The High D. Also, known as RED, driver, dominate, strong, determined, forceful, intimidating, arrogant, and powerful. The high D, person, type, or behavioral style as in the DISC assessment, Insights Discovery or Managing by Strengths, or the TJ in Myer’s Briggs personality types, all garner the same feedback from their counterparts. This style, by far, is the most tough of the four as we’ll discuss in an upcoming complimentary webinar, “Optimizing Take Back Your Life –Personality and Productivity” in June 2018.
When training on Personality and Productivity content, at a fortune 500 firm last March, it was humorous. For some odd reason, the only high D invited to attend the session, wasn’t able to attend. And because of not one, true, high D in the room, a vent session persisted for non-D employees to voice their frustrations with this high driver type of persona for twenty minutes. As these types are usually in key leadership positions, quieting the truth about common feedback.
Complaints such as:
· “Everything’s always urgent!”
· “D’s don’t realize how intimidating they are!”
· “Why do they want everyone to be like them?”
· “They need to share their visions! We have no idea what a D is thinking…they just drive us, to death!”
· “D’s want you to drop everything and change the course for change sake!”
· “D’s are terrible listeners. I can barely talk, and they think it’s a go before I’ve processed things.”
If you’re a D, these complaints on your style, aren’t foreign. Chances are you if you know what your style is, you’ve done some work. If you’re not aware, and you didn’t know the High D style has been, “what” you’ve been dealing with, realize it’s not a defect, but your high driving nature that can put many others in dis-comfort.
Know Thy Self
The High D’s are natural leaders, they love taking charge, shaking things up and have a vision to follow. These fearless results oriented, bottom-liners and can be, a true pain in the tuchus for those they work with. Funny, in my text book for this type of behavioral style, it lists, right there, that this type, unlike every other of the three DiSc types most assessments are modeled after, doesn’t have a level 5 relationship with anyone, including their own type. Level 5 relationships, means both parties tend to get along in synergistic connection.
Not surprising, relationships can be tough, since most D’s are hard to please, painfully blunt, and difficult to support, since their attitude may be, “I can do it faster myself.” of “I’ll just do it.” or “It’ll take me too long to explain.” So, they don’t.
"We can be Enlightened, or Unenlightened in our person-hood." - Leslie Boyer
Until this type has been enlightened, as my friend, and expert DiSc consultant Leslie Boyer, would say, this type gets the award for rubbing their workers the wrong way, while winning the firm great results. But, a lack of awareness of what our behavioral style is, or how others are different than us, is an already lost battle in the game of communication.
The high D’s self-awareness is critical. As a high D myself, I wondered why after a board meeting, my peers weren’t interested in going out afterwards. Why would they be? My blunt, straight to business, task master, high standards, everything due now, my way or the highway attitude, was let’s just say, less than appealing to go out with.
Many corporate cultures have high D’s running the show, and sometimes high D’s run so fast, they’ve failed to gather valuable buy in, people affects, or other consequences for their exciting plan of action. At the expense of getting things done, and getting things done quickly, high D’s can forget to provide needed explanation, or change management techniques to their desires. Productive? Not so much.
When enlightened, and balanced, the High D makes an amazing leader. As they assess other styles and develop much needed patience, and relationship building practices, he or she can move mountains.