness (S) profile who represents the epitome of a team player.
As typical of this profile they were patient, supportive, and reliable, valuing stability, harmony, and a peaceful work environment.
Given the variety of skills and expertise represented across the team, our S members were going to be vital to minimising discord and achieving a productive working environment.
To create a beneficial environment for my S team members to contribute their strengths meant considering how we would:
Build trust and be dependable:
Be honest, keep promises, and show consistency in our actions and words.
Provide a stable work environment:
Encourage collaboration:
Provide clear instructions:
Show appreciation:
Avoid conflict:
There was one other key member of the team, a senior project manager. Given its size and profile, we had one assigned to us with a raft of experience. As often is the case this individual was highly valued by our D profile project sponsor due to his methodical approach, making sure tasks were completed accurately and in accordance with the original brief. Our project manager exhibited a strong C profile, with his strengths an understandable call given the project’s importance!
However, placing a high value on structure and routine as C’s tend to do, he became annoyed or agitated when there were any sudden changes or disruptions. This often saw tension arise between the I’s in the team who wanted a more exploratory and free-flowing approach and with the S members who were looking for harmony and a strong team environment.
Despite this it was important to create a beneficial environment for my project manager and other C profile team members that would allow them too, to contribute their strengths.
This involved:
Being clear and specific:
People with a C profile can be detail-oriented and appreciate clear, specific instructions.Feedback on their work needed to be detailed.
Recognising their achievements:
Allowing for autonomy:
Being patient:
Being logical:
As I mentioned the project itself was a very challenging one, over multiple years, with many opportunities to try fail learn and grow.
While those with a C profile particularly value personal growth and development and appreciated the chance to expand their experience and skills, others were more tentative. Those with an S profile tended to not actively seek out new challenges.
However, this project was a golden opportunity to encourage every individual to learn, grow, and contribute further to the team, no matter what their personal preferences were.
Talking with members of the team after the successful conclusion of this major project it was clear how much those involved had learnt. I was especially heartened to hear the elevated level of awareness of different styles and approaches that had come out of this pressure cooker experience.
I’m confident their contribution to future teams will be even greater!
If you wish to learn more about how to lead high-performing teams, I’d love to hear about your team. Please reach out to me at thriveonpurpose.com.au
Virginia Walker is Australia’s Leading Leadership and Change Consultant 💡 | Speaker | Mentor | Author | Offering Practical Advice Based on 30yrs Senior Leadership Experience. If you are interested in finding out more about observational leadership and different communication styles, please email me at virginia@thriveonpurpose.com.au
Comments