Modern knowledge work values autonomy, creativity, and empowerment over traditional authority. In a previous era, most companies operated by a chain of command. That's not the case anymore. Many of us work in highly cross-functional environments where we need to influence downwards, upwards, and across in order to have meaningful impact.
How can we improve our influencing skills? To do so, we need to:
DISC is recognized in the business world as "the universal language of behavior." It's used by organizations around the world, including many of the Fortune 500 companies, to help team members better understand themselves and the people they interact with.
The four DISC styles (Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Compliance) are described by two axes:
Each style has bright spots and shadows. Bright spots show up when we are at our best. Shadows are how we can be perceived by others if we over-rely on a particular style.
There is no right or wrong DISC style. Also, we are a blend of all four styles and may prefer different styles in different situations.
Nonetheless, it's helpful to know our default style at work— the one we gravitate toward most frequently— and how this style may make other team members more or less susceptible to our influence.
Conflict and tension is most likely to arise in opposite DISC styles: Dominance with Steadiness and Compliance with Influence. Fortunately, uncovering our blind spots and adapting to others' preferred styles can help us resolve these conflicts and build stronger partnerships.
Examples
Mindy Zhang
Conflict between opposing DISC styles:
I once had a direct report who spent the first 10 minutes of a meeting chatting up other people in the room. I felt impatient and irritated. I thought to myself: "Why are we wasting time? Let's get to the meeting agenda!"
Turns out, my style was Compliance. I wanted to follow the agenda of the meeting, methodically and precisely. Her style was Influence. She wanted to bring up the energy of the room by socializing first, creating an enthusiastic mood, then diving into the agenda.
Once I realized our differences— and that I had a limiting belief about her style— I could see that one of her biggest strengths was motivating others by getting to know them personally. And in fact, she wanted me as a manager to connect with her more personally instead of always diving right into our 1:1 agenda. By adapting my style to hers, we built a stronger relationship over time.
This type tends to be: proactive, direct, confident, pragmatic, bold, demanding, results-oriented, competitive.
They most fear: loss of control, being taken advantage of.
How to treat them:
What to avoid:
This type tends to be: sociable, inspiring, persuasive, dynamic, creative, expressive, optimistic.
They most fear: rejection by others.
How to treat them:
What to avoid:
This type tends to be: cautious, empathetic, persistent, calm, intuitive, understanding, inclusive.
They most fear: loss of security.
How to treat them:
What to avoid:
This type tends to be: precise, detail-oriented, analytical, methodical, rigorous, organized.
They most fear: criticism, getting it wrong.
How to treat them:
What to avoid:
