Most HR and L&D professionals have heard or are familiar with Everything DiSC but may be unaware of just how beneficial it can be specific to their managers. If you are wondering, ‘how can Everything DISC support my Managers?’ read on to find out.
Managing Employees According to their DiSC Styles
Everything DiSC is a fantastic tool for managers. The Management profile gives managers specific information about their own management style, the impact their style has, how to adapt their delegation approach, understand the motivators and stressors of the DiSC styles, and also how they are seen by their manager. Here are some simple examples of how you can use these insights to adjust management styles.
The D Style
The D style is characterised by Dominance. This is a person that values getting immediate results, taking action, and challenging themselves and others. They tend to be very confident and driven, and they need a management style that reflects that energy.
When speaking with a D style employee, keep the following things in mind:
● Speak with confidence
● Avoid waffle and be clear and concise
● Use authoritative, dynamic language
Letting them take the lead is key to getting the best out of a D style employee. Allow them to generate ideas and direct themselves as far as possible, only offering assistance when they come to you. It is important that they feel in control.
To help them develop, focus on their relationships with others. A person with the D style is often focused on their own goals and actions without collaborating or considering how their actions impact other team members. Create situations where they can collaborate with others to help them improve in this area.
The i Style
Influence is at the core of the i style. This is a person that is focused on collaboration and they value social recognition, group activities, and friendly relationships. Like a D style employee, they still want to take action, but they are more likely to do that by influencing others and driving collaboration, rather than taking on tasks on their own.
When interacting with an i style employee…
● Leave room for small talk and socialising
● Build a rapport, use positive language and focus on the ‘people’ aspect of problems
rather than honing in on technical elements Encourage their positive energy and give them the opportunities to express themselves
● Creating clear written plans is important for helping an i style employee develop.
Their social nature often means that they do a lot of talking and can go off on tangents and helping them to write things clearly will keep them on track.
The S Style
The S style employee is a symbol of Steadiness. They take on a supportive role in the workplace and they enjoy collaboration. Sometimes personal ambition takes a back seat, as long as the team as a whole is stable.
Some things to remember when communicating with S style employees include:
● Use steady, reassuring language (support, trust, understand, etc.)
● Don’t rush into issues, take conversations slowly
● Ask more open ended questions to encourage them to share their feelings/ideas
S style employees need encouragement, so give them clear instructions and celebrate small wins and milestones. In order to help them develop, make them responsible for telling you how they feel about situations. You can also encourage them to work with D style employees to get a different perspective and boost confidence.
The C Style
A C style employee is all about Conscientiousness and attention to detail. They will more often than now want to maintain accuracy and stability and they are always looking for opportunities to learn and implement new skills.
When communicating with C style employees…
● Take a slightly more direct approach but proceed slower than you would with a D style
employee.
● Make sure to focus on the things that are important to them (accuracy, quality, detail,
etc.)
● Give them plenty of time to process the information
A C style employee is often reluctant to ask for help, so if you want to help them develop, make sure they know that it’s ok to come to you. Don’t wait for them to update you, check in with them regularly.
How else can Everything DiSC support my people?
Everything DiSC has the power to deepen self-awareness and help you implement large scale cultural change and improve organisational and team performance throughout your business. As we’ve demonstrated above, it can also be a powerful tool for Managers when using the Everything DiSC Management application. There are also a number of other specific solutions and situations DiSC can support, ranging from communication, employee engagement and recruitment decisions to stakeholder engagement, conflict resolution, and the development of leaders, teams and individuals.
Everything DiSC has been used to transform large organisations like the NHS. It was first introduced at the West Midlands Leadership Academy to help them find new leadership development paths for Primary Care leaders. By creating a consistent approach and a common language of leadership across the NHS trust, Everything DiSC drastically improved the development of leaders in a very challenging organisation. The programme has since been rolled out across the NHS, which is evidence enough that it works, and it can work for your business too.
By using the insights gained from Everything DiSC, you can create a common language and environment where everybody has a strong relationship, regardless of department, job title or level of seniority. This will help you answer the question “How can Everything DiSC support my managers?
To find out more about Everything DiSC, and to book onto either our in-person or Virtual accreditation programmes, visit the linked pages on our website.
