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Rule #8: See People through Their Lens.
Use DISC to understand how you and your people see the world so that you can lead more effectively. You know the DISC behavioral model will help you understand how to communicate more effectively with your team and anywhere else. You’ve got to understand and acknowledge how they interpret the world: how they communicate, how they want to be motivated, how they see the world, and where you then can adapt your style to match theirs. That’s right; you’ve got to match their style. See, as a leader, you get paid to be a great communicator and a great motivator. If you believe that then you have to communicate and motivate in a way that they see the world. Not motivating the way that you see the world and then hoping they get it.
Everyone sees the world differently. I’ve got five kids, and they all see the world differently. When I explain what we’re doing on a family vacation, I’ve got to explain it the way that they get motivated and pumped, and excited versus I’m not doing that. Okay. It’s always interesting that when we’re impatient and we become a leader, we stop being flexible. The goal is for you to understand the characteristics of dominance, influencers, steady relaters, and compliance. That’s DISC. Understand the characteristics, understand the communication styles, understand the motivational styles. And when you’ve done that then profile each one of our people. Figure out who on your team has those characteristics.
Now, most people aren’t 100% of anything. We have all four inside of us, but they have a dominant; they have a preference. Figure out what that is. You can take a DISC assessment, you can go online, you can get one from your Sandler trainer, or you can go through the characteristics and try to do just a gut check on who’s who. You’re not going to be 100% correct, but it’ll be a good start. But once you’ve identified that for your team and you, follow a couple of simple rules. One, know who you are, know what you need to do so you don’t fall back on your style. Like I’m a D, I want to cut to the chase, I don’t want to talk about your weekend. I don’t want to hear a lot about how this is going to affect other people. Let’s just get the job done.
Well if I know that’s who I am, and if I know if I’m impatient that’s who’s coming out when I’m talking to somebody with an exact opposite style I’ve got to slow it up. We get paid to change the way we communicate. Once I understand me, I have a better opportunity to understand who works for me. Because ultimately I am judged as the leader on how my team is doing. If I can create an atmosphere of trust and create an atmosphere where I can coach and train very quickly, and get trust where they tell me what’s going on, truly tell me what’s going on, not what I just want to hear, then we’re going to be much better off. DISC as a behavioral style and a tool will help you take your game to the next level. Good luck.
THE SANDLER RULES FOR SALES LEADERS details a sales management process that works. It offers 49 timeless, proven principles for effective sales leadership, based on the Sandler Selling System. The book is the sequel to the Wall Street Journal bestseller THE SANDLER RULES, also authored by David Mattson.
