Specific Details and Time to Complete the Task

Having looked ways we can truly serve the needs of our team members with each of the first three behavioral styles - DRIVEN, INSPIRING, and SUPPORTIVE - to this point, let’s close the loop with the final 25% of the population; the ones who tend to be Reserved and Task-Oriented. Please understand that none of these styles should be viewed as better than the others based on the order I’ve covered them in. This group certainly shouldn’t be considered as being in last place! In fact, some of the smartest people we know are likely to have this primary style… These are the CRITICAL thinkers and they’re nearly always very CONSCIENTIOUS about the results they produce.

I was in a client’s office several years ago, getting ready to provide a part of their team with an introductory lesson on The Model of Human Behavior, when one of the management team members had a fairly intense conversation (read: loud argument) with one of the key team members. Since this occurred just before the two of them sat down in the session I was providing for the group, the tension was still lingering. In that particular session, I was also able to help each participant complete a DISC assessment showing their complete behavioral style blend and I was able to show them how to compare their results with the results of each other person in the room by running an Interaction Guide. If only the two of them in question had access to the information that tool offered a few hours earlier, that intense conversation may have gone a little smoother…

The management team member actually asked me to stick around after the session to chat with him one on one about how he could use the Interaction Guide to make sure his future conversations with that other team member were less fiery. I share that example with you here because it ties directly to what the folks with this final primary behavioral style need from us if we want to provide them with effective servant leadership.

Since this group places so much value on precision, and they’re very CAUTIOUS in their approach when they have unanswered questions, they look to their leaders for clear expectations and specific details as to how the task should be completed. With a more CALCULATING approach, they may not race out of the gate as quickly as the Faster-Paced styles but you can be sure they’ll stick with a project until it’s complete. Empowering these CONCISE folks is often as simple as providing them with the specific resources they’ll need and an adequate amount of time. Their drive to finish what they start will take care of the rest!

While those of us who are more DRIVEN have a bigger need for speed, this group is more interested in accuracy. Where our INSPIRING friends appreciate as much excitement as we can build into the work being done, these team members would prefer to quietly focus on the task at hand. And when the other Reserved group will tend to be more SUPPORTIVE and caring, this group may come across as being COLD when their mind is working through each step of the process.

Here’s one final thing to consider: none of us have just one of these styles. While we do each have one that’s our primary style, we’re all a unique blend of all four. As we begin to recognize the primary style of the team members we’re working to serve, we will also be able to notice some of the other traits to one degree or another. If we’re willing to focus on what matters most to them - how we can best meet their needs - each of the things we’ve worked through here should fall into place. Then we can begin working to instill the servant leadership approach into the rest of our teams, and we’ll look at how we can start that next time!