Have you got one of those dominating, in your face personalities at work? Or perhaps someone who asks you a million and one infuriating questions when you ask them to do one simple thing? Or the social butterfly who spends the first hour of work flitting from one desk to the other asking how everyone’s evening was?
Believe it or not, this all makes sense!
Something workplaces could factor in as part of people management training is offering DiSC, or other similar work profile training, to help us all gain a better understanding of the different working profiles that exist in our corporate environment.
So, this is a simple guide of “How to” deal with your different working profiled colleagues.
D – Direct, driving, dominant
An example of a comment someone with a high D trait may say would be “What’s the point of playing if winning isn’t the goal?”- J.D Robb. How do you deal with these strong personalities? After all, these are the assertive, competitive, self starter, forceful personalities in the office. Failure is not an option. No is not an option. They have a million and one things on the go and it IS always “go, go, go”.
You’ve definitely encountered them…that demanding client who is always pushing you on those targets, not just to meet them but to exceed them (every time)! When communicating with these high D personalities, make sure you always: get to the point, never say something isn’t possible – give them options, explain facts and always come back to the results and outcome. And if you are someone who has some pretty high D traits, learn to listen more, be more tolerant, practice patience…sometimes it is OK to take a breath!
I – Influential, persuading, friendly
Someone who is high I cares about the people. “Whoever is happy will make others happy too”- Ann Frank. As long as the team is happy doing what they’re doing, nothing else matters. With high Is it’s all about charisma: they could sell ice to an Eskimo. They are amazing communicators, and they are definitely the optimistic ones in the office.
When you look at the industry we work in, regardless of seniority or industry focus – media relation is a necessary skill. Someone who is high I would absolutely kill it in media relations. The ability to identify with all the different journalists, understand client’s messages and pitch accordingly to anyone in any publication! That being said, when you work with high Is, it is very easy to get caught on the ride but make sure you don’t get too swept away and learn to always agree on specifics, be friendly with them but discuss options and alternatives.
If you are someone who is high I sometimes you need to learn to be a little more serious, don’t assume anything – make sure you clarify, look for the issues and don’t just discuss the feelings and, the key thing: don’t overcommit!
S – Steady, self controlled, supportive
These are the people sitting in the room that most of us forget, but they forget nothing. They are sensitive and aware of all the different nuances in the office. Ask them a question about an event, a person, something that happened and they will be able to give you a full recollection. “The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common” – Ralph Waldo Emerson. Someone who is high S can be overlooked but they are key to any business.
In the PR industry it is absolutely critical to have high S’s working for the organisation. When clients determine which agency to use, consistency with staff and quality of work is often one of the key factors that determine who a client pick to be their agency. These individual’s are people every successful organisation needs. High S takes on behavioural traits such as being a good listener, dependable, industrious and kind. When working with someone who is a high S make sure you are sincere with them, ask them for feedback because they won’t volunteer it and don’t be in too much of a rush for their decision…they need time.
If you are someone who is high S, learn to speak up and be more forthcoming. Sometimes your quietness is mistaken for lack of eagerness. And don’t understate problems, you’ve probably picked something up that everyone else has missed – so speak up!
C – Compliant, conservative, careful
High Cs always drive us crazy. They are the meticulous ones. They make you follow the process. It is not about cutting corners. It is about doing things diligently to the tee. High Cs probably drive high Ds and high Is crazy because they are all about getting it done but high Cs are all about making sure the process is completed properly. High Cs are perfectionists, logical and accurate. Their motto would probably be “It takes less time to do a thing right than to explain why you did it wrong” - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. When you are working with a high C, make sure you support all arguments with facts, be specific with examples and it probably makes sense to make a pro/con list! If you are a high C, be a little less critical.
Yes, working in PR, attention to detail is absolutely critical. The ability to pick up the smallest minute problem is often a differentiating quality. That being said, being in PR also requires one to be flexible and be creative and think outside the box! So keep an eye on the details but realise there are different paths you can take to get to the same outcome. The world isn’t black and white – you don’t have to be either!
There is no right or wrong profile
As I said at the beginning, this is by no means an in depth discussion of working profiles. It is meant to help you gain a little more insight into your colleague who sits to the right, left or opposite you. It doesn’t matter whether it is a peer, direct report, manager or even a loved one! If you work out how to speak their “language”, managing people in general will become so much easier.
The key thing to remember though is there is no RIGHT or WRONG profile. Everyone needs to have all four traits in order to be effective. Every organisation needs all four working profiles to operate successfully. So, next time, before you get frustrated with the colleague who asks you a thousand and one questions in response to your simple request, take a step back…which working profile are you talking to?
Jennifer Wu, the LEWIS Talent Team
Have you got one of those dominating, in your face personalities at work? Or perhaps someone who asks you a million and one infuriating questions when you ask them to do one simple thing? Or the social butterfly who spends the first hour of work flitting from one desk to the other asking how everyone’s evening was?
Believe it or not, this all makes sense!
Something workplaces could factor in as part of people management training is offering DiSC, or other similar work profile training, to help us all gain a better understanding of the different working profiles that exist in our corporate environment.
So, this is a simple guide of “How to” deal with your different working profiled colleagues.
D – Direct, driving, dominant
An example of a comment someone with a high D trait may say would be “What’s the point of playing if winning isn’t the goal?”- J.D Robb. How do you deal with these strong personalities? After all, these are the assertive, competitive, self starter, forceful personalities in the office. Failure is not an option. No is not an option. They have a million and one things on the go and it IS always “go, go, go”.
You’ve definitely encountered them…that demanding client who is always pushing you on those targets, not just to meet them but to exceed them (every time)! When communicating with these high D personalities, make sure you always: get to the point, never say something isn’t possible – give them options, explain facts and always come back to the results and outcome. And if you are someone who has some pretty high D traits, learn to listen more, be more tolerant, practice patience…sometimes it is OK to take a breath!
I – Influential, persuading, friendly
Someone who is high I cares about the people. “Whoever is happy will make others happy too”- Ann Frank. As long as the team is happy doing what they’re doing, nothing else matters. With high Is it’s all about charisma: they could sell ice to an Eskimo. They are amazing communicators, and they are definitely the optimistic ones in the office.
When you look at the industry we work in, regardless of seniority or industry focus – media relation is a necessary skill. Someone who is high I would absolutely kill it in media relations. The ability to identify with all the different journalists, understand client’s messages and pitch accordingly to anyone in any publication! That being said, when you work with high Is, it is very easy to get caught on the ride but make sure you don’t get too swept away and learn to always agree on specifics, be friendly with them but discuss options and alternatives.
If you are someone who is high I sometimes you need to learn to be a little more serious, don’t assume anything – make sure you clarify, look for the issues and don’t just discuss the feelings and, the key thing: don’t overcommit!
S – Steady, self controlled, supportive
These are the people sitting in the room that most of us forget, but they forget nothing. They are sensitive and aware of all the different nuances in the office. Ask them a question about an event, a person, something that happened and they will be able to give you a full recollection. “The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common” – Ralph Waldo Emerson. Someone who is high S can be overlooked but they are key to any business.
In the PR industry it is absolutely critical to have high S’s working for the organisation. When clients determine which agency to use, consistency with staff and quality of work is often one of the key factors that determine who a client pick to be their agency. These individual’s are people every successful organisation needs. High S takes on behavioural traits such as being a good listener, dependable, industrious and kind. When working with someone who is a high S make sure you are sincere with them, ask them for feedback because they won’t volunteer it and don’t be in too much of a rush for their decision…they need time.
If you are someone who is high S, learn to speak up and be more forthcoming. Sometimes your quietness is mistaken for lack of eagerness. And don’t understate problems, you’ve probably picked something up that everyone else has missed – so speak up!
C – Compliant, conservative, careful
High Cs always drive us crazy. They are the meticulous ones. They make you follow the process. It is not about cutting corners. It is about doing things diligently to the tee. High Cs probably drive high Ds and high Is crazy because they are all about getting it done but high Cs are all about making sure the process is completed properly. High Cs are perfectionists, logical and accurate. Their motto would probably be “It takes less time to do a thing right than to explain why you did it wrong” - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. When you are working with a high C, make sure you support all arguments with facts, be specific with examples and it probably makes sense to make a pro/con list! If you are a high C, be a little less critical.
Yes, working in PR, attention to detail is absolutely critical. The ability to pick up the smallest minute problem is often a differentiating quality. That being said, being in PR also requires one to be flexible and be creative and think outside the box! So keep an eye on the details but realise there are different paths you can take to get to the same outcome. The world isn’t black and white – you don’t have to be either!
There is no right or wrong profile
As I said at the beginning, this is by no means an in depth discussion of working profiles. It is meant to help you gain a little more insight into your colleague who sits to the right, left or opposite you. It doesn’t matter whether it is a peer, direct report, manager or even a loved one! If you work out how to speak their “language”, managing people in general will become so much easier.
The key thing to remember though is there is no RIGHT or WRONG profile. Everyone needs to have all four traits in order to be effective. Every organisation needs all four working profiles to operate successfully. So, next time, before you get frustrated with the colleague who asks you a thousand and one questions in response to your simple request, take a step back…which working profile are you talking to?
Jennifer Wu, the LEWIS Talent Team
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