S-styles are strong, stable and supportive. They represent about 1/3 of the Canadian population and their strong sense of team and stable nature contribute to cohesive teams. They thrive working with familiar people and are a nice balance between people and tasks. They are rooted in the present and past and fear a loss of stability. Their resistance to change can drive our D and I styles crazy. They need to know how decisions and changes will impact them. They are accommodating and polite and can easily over-commit as they want to be a team player. Our S-styles tend to be the ones we go to for support and help. They have a tendency to be quiet.

Often S-style are challenging to recognize, so if you are having difficulty determining someone’s DISC style, there is a chance they are an S.

Trust is very important to an S-style and they will spend a lot of time building it with others. They tend to have long term friendships and a strong core group of people with whom they feel close. They need that sense of trust to feel like they are functioning well. Their sense of energy tends to be buried deeper (unlike our D & I styles where it is just below the surface). They want assurance and support along with clear direction and details. They tend to work at a slower pace. Commitment and follow through are extremely important to them, so do not make a commitment if you can’t follow through. They are the most forgiving if you are willing to admit the problem or mistake.

S-styles are great listeners and tend to be very calm and patient. They can see things from many viewpoints. They want to know what you have to say. They derive energy from helping others.

S-styles need time to process. They will feel stressed if required to make quick decisions. S-styles are more reluctant when it comes to change and new ideas.

S-styles can seem stuck in the status quo. Their fear of a loss of stability makes them wary of change and they want to ensure it is thoroughly thought through and planned. They need time to think and reflect before contributing, so it is important to give S-styles time to do that before asking for their input or opinion. They are not impulsive, but rather very reflective. They need support with change.

Some famous S-styles include Michael J. Fox, Princess Diana, Matthew Broderick, Mahatma Gandhi, Tom Brokaw, Magic Johnson, Mr. Sulu of “Star Trek” and Rajesh of “Big Bang Theory”.

S-style is the People and Reserved quadrant.

People means they focus more on people than tasks and can show emotion fairly easily.

Reserved means a present and past focus and will often talk about how things are now and how they were. They tend to remain calm and speak quietly and can be hesitant to maintain eye contact.

Because of their people focus, they can seem like they are wasting time, especially to the more task-focused D and C styles. Their quiet reserved style can make them appear disengaged to the active D and I 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 S-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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Want to know more about the different styles? Check out my DISC page with links to blogs about each style.