Rainbow Thinking is a term that encompasses the ability to champion neural diversity within a team as a means of delivering high performance. In this series of 6 blogs, I'll discuss this in more detail using DiSC® as a tool to highlight our different styles, ways of thinking, approaches to different situations, how we interact with each other. The subject requires more than I can deliver in a series of blogs and so there workshops that can be delivered to bring this to life within your own team. In the meantime, I hope that some of this reasonates with you and your sales management life. Let's look at the first DiSC® style - The D Style.
About the 'i' Style
Leaders with strong 'I style' are typically fun, creative, inspiring, collaborative, and extroverted. They often prioritise instinct over data when making decisions, they are risk takers and they thrive on change and new challenges. They get bored quite easily needing regular stimulation and so have the potential to move onto new projects before the current ones are completed. Leaders with a strong 'I Style' operate most effectively in start-up situations, where there is less structure and where there is maximum freedom to exercise creativity.
My Experience
I remember working for a VP who was a very strong 'I' and she ran a start-up team within an established organisation. She was the most creative, most energising, rule braking, fun person I've ever worked for, the ideal person for a new team who was tasked at breaking the mould of current thinking - it makes me smile just remembering it now. Her infectious enthusiasm encouraged us to stretch ourselves, to challenge the status quo, and do our best work. I loved working for her and, as I have an iD/Di Style, I was quite naturally aligned with the way she thought. She made an impact and made people think differently but her strong 'I' style brought her into conflict with the established organisation and often frustrated her direct reports including me - why?
Firstly, we were in an established organisation that was more operational in culture, it was a DC Style culture. Our VP was full of optimism, had the gut instinct that we were doing the right thing, did not bother too much about the detail, expected trust and had lots of ideas. The company, and its senior execs expected pragmatic change, based on hard data, and trust was only given on results.
Although we loved our boss and had our support, she was very frustrating when we needed her to focus on detail. It was very difficult to gain enough of her attention to cover important topics that needed a deeper dive. We provided extra detail when she presented to the rest of the organisation to help her with the established leadership, but she often changed tack within a meeting, she loved thinking on her feet. There was a culture clash with the leadership and neither side gave much ground to compromise. With better understanding, the VP could have invested in using more data, and the senior leadership could have been less threatened by such a dynamic change-agent.
People with the 'I' Style' get bored quickly and need a constant stimulation of new ideas and topics, they are usually not good as a 'completer/finisher' in the Belbin terminology. This VP like many with the 'I Style' was most impactful and happiest in a start-up type environment, moving fast and thriving in change.
'i' Style Leaders
Sales Leaders with the 'I' Style are inspirational, visionary and will capture the imagination of a team or organisation In public speaking environments they will be highly motivational leaders, with charisma, with customers and customer events they will own the room and customers will typically be very impressed with them - they are a leader who will be at their best in front of customer, partners and an audience. What is usually needed to compliment this style of person, is someone who can follow up the customer interaction and ensure the actions are executed.
If you are a sales leader and you have the I Style, then ensure you are in a role where you can express individuality, but also ensure you surround yourself with people who have complementary styles, for example having a sales operations person who is excellent with detail will complement your high level vision.
'i' Style Salespeople
Individual contributor salespeople with the 'I Style' are often the creative salespeople in the team, they come up with ideas to work around obstacles, will be very good at handling objections, will be competitively creative to outwit the opposition. These people are great at setting out a vision for the future and capturing the imagination of the customer. They are important people to have within the team especially if the sales motion is disrupting existing ways of the doing things or highly competitive. Don't expect salespeople with the 'i Style' to be great at forecasting or planning, both require a level of detail which will be challenging for them. An 'I Style' salesperson may be loose with close dates, and steps to close a deal, and plans will be high level in nature - coaching is often needed to help provide an acceptable level of forecast data to the business .
Different types of the D style
Not all people with a 'I' profile think the same, there is a spectrum of colour within this quartile dependent on how influential the other styles are to a person's makeup and the I quartile is divided into 3 sections, i, iD and and iS.
A person who has an I style but has strong influence of the D style (iD) is more driven and results orientated than a typical I, and so has a blend of creativity and enthusiasm with a drive to take action and get things done. A leader with an 'iD Stye' will bring in new ideas and take risks based on gut instinct taking on ground breaking sales approaches and deals. An iD can be a good leader in bridging existing and new ways of working e.g. a hybrid environment.
A person who has an I style but has strong influence of the S style (iS) is more driven to consider people and the team and be highly collaborative. An iS will be an inspirational but considerate leader, looking to bring in many points of view and seek consensus within the team and across stakeholders, and will avoid conflict wherever possible. A leader with an 'iS Style' will be good at managing a team through turbulent times or through long sales cycles where patience and team cohesion will be crucial. Sales Leaders and salespeople with an 'iS Style' can be very successful where a lot of customer hand-holding and coordination is required. Salespeople who are working in a 'customer success' environment, where salespeople will be closely working with customers through a long period where continuity is important, will be highly valued.
Does the i, iD or iS style ring any bells with you? Who do you know with this style and how well do you relate to them?
If you want to get more specific, I can provide a full individual Workplace Profile for you and one for each of your team, with a team DiSC® map and an individual feedback session for each person. This can be followed by a half day team workshop which is fun, light hearted but informative and impactful.
To find out more, please contact me directly at timhearn@skylark-development.co.uk
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