In the DISC I got results that I think do reflect my leadership type. My results were Ic. Within the workplace I do feel I influence people doing it my way but not in a dominant way. I remember a few years ago when I was a shift manager at a call center how I’ve influenced the employees. From one side I had to keep the level of service up and that everybody will answer the calls as fast as they could but from the other side I had to decide who can take a break and when. Many times as a shift manager I had to say to people to wait with their break. I can say that most of the time the employees respected and trusted me when I said “no” because when it was possible I would encourage them to take longer breaks. The notion was that if I’ll show that I care they will pay me back when I need them the most. I saw shift managers who were dominant and always complained I was too soft but they were amazed to see the reports analyzing the calls during my shifts. The level of service was the highest and the call center atmosphere was very good and quite. When the dominant shift managers had the control the atmosphere was bad, people didn’t stop to argue and I saw no respect in both directions. That answers why I don’t regret not being dominant and I am very satisfied with the results.
I think it is very important to know with what “types” of people you work with. My previous boss was dominant and it took me a while to understand that but when I did I saved a lot of energy and time. In the beginning when he said to me to do something I would argue he is wrong but after I understood he is dominant I started to say first “no problem, lets do it” and than lead him to the conclusion that it is wrong. In other words, with dominant boss you have to act as a “yes man” and with a bit intelligence to make him change his mind. I think this test can help in any interaction but I believe it is easy to analyze people by the behavior and directly characterize them-I don’t think I need them to answer the questions to say if they are D\I\S\C
When I operated a self start up, I purposefully tried to find someone who is not dominant. I believe being influential is definitely great, it shows other aspect then just being a hot head. And the employees also reflected well on the whole good cop/ bad cop. They knew that if they would comply with the guy who was their for sole purpose of influence someone's @$$ is getting fired.
ReplyDeleteIt is true. If you can influence your employees, they will listen to you and perform better. When employees are highly productive, the organization gains the rewards. I used to own a business and I know how it works.
ReplyDeleteI saw your name under "I" and thought it fit you well. In leading your group on the survival activity even though you were not the official leader with your name on the board it seemed obvious that your influence on the group was strongly felt. That by letting others take naming rights perhaps you can actually influence your ideas more. Which I feel is similar to your idea of a "yes man".
ReplyDeleteSometimes being dominant is not the best thing for specific work environment. I honestly don't think that dominance is the most important quality in a leader and/or manager. And if employees respect you, as in your case, its enough to be a good leader even if you are not dominant in a traditional sense of the word.
ReplyDeleteI think the test was accurate to call you an Ic. I remember arguing with you during the survival activity about how dumb it would be to bring the lard. However, that turned out to be one of the important items. You tried your best to convince me, but I was just being stubborn.
ReplyDeleteWill is right, I also worked in the same group and you did influence us alot. By being an Ic type you can get things done without people arguing or hating you and like My Business Times said, that helps the organization and yourself as well.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is very important to understand the "type" of people you work with and surround yourself with. Because in a group dynamic, every member needs to understand their strengths and weaknesses as well as those of their peers. I think this understanding is essential to working well with others and getting things done.
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