Coaching Corner: Who Am I?
By "Coach" Marilou Butcher Roth
As some of you know, I do a lot of work with the DiSC assessments, including The Work of Leaders, The Sales Assessment, The Workplace Profile, Productive Conflict and more. I have found these assessments to be hugely helpful as we navigate our work lives, as well as our personal lives, by identifying our strongest characteristics and how to best work with those.
Today, I thought it would be fun to do a brief overview of the four types, so that you can see where you land on the chart. Here are the four types, including their attributes:
• D - (Dominance) these individuals tend towards being more direct and results-oriented. They are seen as firm, strong-willed and sometimes even forceful.
• I - (Influence) the I’s are outgoing people and lean towards being enthusiastic and optimistic. They are high-spirited and lively.
• S - (Steadiness) these folks are typically even-tempered and accommodating. They tend to be patient, humble and tactful.
• C - (Conscientiousness) This is where the analytical group shows up and they also seem to be reserved. They are precise and systematic and will typically value their privacy.
So, did you find yourself in any of those? You may find that you show up in more than one area, which is not uncommon. You may now be asking if the only point of this was to humor me. Well...no. It’s for you as well. Once you have a better idea of yourself, you become more aware of others and where potential problems may lie.
For example, one of the biggest issues I see is around pace and timing. The D’s and the I’s are definitely more fast paced and can overlook deeper thought about an idea and are ready to GO! While the S’s and C’s will move slower, wanting to explore all implications and potential pitfalls. You can see where the mixture, working together on a project might cause some angst for all concerned.
Here’s the thing, you need to step back from the blame that is creeping up. "He moves like a snail!" or the other side, "She doesn’t even stop to think about the impact." This is human nature, we tend to go to blame first. So...stop it! Realize this may be an inherent style that is different from yours. It’s that simple! Then, have a conversation about it--not to someone else, but to the person involved!
When we can learn to communicate authentically (without blame) about what is happening, magic can happen. Realizing that we all have certain tendencies and others are not behaving in that manner just to irritate us, will assist us greatly.
This week pay attention to behaviors, both of yourself and others. Notice when your buttons get pushed and then stop before you blame. What needs to happen or be communicated? And remember, this is knowledge--and knowledge always comes in handy!
Marilou Butcher Roth
Marilou Butcher Roth is the owner of The MBR Group, a coaching and training company working primarily with REALTORS who have a desire to work and live from a more inspired place. She is also the Broker/Owner of Group REALTORS in Cincinnati.
Marilou is a member of the Ohio REALTORS Board of Directors and past chairman of the organization’s Communications Committee.
