Looking at DISC communication styles

Here’s what a dominant boss will expect from everyone. To start, he focuses his communication with you on tasks and getting things done. Should you be giving a presentation, he (D-style boss) feels it’s his right to stop you at any point to clarify. Furthermore, he usually speaks his mind, and it may sound curt, undiplomatic, and rude at its very worst. As a team member what approach can you take to communicate with a boss who exhibits a D style of communications;

• Be brief and to the point
• In this case, if you need to share a negative point or something that doesn’t align with your D-style boss, state it directly and avoid dancing around with explanations. This is where you should thread very carefully, stick to facts and numbers
• Listen to your Boss and listen well
• Avoid getting muddled by chit chats, jokes, stories, or small talk.
• Be competent in what you are doing and what you are talking about
• Lastly, don’t take the criticisms personally. Based on my own experience in the corporate world, D-style bosses typically don’t hold grudges against you as a person. They focus on tasks and getting things done.

Consequently, when they do not meet expectations. D bosses can become irritable, impatient and critical. They tend to wish everyone on the team is like them: a go-getter who solves problems and gets things done as quickly as possible.

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