Your DiSC® leadership style refers to your approach when guiding and motivating people to achieve goals. Getting acquainted with your DiSC® leadership style is important as it helps you understand how you influence the people you lead.
The Commanding Style (DiSC® Style D)
Do you like to be in charge? Being in charge and focusing on results is a key component of the Commanding leadership style. When decisions must be made in risky circumstances or in complex situations, this leadership style is appropriate. It also works well for managing low-skilled workers who wouldn’t mind being micromanaged or bossed around, as opposed to highly skilled employees..
A Commanding Style of leadership can be viewed as autocratic leadership, which can be very over-powering. While the commanding style is beneficial in specific situations, it is not intended to be used at all times.
- Goals: bottom-line results, victory
- Influences others through: assertiveness, insistence and competition
Pioneering Style (DiSC® style D)
Do you thrive on challenges and enjoy forging ahead into uncharted territory? If so, you may be a Pioneering leader. As such, you are not reluctant to make a change or hesitate to try something new. You probably follow your gut feelings or instincts.
However, the goal-oriented nature of pioneering leaders puts the team at risk of burnout.
If this is your dominant leadership style, as you continue to forge ahead into uncharted territories, your team could start to lose interest. You’ll need to take your team’s needs and concerns into account if you want to prevent this.
- Goals: quick actions, new opportunities, exciting breakthroughs
- Influence others through: charm, passion and bold-action
Energizing Leadership Style (DiSC® Style i)
Are you able to get everyone excited about achieving a goal in the face of strong obstacles, opposition, or resistance? Then you are operating with an Energizing leadership style.
In most cases, members of your team will want to see that you are passionate about a vision before they go all in. And given that achieving goals is not challenge-free, people will need a great deal of motivation to be able to achieve the desired goals and objectives. The energy to keep motivation levels high is what the energizing leader style brings to the table.
Pitfalls of this leadership style include coming across as someone who is inconsistent, disorganized, and easily distracted. Your enthusiasm can often make you overlook challenges and blind you to imminent problems.
- Goals: popularity, approval, excitement
- Influences others through: charm, options, high energy, personal connection
Affirming Leadership Style (DiSC® Style i)
Do you frequently offer encouragement? Are you approachable and easygoing? Do you thank your team for their efforts and show them appreciation? These traits are characteristics of an affirming leader. The relationship between leaders and their teams can be built and strengthened through this style of leadership.
However, being a people person can make it challenging for you to make difficult decisions, which is a disadvantage of this style.
- Goals: acceptance, friendship, close relationships
- Influences others through: agreeableness, patience, empathy
Inclusive Leadership Style (DiSC® style S)
When you allow input from people from various backgrounds before making a decision, you are demonstrating an inclusive leadership style. Inclusionary leadership allows everyone to be heard and respected. As a result, your team will feel valued, thus promoting non-discriminatory and bias-free practices.
According to the DiSC® Behavioral Assessment, Inclusive leaders dislike placing pressure on their team to meet deadlines, which can make it challenging to motivate a team to meet a deadline. If you’re an Inclusive leader, you may come across as indecisive and lacking confidence because you appear unable to make decisions, particularly ones that would prevent you from hurting others.
- Goals: harmony, stability, acceptance
- Influence others through: accommodating others, consistency
Humble Leadership Style (DiSC® style S)
People with a humble leadership style are more receptive to others’ opinions, prefer not to be the center of attention, and delegate to others so they can reach their full leadership potential. If you’re a Humble leader, you are likely to maintain composure under pressure and you probably don’t act impulsively. Humble leaders also put a lot of effort into being aware of the needs of the people they manage.
Your humility and lack of a need for attention can conceal your leadership abilities from those who are seeking charisma and self-promotion qualities in a leader.
- Goals: reliability, stable outcomes, calm environments
- Influences others through: practicality, self-control, diplomacy
Deliberate Leadership Style (DiSC® style C)
Clear communication skills and objectivity in reasoning are traits of deliberate leaders. If this describes you, you are probably take great pride in making wise choices. You are likely to consider every move and are neither impulsive or reactive. You tend to easily distinguish between feelings and reality.
Drawbacks of this style include putting in a lot of effort to finding solutions, which can cause you to lose touch with others and forget about your team’s emotional needs. Because you tend to be risk-averse you might pass up opportunities.
- Goals: accuracy, objective process
- Influence others through: logic, objective standards
Resolute Leadership Style ( DiSC® Style C)
If you are fiercely committed to achieving your objectives despite the difficulties you face, you are probably a Resolute leader. Resolute leaders give everyone the courage to turn the tide in uncertain and difficult times.
However, because you have high standards and insist on things being done precisely right, you run the risk of expecting too much of your team, thus deflating the team’s confidence.
- Goals: independence, personal accomplishment, efficiency
- Influence others through: high standards, willingness to meet challenges and determination
DiSC® Leadership with your goals
DiSC® behavioral assessment results show that using one DiSC® leadership style will limit your team’s performance and your organization’s success. Effective leaders are those who can switch back and forth between all eight DiSC® leadership styles as each situation demands.
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