Imagine you’re giving a presentation to your team and you think everything’s going well, only to look up and find side conversations happening and people staring off into space or looking completely overwhelmed. Leadership communication can be tricky, especially when everyone processes information differently.
That’s where the DISC assessment comes in—it’s a personal development tool that helps individuals determine their communication style and how they interact with others. You take the DISC assessment to determine where your communication style falls into the four categories: Dominance (D), Influence (I), Steadiness (S) and Conscientiousness (C).
This article will explain the different DISC personalities along with the strengths and weaknesses of DISC communication styles. By tailoring your communication based on your DISC style, you can become a more effective, empathetic and confident team leader.
Dominant (D) personality: Leadership and Communication Style
If you thrive on challenges and are extremely goal-oriented, it’s likely that your DISC leadership style is Dominant (D). Dominant leaders value efficiency and results. They don’t want to hear the reasons behind something; they just want to know what actions should be taken.
Communication Challenges
This leadership communication style can be helpful when decisions need to be made quickly. They are natural problem solvers, able to see the big picture and make decisions accordingly.
However, Dominant leaders may appear abrupt, uncaring or impatient when communicating with their team. Sometimes people need to be heard, and that requires active listening. If people feel like their opinions are being ignored or brushed over, they may not feel appreciated. Work performance can suffer as a result.
Leadership Tips
Here are some ways leaders with a Dominant DISC communication style can improve their interactions:
- Listen without interrupting – People tend to feel valued when they are able to express their thoughts, and that requires the other person to be an active listener.
- Pause before responding – Think not only about how you want to respond, but also how that response might be received. Dominant communicators sometimes come off as aggressive, and a softer response could benefit the other party.
- Acknowledge the person’s feelings – Showing empathy can improve morale.
- Share decision-making – Involving other team members in the decision-making process instead of making a unilateral decision can increase engagement.
Influential (I) Personality: Leadership and Communication Style
Leaders with the Influential (I) DISC assessment leadership style tend to be approachable and engaging. People generally enjoy being around them, as they bring a contagious optimism to the table. An Influential leader often praises hard work and good ideas and creates a positive team environment.
Communication Challenges
Influential leaders are typically big-picture thinkers. This is a positive, but it can also be challenging. For example, it could pose an issue in a meeting if the discussion veers off-topic and the focus is lost. Follow-through can be lacking, leaving the team wondering how to navigate future tasks or what next steps to take. There can also be a lack of decision-making.
Leadership Tips
Here are some ways leaders with an Influential style can work to improve their communication:
- Stay focused – Establish a goal and focus on conversations that support the goal, tabling side conversations for another time.
- Manage time wisely – This goes hand-in-hand with focus. Team members may not look forward to lengthy meetings that don’t lead to specific plans or actions. Leaders should show that they value their team members’ time and focus meetings accordingly.
- Set clear expectations – Influential leaders can be motivating, but also leave others not sure where to go next. Clear expectations need to be set, especially when improvement is needed.
- Create space for everyone – It’s easy for a charismatic leader to dominate the workspace. This type of leader needs to make sure even the more reserved team members have the opportunity to contribute.
Steady (S) Personality: Leadership and Communication Style
While Influential leaders can have big, enthusiastic personalities, Steady (S) personality types tend to be calm and dependable. You generally won’t see them making big, boastful statements, but rather, quietly supporting their team with less fanfare. They may have strong opinions, but you won’t often see them making hasty decisions.
Communication Challenges
The main challenge of the Steady communication style for leaders is that they often have difficulty with conflict and lack the ability to assert themselves. Team members might feel that the Steady leader is supporting their idea, but silence does not always equate with support.
Leadership Tips
Steady leaders can work on these skills to improve communication:
- Practice assertiveness – A leader who values harmony over all else may have a difficult time when they need to speak up. Team members often need a leader who can make clear decisions.
- Speak up with confidence – The feeling of not wanting to rock the boat can be strong in this personality type. Steady leaders should work on voicing their opinions and not backing down to louder personality types.
- Be direct – Don’t beat around the bush to stay on someone’s good side. Clarity is important.
- Say no – It’s easy to get burned out when you are always saying “yes.” Practice saying “no” when the stakes are lower to build the skill.
Conscientious (C) Personality: Leadership and Communication Style
The final DISC personality is Conscientious (C), which refers to a leader who tends to be detail-oriented, thorough and analytical. This type of leader usually holds team members and themself to a high standard. They are strong when it comes to setting up systems and solving complex problems.
Communication Challenges
Team members may perceive this type of leader to be impersonal and uncaring. They might also feel that the work they do is never good enough, since praise is rarely given. This type of leader can get caught up in the details, making decision-making a challenge.
Leadership Tips
Conscientious leaders can work on these skills:
- Be more flexible – Rigidity can be hard to deal with. Leaders can learn to adapt to change even when it might be uncomfortable.
- Keep perfectionist tendencies in check – It can be hard to accomplish a goal if the only way to get there is through perfect execution.
- Praise others – Nobody wants to only hear about their faults. It’s important for leaders to acknowledge work well done and praise people for their success.
- Make quicker decisions – Don’t get stuck in analysis paralysis. Make a decision and move forward.
Leading With Intention
Leadership communication styles can differ. Yet leaders can also adapt to best meet their team’s needs. A leader with a strong vision can be lost if they cannot effectively communicate that vision to their team.
The DISC personality assessment helps leaders understand their own communication style and how it impacts others. Whether you are a goal-oriented D, an approachable I, a dependable S or a detail-oriented C, learning your strengths and weaknesses can help you become a better leader. Practicing the tips for your personality type is the first step in the right direction.
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