By Dan Rust for Frontline Learning
At the extreme, this type of individual tends to perceive the environment as a safe and supportive place over which he or she has a high degree of control.This drives a tendency towards enthusiastic expression of thoughts and ideas and well as encouragement of others. But there is also the potential for over-expression and over-sharing of thoughts and ideas. May be inattentive to detail and feel “ambushed” when surprised to find that a particular individual or group is not supportive.
General Characteristics: Enthusiastic. Trusting; Optimistic. Persuasive; Talkative. Impulsive; Emotional
Value to Team: Creative problem solver. Great encourager. Motivates others to achieve. Positive sense of humor. Negotiates conflicts; peace maker.
Possible Weaknesses: More concerned with popularity than tangible results. Inattentive to detail. Over-uses gestures and facial expressions. Tends to listen only when it’s convenient.
Greatest Fear: Rejection.
Motivated By: Flattery, praise, popularity, and acceptance. A friendly environment. Freedom from many rules and regulations. Other people available to handle details.
Ideal Environment: Practical procedures. Few conflicts and arguments. Freedom from controls and details. A forum to express ideas. Group activities in professional and social environments
Remember a High I May Want: Social esteem and acceptance, freedom from details and control, people to talk to, positive working conditions, recognition for abilities, opportunity to motivate and influence others.
DO: Build a favorable, friendly environment. Give opportunity for them to verbalize about ideas, people and their intuition. Assist them in developing ways to transfer talk into action. Share testimonials from others relating to proposed ideas. Allow time for stimulating, sociable activities. Submit details in writing, but don’t dwell on them. Develop a participative relationship. Create incentives for following through on tasks.
Click above image for a summary of the complete DISC behavioral style model
DON’T: Eliminate social time. Do all the talking. Ignore their ideas or accomplishments. Tell them what to do.
While analyzing information, a High I may: Lose concentration. Miss important facts and details. Interrupt. Be creative in problem solving.
I’s possess these positive characteristics in teams: Instinctive communicators. Participative managers – influence and inspire. Motivate the team. Spontaneous and agreeable. Respond well to the unexpected. Create an atmosphere of well-being. Enthusiastic. Provide direction and leadership. Express ideas well. Work well with other people. Make good spokespersons. Will offer opinions. Persuasive. Have a positive attitude. Accomplish goals through people. Good sense of humor. Accepting of others. Strong in brainstorming sessions.
Personal Growth Areas for I’s: Weigh the pros and cons before making a decision; be less impulsive. Be more results oriented. Exercise control over your actions, words, and emotions. Focus more on details and facts. Remember to slow down your pace for other team members. Talk less; listen more. Consider and evaluate ideas from other team members. Concentrate on following through with tasks.
This person’s tendencies include:
- Contacting people
- Making a favorable impression
- Articulate verbalizing
- Creating a motivational environment
- Generating enthusiasm
- Entertaining people
- Desiring to help others
- Participating in a group
This person desires an environment which includes:
- Popularity, social recognition
- Public recognition of ability
- Group activities outside of the job
- Democratic relationships
- Freedom from control and detail
- Opportunity to verbalize proposals
- Coaching and counseling skills
- Favorable working conditions
This person needs others who:
- Concentrate on the task
- Seek facts
- Speak directly
- Respect sincerity
- Develop systematic approaches
- Prefer dealing with things to dealing with people
- Take a logical approach
- Demonstrate individual follow-through
To be more effective, this person needs:
- Control of time, if D or S is below the midline
- Objectivity in decision-making
- Participatory management
- More realistic appraisals of others
- Priorities and deadlines
- To be more firm with others if D is below the midline
Click on any of the boxes below for more details on each of the primary behavioral tendencies: Dominant (D), Interactive (I), Supportive (S), and Compliant (C).
Many Frontline Learning products incorporate the DISC behavioral mode, promoting a greater understanding of interpersonal influences and tendencies to enhance sales productivity, customer service effectiveness and general personal competency. The following Frontline Learning products incorporate some form of the DISC behavioral profile:
- Professional Selling SkillMap™
- Customer Service SkillMap™
- Emotional Effectiveness SkillMap™
- REAL Selling™
- REAL Coaching™
- REAL Marketing™
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