D-styles are dominant, direct and decisive. While they represent less than 10% of the Canadian population, they play an essential role on our teams. D-styles often get a bad rap as they are focused on results and their directness can be taken as anger or frustration. They may be prone to interrupt as well, leading others to believe they are being disrespected. At times, others may leave a meeting thinking a D-style is mad at them because of how the D spoke, or the tone they took. Often, when asked if they are mad, the D is shocked that someone would think that; they were just making their point.

D-styles embrace change and are not afraid of new ideas. They are quick to make decisions and are willing to implement them quickly. They can be impatient. They are competitive and results oriented. Control is important and it may appear that they do not care about others.

D-styles never use 20 words when 5 words will suffice. They are direct and are interested in the high-level overview. They can get frustrated by too many details.

They speak with authority and often state their opinions as facts.

It is important to be direct and to the point with a D-style Give them your recommendation; they often don’t care about the details, reasons or story behind it.

Some famous D-styles include Simon Cowell, Rosie O’Donnell, Madonna, Captain Kirk of “Star Trek” and Hillary Rodham Clinton.

D-style is the Task and Active quadrant.

Task means they are focused on process and procedures. They talk about things and tasks (rather than people) and at times do not show a lot of emotion.

Active means a future focus, and they may talk about how things could be. They can be loud and speak with inflection and animation. Their body language is energetic and assertive and they often maintain strong eye-contact.

Because of their task focus, they can seem cold and uncaring, especially to the more people-focused I and S styles. Their animated active style can be overwhelming for the reserved S and C styles.

Does any of this speak to you? Are you reading and saying, “Yes!!”? Do you wonder how you can communicate better with others? Completing a DISC assessment can confirm your natural style (often we are actually a mix of a couple styles) and give you a ton of other useful information such as: your motivators, situations that reduce your motivation, how you react under pressure and how others may see you. Additionally, the report will give you specific suggestions for communicating with each of the 4 styles (based on your specific style or combination of styles). There is a variety of different reports available including individual, team and pair reports and once you buy the assessment, there is no additional charge for different reports.

Understanding the DISC profiles of team members can help you better communicate with others, and also to identify team strengths and blind spots.

Whether you are curious about your style and want more insight, or you feel that DISC may be a useful tool for building a strong team, let’s talk and see how we can use DISC to improve understanding and communication for you or your team!

Interested in a quick overview video of about D-Style? Check out this one.

Over the next couple of months, I am going to feature each of the DISC styles, so keep reading to see which one is the closet to you. Or reach out and do an assessment and find out right away! Either way, stay tuned to learn more!

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