Nick Kraus is the CEO & Founder of Kraus Marketing, an agency that delivers high-end digital marketing. Learn more: krausmarketing.com
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Managing diverse personality types isn’t always easy, but it is essential for running a positive and productive work environment. As the founder and CEO of Kraus Marketing, I’ve realized that one of the biggest mistakes I’ve made during my company’s startup phase was managing my team members the way I liked to be managed.
Through trial and error, I’ve learned that the key to managing a successful team is understanding the different personality types of each team member and adapting my management style to fit their needs. As our company continues to grow, we’ve engrained this sentiment into our onboarding process to ensure that our company leaders also manage their teams for success.
Using A Personality Assessment Tool For Your Business
One of the ways that we identify our team members’ different personality types is through the DiSC Personal Assessment. If your company is also currently using a personality assessment tool, here are a few things to keep in mind when managing your team:
• Don’t Try to Change Someone’s Personality Type: Accepting and understanding the different personality types of each team member is the first step to successfully managing them.
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• Use the Assessment As a Guide, Not a Rulebook: Whether using DiSC or another personality assessment tool, use it as a starting point for understanding your team members. However, it’s important to remember that not everyone will fit perfectly into one of the given personality types.
• Use the Information From the Assessment to Adapt Your Management Style: One of the benefits of using a personality assessment tool is that it can help you adapt your management style to better fit your team members’ needs.
Managing The DiSC Personality Types
Research on emotion theory has led to the four primary DiSC personality types: dominant, influential, steady and conscientious. Through years of experience using this tool, I have compiled a couple of my findings when managing my team based on these four personality types:
• Dominant Personality (Type “D”)
While I’ve noticed that people with a Type D personality are strong leaders, they can also be misperceived as harsh or offensive. As a Type D myself, I have received similar feedback about how I have been perceived over the years. I’ve found that those with this personality type must learn to take direction and allow others to have a say in the decision-making.
When I’ve managed other employees with Type D personalities, I’ve learned that it’s essential to allow them to take the initiative and lead projects. Dominant types are often very ambitious and may be interested in moving up within the company, so offering opportunities for growth and development are a fantastic way to keep them engaged in their current role.
• Influential Personality (Type “I”)
My employees with Type I personalities are natural communicators. I have found that they are usually optimistic, persuasive and outgoing. When managing my employees with this personality type, it’s crucial to manage them in a way that makes them feel heard and valued. I do this by creating opportunities for them to share their ideas and input and encouraging collaboration among other team members. I’ve also noticed that being clear and concise when communicating my expectations about the task at hand is essential, as Type I personalities tend to get caught up in the conversation and potentially lose track of the details.
Most of the time, my Type I employees love social interaction, so I try to provide as many opportunities as possible for them to interact with others, such as participating in brainstorming sessions, giving them a social outlet through company events, or just simply giving them a little more leeway when mingling with their co-workers during office time. Taking the time to understand the needs of your employees can create a more productive and positive work environment for everyone involved.
• Steady Personality (Type “S”)
On the other hand, my Type S employees tend to be more even-keeled, shyer and introspective. Despite their quiet nature, I have found that they are always willing to help, extremely patient, supportive of their team and reliable.
With my Type S employees, I try to be mindful that they tend to be more reserved and introverted than other types. As a result, I try to emulate their tonality when speaking with them to prevent them from being overwhelmed by my Type D personality. When managing these employees, I give them time to process information and make decisions while creating a predictable work environment with plenty of structure, as they tend to thrive with routine and stability.
• Conscientious Personality (Type “C”)
My Type C employees seem to be analytical, detail-oriented, and value being told what is expected of them to meet expectations. I have often found them to be thoughtful, reserved and systematic in their approach.
When managing my Type C employees, I make sure to be clear and specific when communicating assignments and deadlines and give them the resources needed to feel confident completing the task at hand. As Type C personalities are usually detail-oriented, I give them the space and time to ask questions and analyze the task at hand before leaving them to get started.
The Value Of Understanding Your Employees’ Personality Types
For my company, I have found DiSC to be highly beneficial as it allows my managers to understand their employees better. Taking the time to understand my employees’ personality types has allowed for building stronger, more effective working relationships, which is crucial to the success of any organization. With so many different organizational tools out there, every company can find something to improve the effectiveness of their management style—ultimately leading to a more prosperous, cohesive organization.
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Author: Nicholas Kraus, Forbes Councils Member
