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 little or no control.This drives a tendency towards being a good listener, reliable and dependable, a loyal team player. But not someone who will take bold action or make a decision. This person will prefer to support the decisions of others.
General Characteristics: Good listener; Team player. Possessive. Steady; Predictable. Understanding; Friendly.
Value to Team: Reliable and dependable. Loyal team worker. Compliant towards authority. Good listener, patient and empathetic. Good at reconciling conflicts.
Possible Weaknesses: Resists change. Takes a long time to adjust to change. Holds a grudge; sensitive to criticism. Difficulty establishing priorities.
Greatest Fear: Loss of security.
Motivated By: Recognition for loyalty and dependability. Safety and security. No sudden changes in procedure or lifestyle. Activities that can be started and finished.
Ideal Environment: Practical procedures and systems. Stability and predictability. Tasks that can be completed at one time. Few conflicts and arguments. A team atmosphere.
Remember a High S May Want: Security in situations, sincere appreciation, repeated work patterns, time to adjust to change, limited territory of responsibility.
Click above image for a summary of the complete DISC behavioral style model
DO: Create a favorable environment:Personable and agreeable. Express a genuine interest in them as a person. Provide them with clarification for tasks and answers to “how” questions. Be patient in drawing out their goals. Present ideas or departures from current practices in a non-threatening manner; give them time to adjust. Clearly define goals, procedures and their role in the overall plan. Assure them of personal follow-up support. Explain how their actions will minimize the risks involved and enhance current procedures.
DON’T: Be pushy, overly aggressive, or demanding. Be too confrontational.
While analyzing information, a High S may: Be openly agreeable but inwardly unyielding. Internalize their concerns and doubts. Hesitate to share feedback during presentation. Slow down the action. Provide valuable support for team goals.
S’s possess these positive characteristics in teams: Instinctive relaters. Participative managers – accomplish goals through personal relationships. Make others feel like they belong. Show sincerity. Can see an easier way of doing things. Focused and intuitive about people and relationships. Full of common sense. Buy into team goals. Dependable. Identify strongly with the team. Strive to build relationships. Provide stability. Consider elements of a total project. Realistic and practical. Even-tempered. Provide specialized skills. Show patience with others. Loyal.
Personal Growth Areas for S’s: Be more open to change. Be more direct in your interactions. Focus on overall goals of the team rather than specific procedures. Deal with confrontation constructively. Develop more flexibility. Increase pace to accomplish goals. Show more initiative. Work at expressing thoughts, opinions, and feelings.
This person’s tendencies include:
- Performing an accepted work pattern
- Sitting or staying in one place
- Demonstrating patience
- Developing specialized skills
- Concentrating on the task
- Showing loyalty
- Being a good listener
- Calming excited people
This person desires an environment which includes:
- Status quo unless given reasons for change
- Minimal work infringement on home life
- Limited territory
- Sincere appreciation
- Identification with a group
- Traditional procedures
This person needs others who:
- React quickly to unexpected change
- Stretch toward the challenges of an accepted task
- Become involved in more than one thing
- Apply pressure on others
- Work in an unpredictable environment
- Delegate to others
- Are flexible in work procedures
- Can contribute to the work
To be more effective, this person needs:
- Conditioning prior to change
- Validation of self-worth
- Information on how one’s efforts contribute to the total effort
- Work associates of equal competence
- Guidelines for accomplishing the task
- Encouragement of creativity
- Confidence in the ability of others
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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