Now we know what DISC profiles are.
And we know how to figure out what profile people are.
Let’s put that to good use. Let’s see how to interact with, and manage, each profile.
Managing Dominants
Dominants want agency and control. They want to feel like they’re in the driver’s seat, and prefer a collaborative style where you suggest and brainstorm for solutions rather than just telling them to do something.
If they’re under pressure, they might get bossy and impatient. There’s no need to increase pressure on them, typically, though, because they’re generally very driven.
They mostly thrive in jobs that are all about technical impact and recognition: they’re the ones that will go “we achieved this impossible mission, it was great!”
Define clear goals and hint at potential approaches, then let them run.
Managing Influencers
Influencers want to build rapport with people before they can trust them. They want positive relationships, and they mean it: they can struggle to separate social interactions and business interactions.
They are scared by rejection more than failure in itself. They want to work with people they have some personal relationship with.
Because they take things more personally, they’re the most likely profile to deflect issues and blame some external factor, when under pressure.
They thrive the most in jobs that are about customer impact, and making a recognized ripple.
Build a social relationship with them from the get go to earn their trust.
Managing Steady
Steady people avoid conflict, care about people, are friendly and patient, and dislike change. They need time to get focused, and they need patience to adapt to new situations.
They are scared by conflict. They want to preserve relationships and they will see both sides of the discussion and look for the best compromise.
Being under pressure is bad for them, and they will generally not be as effective when there is an emergency.
They thrive in a job that is about making the world a better place in some way, and are driven by “bigger than themselves” causes.
Give them assurances and guarantees about the effort they need to deliver, so that they can maintain supportive relationships. Then, give the time to achieve it.
Managing Compliants
Compliant people are structured, organized and precise. They seek order and structural elegance. Many engineers tend to fall in this category.
They are scared by inconsistency. They will push back on estimates, make vague commitments, and change subject when challenged to avoid contradiction.
They will be delighted by “a job well done”, where all the t’s are crossed and the i’s are dotted.
They thrive in a job that is about getting technical details moving smoothly in unison.
Answer all the questions and cover the details they need to motivate them when discussing new ideas.
And there you have it! Hope this helps you with your reports and with your boss.
Let me know what you think!