How a business identifies great Leaders
When we think of great leaders, often we look for existing Seniority, Longevity, Convenience, Politics or Comaradery.
Unfortunately all the wrong reasons.
Occasionally we shall look into behavioural tests like MBTI, DISC, Gallop or similar - and yet we fail to completely understand or share or continue to measure after the initial interview - so what was the point and what a waste of money...
Flick the Switch Coaching is accredited and effectively utilise (and teaches) one variety which also includes NLP, Meta Dynamics and knowledge from the Worlds leading authorities John C Maxwell, Michael Gerber, Ken Blanchard.
Outcome not theory is the focus. Teachability not Advice.
Extended DISC is identified by their diamond structure which presents certainty and clarity on questions surrounding ‘who, what, where, when, how and why’ specific to a desired role eg. sales, leadership, HR, customer service; in varying situations, pressures, personality types and freedoms.
It enables a business to identify the right person for the right role and to better recruit, develop and retain from internal or external candidates.
One test focuses on ‘Lead & Manage Assessment’ or identifying the leadership style of all members of a business. Leadership is influence demonstrated through attitude.
A business has a purpose or ‘why’. Where we identify ‘what’ attitude will bring the team together, then we identify ‘how’ their implementation will bring the business forward.
In past content, I have described the essence of a leader and differentiated between what people unobjectively accept (the definition of insanity), and those who seek to better understand the functional & dysfunctional, beliefs and opportunities of leadership qualities and types.
Extended DISC assists us to map out how to support a persons leadership growth and help them better engage, retain, recruit and develop team members for the benefit of the business and all employees.
Bottomline:
“greater leadership equals an enjoyable workspace with enjoyable opportunities, peaceful accountability and growth”
Often, we assume a leader has to have “D” or ‘dominant’ characteristics.
Whilst occasionally desirable, it can also be detrimental where it ostracises and assumes standards from team members without valuing the individual nor demonstrating a sincere interest and showing how.
I’m sure you are aware, great leaders emerge from all behavioural styles. How they utilise their attitude in influencing outcomes, makes the difference.
Within Extended DISC, the leadership type becomes apparent when aligned to the culture of the business (vision, mission, goals). These are:
Sensing or Intuition
Thinking or Feeling
Extroversion or Introversion
Judging or Perceiving
“Thinking” includes, C and D styles and is suitable for power-centred or positional leadership
“Feeling”, includes“IS” styles and is suitable for participative or relationship leadership
“Sensing”,includes “SC” styles suitable for planning or productivity leadership
“Intuitive”includes “DI” styles, suitable for change or people oriented leadership

Between each segment, lie behavioural styles:
D are Authoritative Leaders
I are Informal Leaders
S are Supporting leaders
C are Quality Leaders
Authoritative Leaders
D or Authoritative leaders are great in crisis situations however also prone to creating their own crisis.
They look for results and often see people as a resource or means to an end.
They enjoy challenges and fast decisions, are highly directive and have one-way communication - their approach is “I am the leader, and you will listen”
They exert pressure through the setting demanding goals with an emphasis is on speed and achieving results.
They perceive themselves entirely in charge.
Whilst these may appear functional and forward thinking from the traditional business sense; they have enormous dysfunctions and are not considerate of those people or team members who shall bring the business forward. Theirs is a solo role.
Informal Leadership
I-style leaders are more informal and social. They are great at creating a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere.
They often lead by being a friend to their followers. As a ‘people’ leader, they want and need a lot of contact with team members.
Creativity, positiveness and good energy tend to be valued more than accuracy or rules at times. Personal relationships are essential to them and at times are more emphasised than arriving at the end results.
An I-style leader encourages competitiveness through inspiration rather than applying pressure.
Supporting Leadership Style
An S-style is a supportive leader who guides, teaches, and develops followers.
Supporting Leaders are comfortable in maintaining routines and in general, tend to be stable and service-orientated.
They prefer “small teams” as they have a very participative approach to their leadership.
Their patience provides the ability to guide, teach and develop people. They have an emphasis on trust, loyalty and sincerity – privacy and confidentiality for all people are crucial and expected in reverse.
Support is mutual, given and expected.
Quality Leadership Style
C-style leaders focus on quality, rules and compliance with little tolerance for mistakes.
They are fascinated by facts, details and analyses. They have an emphasis on rules and compliance and not usually through inspiration or words of encouragement.
As a leader, they don’t feel they need to connect or have a relationship with their followers and tend to be remote or emotionally disconnected, (the complete opposite to I-style people who crave connection).
These leadership types are systematic in their approach, they ensure everyone knows what is expected.
They apply ‘systems’ to positions, not themselves, they are the “do as I say, not as I do” leader. Their systems are highly detailed, structured and rules are enforced.
Each of these styles have both functional and dysfunctional elements and as such, provide opportunities for growth.
I have outlined this in further detail in my ‘Developing a Leader’ ascension model program.
A successful business has multiple leaders and where aligned to the vision, mission and goals of the business and considerate of what is important and matters to the team, create an incredible culture or environment in which all members prosper.
The relationship becomes the habit and flourishes between clients, employees and management.
The challenge businesses of all sizes face, is to recognise functional and dysfunctional attributes in an individual before they serve a position. The right candidate leads to success, the wrong festers a negative culture and results in low retention, poor recruitment and reduced profit opportunities. Or chaos, complain and blame.
As an overview:
D-styles are decisive and not afraid to take control.
I-styles are charismatic and promote ideas.
S-styles pull up their sleeves and get things done while still maintaining the company’s core values.
C-styles focus on high quality and doing things correctly
To learn more, send me a message or organise an appointment and conversation. I am genuinely interested in learning and supporting you achieve the peace of mind required to take your team further.
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