A hippie, a renegade and team of misfits just won the World Series. I am by far not the biggest baseball fan but hearing a reporter on the radio refer to the San Francisco Giants this way caught my attention. The reporter could not figure out how this team just won the most coveted title in baseball. My question for the reporter is: What is he expecting? A team made up of automatons? Whether on a baseball field, a board room or in cubicle world, teams are made up diverse styles and we should embrace, appreciate and value the difference in everyone.
Think about your work environment for a moment. If you don’t like where you work then picture yourself in your happy place and then come back to your work environment. Who is the risk-taker, most independent and direct person on your team? Do you have one? Who is always optimistic and the social butterfly? Who is the one who always listens and finds the harmony among everyone? And, who is the most logical and asks a million questions in meetings? Do you have all of these different styles on your team? Which one are you?
Like a baseball team, all teams are diverse and made up of different behavioral styles. I am referring to the DISC model. A “D” style is the dominant style, “I” is the influencing, “S” is the steady” and “C” is the conscientious style. Depending on our style, we thrive in a fast-paced environment, people-oriented environment, reserved or even a task-oriented environment.
The co-founder of Team Builders Plus, Merrick Rosenberg and one their lead trainers, Dan Silvert, co-wrote a book on DISC titled Taking Flight. I highly recommend this book for all team members. Merrick and Dan use animals as metaphors for the DISC styles but just like the San Francisco Giants, it takes a diverse team of talents, skill sets and styles to lead your team to success.