Putting the Right People in the Right Seats

There are so many ways to apply great communication skills to being leader. When I downsized and became a solo entrepreneur, I had to be laser focused on who I had running beside me to be effective. For my right-hand hire, I needed somebody more organized than I am. That’s obvious. I have no interest in detail work. I fight organization every day. DISC helped me understand that I don’t want to have anything to do with organization. When I understood that, I began to make logical choices that compliment my style. One, I use software that fits me, the simpler the better.

Most importantly, for hiring, I knew I had to find somebody with a lot of C in their profile to keep me in line. But that’s not enough. Somebody with a ton of C will overdo it and I’ll get bored. People call me intimidating, because I have a high D. So I knew I needed a high D, so I don’t roll over them.

None of this is me patting myself on the back. This is me understanding myself and my working style. That is using a skill anybody can do: understand what you need to put the right people in the right seats. I know that I need that C, and somebody who can push back on me, which is a D. I like to interact, so left to my own devices, I will chase a squirrel. So, in my professional life, I don't need another high I to chase with me. A low I is not afraid to tell me that something is a “waste of time, move on”. An I, like me, wants to go dream for a while, I need somebody to say “no, watch that cliff, you’re off mission”. Without that, I am not as productive as I should be.

That’s a micro world of how I use DISC every day with the person I work with. With clients, I read the room very quickly. All our clients take the assessments so I can meet them where they are. For example: Client A is a big I, low C, no D. So I know I can’t go to that person and tell them everything is screwed up because I’d lose them, I’d be an “asshole not a realist”. Conversely, somebody with a high D and C, allows me to be a realist. I can show the facts and say “this isn’t working” and they can handle that. That’s why hiring requires clear expectations and why we use DISC as a part of the package. It helps us build a successful team that works for everybody.