Who Do You Think You Are Anyway?
by Robert Rohm, Ph.D. and E. Chris Carey

What is a Behavior Style Blend and How Can It Help You Lead?

A behavior style blend is a combination of behaviors that are natural to us based on how our core personality is responding to the environment. This style or blend is easy and natural, it is a way to categorize what is often referred to as your "strengths." Knowing your "blend," as we teach in our leadership classes, is an important part of the leadership process. We teach that leadership is being able to see a new future, taking action toward achieving it, and self-correcting along the way. We purposely use a broad definition of leadership because based on our research about the brain, anyone can become a leader. It is a matter of choice rather than a predetermined set of qualities that create the results of leaders.

So if you want to lead, it requires knowing what you want to achieve, knowing yourself so you can create action and knowing others so that you can adapt to the realities of working with others. Learning about behavior styles is a great start for understanding yourself and how to adapt to clients, employees, bosses, and colleagues in the workplace.

The behavior style model presented in the book Who Do You Think You Are Anyway? is called DISC. The DISC model was developed by William Marston and has been around since the early 20th century. There are many books you can read to get a basic understanding of the four styles. Each letter in this model stands for the general behaviors you will see in people. Listed below is the value to the team each style brings:

Direct
Thinks big; deadline conscious; competitive; able to handle many varied activities; few dull moments; changes gears and adjusts quickly.

Influence
People oriented; team player; verbalizes feelings; optimistic; enthusiastic; accomplishes goals through influencing others.

Supportive
Excellent team player; steady worker; very consistent; shows respect for authority; sticks with projects through completion; receptive to new ideas.

Competent
Very comprehensive problem-solver; conscientious and steady; always concerned about quality work; deadline conscious; tends to be “an anchor of reality.”

What's unique about this book?
There are many books you can read on the pure styles but most people are a combination of styles. This book gives a great introduction of what we call the "blends." Pages 256-324 list the various blends and provide insight into what motivates people with this blend, the value they bring to the team, and most interesting, how people view themselves under pressure compared with and how others view them.

To explain how this works I will use what I learned by reading the book as an example. My style is an SDI combination. That means I am generally supportive, easy-going and a team player. I have the ability to be direct when I feel strongly about something, and I like to influence people but since I am quiet most of the time, this tends to come in the form of writing which is slower paced than verbal communication. The author explains that I view myself under pressure as stable, carefree, a team player, thoughtful, supportive of others, and friendly.

However, according the the book, other people depending on their blend, might view my behaviors under pressure as opinionated, stubborn, holding feelings within, arbitrary, and uninhibited.

As a leader this kind of information is extremely useful. A leader needs to convey their vision and their direction in order to inspire others to follow. In my case since I am an internal processor of information, a lot is happening in my head that is not being expressed. When I finally do express my opinions under pressure I tend to be unusually direct and arbitrary. Having read the information on how others view my blend, I can be aware of the need to ask for time to process my thoughts and I can then make sure I provide context as I communicate.

Recommendation
We recommend this book to give you both an overview of the basic styles and the blends of the people who you are part of your team. Reading the part about how people see themselves under pressure helps you to see their intention when they are under stress. That way you can respond with compassion and with questions instead of feeling defensive about their behaviors.

We are rating the book highest in its ability to provide information that can lead to new skills in working with others. It also excels in providing feedback for leaders about their blend and how to adapt their style to the realities of working with others to achieve results.

LeaderStrength Rating System for this book:
Focus 2
Build 4
Adapt 4
Overall 3.3
*See how we rate in the column at the right

 

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How Do We Evaluate Resources?

All of the books we review are evaluated on how they support a leader’s progress in applying our working definition of leadership.

We teach leaders to: Focus, Build, and Adapt:

Focus: A leader is able to see a new future

Build: A leader can build from his or her strengths as a foundation, adding on new skills, knowledge, and attitudes to create the new future.

Adapt: A leader is skilled at using feedback from their own thinking, other people’s reactions, and results/information from their environments to self-correct and keep moving toward the new future they envisioned.

Here is our rating system:

Outstanding 4

Good 3

Satisfactory 2

Unsatisfactory 1

Focus- How well does this book inspire a vision of a new future?

Build- How well does this book teach new knowledge and skills?

Adapt-How well does this book assist readers in examining and optimizing their own behaviors?

Overall Rating as a Leadership Resource: We average the ratings in the above three categories.