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The DiSC model describes four basic personality and behavioral styles: D-Dominance, I-Influence, S-Steadiness, and C-Conscientiousness. We’re all a blend of the four styles, and usually one or two stand out. Those stronger styles will impact the way we communicate, approach problems, make decisions, and all other aspects of work and interpersonal interactions.
No one style is better than another. The key is understanding what your natural tendencies are so you can use those insights to be more intentional in the choices you make and more effective in the way you interact with others.
While your communication style is in your DNA, this isn’t an excuse; it’s an insight. It allows you to see how your natural tendencies serve you in certain situations and can interfere in others — and how you can either lean in or adapt and adjust when it makes sense to do so. In other words, you can make the choice to use communication styles to your advantage rather than letting them become a hinderance to getting the results you desire.
We talk about communication style because, whether we know it or not, it is always influencing our decisions — how much information we share, what types of questions we ask, how patient we are in waiting for responses, and a whole host of other behaviors we use daily. Skillful leaders recognize how their style impacts others and strive to flex to other styles to create more collaboration.
Think of your style as your natural default, your autopilot mode. You don’t have to stay locked on autopilot. You can make better choices by challenging your assumptions and then changing your behaviors. Being aware is the first step to potentially choosing a different communication style approach.
Read on to learn more about the different communication styles, why there’s no “right” or “wrong” style for effective retail leadership, and how you can use Everything DiSC to power retail learning and results.
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