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When it comes to communication that gets results, there are three considerations.

What Each Style Conceives

This is the starting stage, where an idea is conceived in the mind of a person. They see it from the perspective of their style, and they must convey it to their team for action.

What Each Style Perceives

The problem is that ideas conceived may not always match ideas perceived. Someone may be communicating but not connecting, as John Maxwell discusses in his book, Everyone Communicates Few Connect.

How Each Team Achieves

To achieve the objective, there must be clear communication that connects with each team member. This allows them to plug in to the power of the team, and that leads to success.

Here’s what this looks like across a team.

What Each Style Conceives

• D -Style – “Let’s jump on a call right now. I need your help with a project.”
• I-Style – “DM me, and we’ll do a quick video chat. I want to share something exciting with you!”
• S-Style – “I have a thought. I’ll send you an email with the details and the questions I have for you.”
• C-Style – “We need to develop a solution to this problem. I will provide a complete summary of the problem and proposed solutions.”

What Each Style Perceives

• D -Style – “The I’s want to chat. I just need them to get work done – MY work! The S’s ask way too many questions and give me so much detail, it feels like quicksand. The C’s – they get things done, but there is no way I am going to read through a 30-page document. I’ll just skip to the last page.”
• I-Style – “The D’s are abrupt. They don’t take time to chat. They just want things done NOW. The S’s – we’re friends. They listen to my stories and ideas. The I’s – we don’t get a lot of work done, but we have fun! The C’s – very smart, but they are so serious. And, do I really have to read ALL those pages?”
• S-Style – “I like everybody, but sometimes the D’s are too pushy, the I’s are too chatty, and the C’s are too perfectionistic.”
• C-Style – “Please put your request in the system. There’s a form where you can note the issue, the details, and your contact information. We will get back to you when it is resolved. And be sure to read my 30-page document thoroughly.”

How Each Team Achieves

You can see the siloing effect that comes from each team member communicating only in their own way. A team member conceives an idea and voices it in their terms, but it is perceived by the others on their team in very different ways.

While you must stay true to who you are, there is a point where communication requires that you think into the style of another person and adapt your language and mannerisms accordingly.

D -Style to…

• D-Style – “Let’s jump on a call now if you’re available. I need your input.”
• I-Style – “Hey, how are you? Do you have time for a quick call so we can brainstorm ideas?”
• S-Style – “I have a project I need your help with. Can we schedule a call for this Thursday?”
• C-Style – “We have a problem that needs a solution. The problem is ___ and we need a resolution by ___. Is this something you’d like to tackle? What do you need from me? I can give you the main bullet points in an email if you’d like to think on it a bit.”

I -Style to…

• D-Style – “Can we do a quick call? I just need five minutes. I have three ideas to share with you for your consideration.”
• I-Style – “Let’s do lunch so we can brainstorm ideas. We’ll choose one or two of them so we can get the ball rolling on the new marketing campaign.”
• S-Style – “Can you help me create a plan and then keep me on track, so it gets done? I like working with you!”
• C-Style – “Thank you for your level of detail that goes beyond mine. If I share an idea with you, can you tell me if it’s doable?”

S-Style to…

• D-Style – “Looks like you’re available on Thursday. I’ll go ahead and put myself on your schedule so we can discuss a new project. We will need a good leader to push it forward.”
• I-Style – “I appreciate your creativity and people focus. What do you see here that we need to do to make this fun and to ensure we’re serving people well?”
• S-Style – “Do you have time and capacity to collaborate on something with me? I think we can get this done by the deadline if we divide and conquer a few parts of it.”
• C-Style – “We have a project that needs to be completed by (deadline). I have a timeline developed here, with the major milestones, so I think it is doable. Can you take a look and let me know what else is needed? Do you think it is possible? I’ll be glad to run interference for you with the others so you can focus on the solution here.”

C-Style to…

• D-Style – “I see what is needed here. I just need your approval to proceed. What is your deadline? And what is your desired end result? You can give me your three main requirements, if you want; but if not, I can figure it out.”
• I-Style – “Thank you for sharing your ideas. Let’s boil it down to the three main ones, and then I can map out the plan of action.”
• S-Style – “Can you help me interpret what the others are asking? I want to be sure I am understanding correctly, so we get this right.”
• C-Style – “Let’s schedule a strategy session so we can map the plan to complete this project on time and on budget.”

You can see clearly how a slight adaptation in communication creates connection. And that leads to achievement.

It’s your choice as a leader. You can create silos and deal with their complexities. Or you can create connection and enjoy success.

For valuable resources on Leadership Strengths and Tools, click here.

Deb Ingino is a highly sought-after executive coach, mentor, consultant, and speaker worldwide. Deb is well versed in business operations and in the importance of asking key questions most business leaders won’t ask themselves. She brings deep experience in leadership development, strategy, high performance team building and effective communication. She has a passion for leading people to discover and maximize their strengths as well as those of fellow team members, while offering advanced strategies to achieve high performance. Deb is the perfect fit if you’re ready to take your leadership and impact to the next level!