Your Behavioral Style is Showing, Part 3:The Influencing Style

In the May issue of this newsletter, I wrote that behavioral style represent the enthusiasm people have for how they perform activities and interact with others. Behavioral assessments commonly measure four styles of behavior. My 29 years’ experience of team building, coaching, and employee selection is with the DISC model that comes from Dr. William Marston’s research. The letters DISC identify four behavioral styles called Dominance, Influencing, Steadiness, and Compliance. Within each person, these four styles have a unique intensity and a unique association with one another.

This article describes the “I” or influencing behavioral style. Your “I” behavioral style is showing if you are an emotional communicator. You will show your “I” style if you are comfortable conversing with various people, and creating excitement for the topics that you or others are talking about. When others are not being positive you will do what you can to perk them up.

People with an influencing behavioral style represent about 16 to 20% of the population. These people are generally optimistic and have high trust levels. They tend to trust and like the people they meet. They tend to see the good in all people. Their communication style is engaging; they get people to talk about themselves, they have strong people presence, and they want to introduce you to their friends and they have many of them. I have a friend who gets on an airplane for a one‐hour flight and gets off with 3 to 5 business cards.

Many people may say correctly, that they are comfortable doing the same things that influencing people do. However, only the person who begins and ends their day being extroverted, spontaneous, and enthusiastic and people oriented have the “I” behavior trait as their primary trait. At one time or another, all people have the need to influence others, to be enthusiastic and trusting of others, we live and work with. However, only the person who naturally influences others all of the time, has the “I” trait as their primary behavioral motivator.

An influencing person brings many gifts to others: they have positive thoughts most of the time. Their optimism helps others to see the positive outcomes in negative situations and relationships. They have a tendency to see the big picture but are not always attentive to the details. They are fond of saying “Oh it will work out, trust me.” And, it usually does. They are great team players especially with those folks who are very involved in details, and become overwhelm by them. The influencer helps others see the brighter side of any situation.

Influencers do face several challenges when interrelating with others. The triggers are their tendencies to overlook details, be too optimistic and enthusiastic. There are people the influencer lives and works with who must have details and or a clear goal to achieve their results that the influencer needs to be aware of the needs of the non‐influencer. Influencers have a high trust level in what others tell them and they report these positive views of others to team members and family.

However, when asked to explain the details they do not normally have them. Influencers are people oriented. They spend lots of time interrelating with others, having lunches, going for coffee or having a smoke, (they tend to be smokers). As a result, they do not have time left in their day to complete tasks or stay organized and on track.

Whatever behavioral styles we have, we all need to modify our behaviors to meet the needs of others especially loved ones and those who rely on us and those we rely on to assist us in our life and work.

The influencing person needs to adjust the intensity of his or her need to interrelate with others. They need to listen more attentively to others for facts, and less to the emotions of others. When people who live and work together they become aware of the power of motivational behavioral traits, they understand the behavioral of needs the other person has. With coaching and time, people can begin to celebrate the interpersonal differences and take advantage of them for the good of everyone.

Influencing people bring good cheer to family and the work place, but they also need to know that others depend on them to complete tasks on time. Influencers are comfortable asking others to help them complete their assignments, but they but do not always give the helpers all the information needed for success.

A good rule, for the influencer to follow when a he or she needs to persuade a non‐influencing person, is to reduce the opening chatter of conversation, slow down the rate of speech, and be less enthusiastic.

Non‐influencers need facts delivered unemotionally. The opposite efforts are helpful when a non‐influencing person needs to persuade an influencing person. They need to create a positive environment by asking the influencer questions about themselves and give them a little time to answer the question.

Source: John Mathis, Owner/President, Keyline Company, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Copyright protected.