The year 2010 is now six weeks underway. I’ve observed that within many leaders, across many industries, there still is a great deal of uncertainty about what the future holds.
When you feel unsure about next quarter, next week, or even tomorrow, fear can take over. It’s easy to lose sight of your larger plan when you feel like you’re scrambling. I’ve found, time and time again, that the best remedy for fear and uncertainly is a healthy dose of vision.
“I hate selling! I don’t know how you guys do it.”
These were the words of a CEO at a lunch meeting I attended last year. This CEO was addressing the head of her sales force. It was a casual comment, but one that caused me some concern.
I wondered what could have produced such a strong negative reaction from this CEO. Was she thinking of past interactions with salespeople who were way short of professional? Could it be that her introverted behavioral style makes her fearful of seeming pushy or manipulative?
Regardless of her reasons, I believe my concern is well-founded. There are too many professionals and leaders who have an unhealthy perspective of what sales is.
A few years back, I had the pleasure of coaching one of the most no-nonsense leaders I have ever met. He was known and respected in his organization for his directness and candor. He was a bit rough around the edges, but he had a heart of gold. I found him a bit intimidating at first, but now that I’ve gotten to know him I wouldn’t hesitate to go to him if I ever have a real need.
Over the years, I spent time with his leadership team and the thousand plus others that he led. Frequently they would comment on how they loved working with him because, while they may not always like what he had to say, they always knew where they stood.
This leader had all sorts of sayings that went perfectly with his personality. One of my favorites was “ I am leaning in on this one.” This meant that he was diving head first into the problem. He knew that business and life are filled with problems and challenges, which are just waiting to be solved and learned from.
A few months ago I had the wonderful privilege of having an executive client come to my office for a full-day coaching session. The purpose of the extended session was to help her sharpen the skills required for her to advance as a leader in her company. My client is incredibly smart, a very hard worker, well respected and passionate about her longstanding role in this international organization. She is also the highest ranking female leader in her male dominated firm.
We planned to spend the day working on her soft skills so that she could improve how she interacts with the various behavioral styles within her company and executive team. One of the more powerful exercises we worked on was to dive deep into the DISC language.
If you are not familiar with DISC, I provided an overview in last week’s blog, Understanding DISC.
Whether you are a leader, a salesperson, a spouse, a friend, or all of the above, your success in life depends greatly on how you communicate with others. Some people appear to sail through life naturally blessed with interpersonal skills, while others just seem to struggle. But I believe that anyone can learn to be a better communicator.
I have found that the more accurately you understand the behavioral language of yourself and others, the easier it will be for you to communicate effectively with them. At the root of most behavioral study lies the DISC assessment—an effective, easy-to-learn and easy-to-utilize communication tool.
In what follows, I’d like to give you a basic, working knowledge of DISC.
The DISC profile reveals your natural behavioral style (how you intrinsically operate) and your adapted behavioral style (how you respond to the demands of various environments). The results suggest how individuals of a particular behavioral style tend to act, communicate, and respond emotionally in four different contexts.
