i stands for Influence—getting the best out of your i style team members starts with fully understanding their strengths and their priorities: Enthusiasm, Collaboration and
Optimism
- High i styles are “people people” who love socializing and meeting new people. They are enthusiastic about being a team member because they enjoy the social outlet.
- The i style collaborates well with team members. They are very sensitive to the needs of others and will make every team member feel valued.
- They are optimistic and cheerful to work with. Many of their decisions, however, are based on their gut feelings which can sometimes lead to conflict with other styles.
This style is motivated by social recognition, group activities and friendly relationships. They fear social rejection and being ignored. People with an i style seem to know everyone on a first-name basis and always have the “latest scoop”. They are drawn to fast action and enjoy initiating rapid change. This may be challenging for other styles.
For example, the “D” style, who prefers to work independently, may be skeptical of the i style’s socializing and optimistic behavior. In addition, the i style is focused on making quick progress toward exciting solutions and, therefore, may not spend a lot of time considering the consequences of their actions.
When approaching the i style, be upbeat, personable and relaxed. Don’t shower them with details or be too serious. Use humor. Let them know you like and value them. Since they are enthusiastic and optimistic, they can work well on your team to promote projects and generate excitement for the team. Since they do move quickly, you may find that they may not always bring the project to completion. You may want to rely on other team members to encourage completion to the end of the project.
Everything DiSC Workplace® solution can help you to understand how you can effectively work with the i Style.