In an earlier blog post, we looked at how a coach can use the DiSC Assessment as a tool for building rapport with clients. As a coach, it is helpful to understand your profile and how to apply this knowledge to improve your coaching effectiveness. Let’s look now at the “I” – “Influencer” (Sanguine, or the Otter).
As a coach, who is an “I” on the DiSC profile (“Influencer), you are very interested in people, more so than the tasks, and find it more natural to talk than to listen. You are naturally intuitive and empathic with others. You really do “feel” where they are coming from, and since you are highly creative, you will have to remember to hold back some of your own ideas. Remember, the goal of coaching is to help your clients discover and be creative. You probably walk and talk fast so be careful with your clients… let them set the pace. Your clients appreciate how much you care about them and the trust usually goes deep. Your clients are more than “clients” to you.
So, how do you coach someone who is an “I”? They will most likely start strong and may begin to lose their momentum. They are not task oriented so help them to write down SMART Goals. Our Influencers have a lot of ideas and are very creative, so helping them to craft their action plan, accountability and follow through are very important. As their coach, help them to keep the focus and ask them for updates. The playful, fun loving otter is the animal that best describes the personality of an “I” so keep in mind they are social, want fun in their work, and love to be acknowledged for accomplishments.
In a future post, we will look at the “S” – the Steadiness personality (Phlegmatic …the Golden Retriever)
Learn more about our DISC Training and Certification Course
