One of the big teamwork challenges for a team leader is communicating effectively with team members. Every team member is an individual with their own personality. Each person perceives, hears and responds to conversations differently.
That sounds terrifying, doesn’t it? Don’t worry. Despite every person being unique, most of us fall within certain behavior groups, and that can make it easier to determine your communication style when trying to get important information across to the entire team.
My book, “One Team One Dream,” offers specific exercises to help you get to know each team member, and not just by their name and skill set. Their likes and dislikes, their communications style, their personality – these are all aspects a team leader should get familiar with.
For example: Janine wants to know the bottom line on everything. She prefers information being delivered directly, without wasting time on idle chatter. Danny, on the other hand, likes spending more time in conversation as it makes him feel liked, valued and heard to be able to chat informally with peers and leaders.
A key assessment model that I advocate for, that I feel works really well in helping team leaders get to know their people and in helping teams build vulnerable trust with each other, is the Everything DiSC model. This assessment tool helps people understand their strengths, challenges and motivators by exploring specific personality style
- Dominance – Direct, results-oriented, firm, strong-willed and forceful
- Influence – Outgoing, enthusiastic, optimistic, high-spirited and lively
- Steadiness – Even tempered, accommodating, patient, humble and tactful
- Conscientiousness – Analytical, reserved, precise, private and systematic
Detailing these personality types – and not everybody fits just one of these types – act as a springboard into conversations that help team leaders and team members get to know each other better, understand what makes each person tick, and become more empathetic and aware of how each person approaches the world.
Check out the DiSC Learning Solutions section of this website to learn more about this highly effective, easy-to-implement assessment method. It can make a big difference in how you and your team relate to each other, communicate and achieve
Excerpted from One Team, One Dream by Gregg Gregory
For more information, get your copy of Gregg’s book, One Team, One Dream today! Available in both print and electronic versions!
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