People hire me as an investment in the health of their company culture. My clients turn to me for strategy and solutions that help them attract, engage, and develop top talent. Most of the solutions we land on include custom leadership development programs. And of the people I’ve taught and coached in those programs, the prevailing challenge most face is communication.
Individual contributors and subject matter experts often get promoted because they have demonstrated high-performance levels or a rich understanding of products, technology, and systems. To engage and motivate, managers need interpersonal, written, and impactful team communications; they need more than institutional knowledge and technical skills to excel. They need to adopt an inclusive, thoughtful, and compelling communication style.
The Gallup organization continues to find from its extensive research that “every conversation a manager has with an employee affects that employee’s engagement” and engages employees to perform better, which, in turn, helps them stand out from the competition.
So, take a moment now to think about your conversations with your worst manager. What words would you use to describe your manager? You might think of pushy, flighty, soft, or nitpicky. If asked, these managers don’t want to be inadequate or ineffective; they simply lack the beliefs, knowledge, and skills required to communicate well. With new information and the help of DiSC, descriptors change to words like straightforward, compelling, empathetic, and transparent.
Building trust, handling conflict, giving feedback, and assigning work are significant parts of a manager’s job. Creating thoughtful messages and adapting to the styles of others are skills that the best managers have.
Good managers choose their words, tone, and even timing to deliver information in a way the employee can relate to and respond to. With new features and functions now available in Catalyst, like a unique conversation starter feature, leaders will be informed and well-equipped to communicate confidently in any situation.
Investment in DiSC as an employee development and engagement tool as part of a talent engagement strategy is wise. A commitment to using it in leadership development guarantees results. DiSC provides self-awareness (necessary for any change to occur) and practical, applicable tools for improving communication and building trusting relationships. Clients who experience culture transformation and increased employee engagement have developed leaders who embrace DiSC and champion it religiously from the top of the house to the front line.
I can introduce DiSC to your executive team with my immersive offsite experience and help you build the business case to embed it in your talent processes. Reach out for a no-obligation conversation today.
