True Competitive Advantage With the Parrots
The DISC model is used to understand and analyze an individual’s communication style. The DISC model is often used in various settings, including business, education, and personal development. By understanding their communication style and the styles of others, individuals can improve their communication and collaboration skills, build stronger relationships, and increase their effectiveness in achieving their goals. Everyone has a unique behavior and communication style that can change depending on the experience and environment of each individual. The DISC model is a framework for understanding and analyzing these different styles.
Velocity Advisory Group works with organizations to determine the hidden genius of each style and how to surface these powerful abilities in others. Based on Daniel Silvert’s book The True Competitive Advantage, these styles are brought to life with birds, recognizing Eagles, Parrots, Doves, and Owls in individuals. These colorful metaphors are illuminating, memorable representations of the four styles. In part one of this four-part series of blogs, we focused on the Dominant style, represented with an Eagle. Eagles are results-oriented, direct, and decisive.
In this second part of our four-part series, we will look at the Interactive style. The Interactive style is represented with a Parrot. Parrots are optimistic, innovative, and spontaneous. Let’s look closer at Parrots regarding their leadership priorities: enthusiasm, pioneering spirit, relationship focus, and innovation.
Enthusiasm
Parrots motivate others through high optimism. Individuals with an interactive style are outgoing, energetic, and enthusiastic. They are typically people-oriented and enjoy building relationships with others. They are often described as “people people” who thrive in social situations and are often the life of the party.
Enthusiasm is a key characteristic of individuals with this style. They are often highly expressive and use their body language, tone of voice, and facial expressions to convey excitement and energy. They are also highly persuasive and skilled at convincing others to take action or support their ideas.
Individuals with an interactive style are often great communicators who can easily connect with others and build rapport. They are often described as charming and charismatic, and they naturally make others feel comfortable and at ease. They are skilled at building relationships and persuading others and have a natural ability to communicate effectively and connect with others.
Pioneering Spirit
Parrots see possibilities where others see obstacles. They are often described as having a pioneering spirit. They are creative and enjoy exploring new ideas, concepts, and opportunities. They are often highly adaptable and thrive in new or changing environments.
Pioneering spirit in individuals with an Interactive style is characterized by their desire to take risks and try new things. They are often highly motivated by the potential for success and are not afraid to take action to achieve their goals. They are also highly optimistic and tend to see challenges and setbacks as opportunities for growth and learning. They thrive in social environments and have a thirst for adventure.
Parrots are often highly persuasive and skilled at convincing others to support their ideas and take action. They are natural leaders who inspire and motivate others to achieve their goals. They have a natural ability to connect with others and build strong relationships. Their boundless optimism and innate people skills make them highly persuasive and inspirational.
Relationship focus
Parrots invest in relationships that instill loyalty. They tend to be highly focused on relationships. They are people-oriented and enjoy building connections with others. They are often described as outgoing, social, and friendly, and they naturally connect with others personally.
Relationship focus in individuals with this style is characterized by their desire to build strong, positive relationships with others. They often place a high value on social interaction and are energized by being around other people. They are skilled at reading social cues and can quickly adapt their communication style to connect with others.
Parrots are often highly empathetic and can understand and relate to the emotions of others. They can often provide emotional support and encouragement to those around them, and they have a natural ability to make others feel valued and appreciated.
Innovation
A parrot is a resourceful problem solver. They tend to be highly innovative and creative, often driven by new ideas, and enjoy exploring new possibilities. They are often described as “outside the box” thinkers unafraid to challenge the status quo. Parrots have active minds, seek constant stimulation, and enjoy interacting with people and the world around them. Their intuition and free-spirited nature keep them from getting bogged down with details that would only restrict their imagination. They are future-focused and live in the realm of possibility, where everything is exciting and achievable.
Innovation in individuals with this style is characterized by their ability to think creatively and generate new ideas. They are often highly intuitive and can see connections and opportunities that others may overlook. They are skilled at brainstorming and can often develop innovative solutions to complex problems.
Parrots are often quick to embrace new technologies or approaches and can use their creativity to find new ways of doing things. They are often highly intuitive and adaptable and skilled at coming up with innovative solutions to complex problems.
How can we identify a Parrot in a workplace?
Parrots will greet their co-workers with a big smile, wide eyes, and a hearty laugh. They bring an infusion of good energy and positive vibes to the workplace. They often use their entire body to emphasize excitement or make a good point. Parrots often take up a lot of physical space. When they speak, their tone ranges from happy to excited. Even the small experiences are larger than life events. If something is good for one person, it is great for a parrot. If it is horrible, it is horrible for the Parrot.
Parrots comfortably start conversations with strangers. Unfamiliar or large groups energize them. They build rapport easily and have stories for every topic. Identifying an individual with this style in the workplace can be done by observing their communication style.
By observing these characteristics, you may be able to identify individuals with an interactive style in the workplace. However, it is important to note that every individual is unique, and there may be variations in behavior and communication styles within the same DISC style.
With Parrots, there are a few things to avoid:
- Being overly formal and cold
- Controlling the conversation with facts and figures
- Focusing on the micro implications
- Leaving no room for questions, brainstorming, or innovations in the future
How can DISC styles support any organization?
The DISC assessment is a popular tool many organizations use to assess an individual’s behavioral style. Organizations can use this information to improve communication, build effective teams, and enhance overall organizational performance by understanding an individual’s dominant style.
Here are some specific ways in which the assessment of DISC styles can support an organization:
- Enhancing communication: Understanding an individual’s communication style can help organizations tailor their communication to be more effective. By knowing how different individuals communicate, organizations can ensure that their message is received and understood by everyone.
- Building effective teams: The assessment of DISC styles can also be used to build teams that work well together. By creating teams with individuals with complementary behavioral styles, organizations can ensure that the team is well-rounded and can handle various tasks and challenges.
- Enhancing leadership: The DISC assessment can help individuals become better leaders. By understanding their behavioral style and the styles of others, leaders can adapt their leadership style to suit the needs of their team better.
- Improving productivity: When individuals work in roles that align with their behavioral style, they are more likely to be productive and engaged. The DISC assessment can identify roles that are a good fit for individuals based on their behavioral style. This can lead to increased job satisfaction, which can, in turn, lead to improved performance and productivity.
At Velocity, we help organization executives cut through the noise to align and transform their organizations. Our clients consistently see improved productivity, talent retention, and organizational efficiency. We recognize that it’s both your people and your organization that create results. Our award-winning services span transition and strategic planning, leadership development, sales training, and executive coaching. Based on Daniel Silvert’s book, The True Competitive Advantage, participants will quickly recognize the Eagles, Parrots, Doves, and Owls in their co-workers, managers, and clients. How does each style handle stress, share information, manage their time, and assess priorities? What is the hidden genius of each style, and how can you surface these powerful abilities in others? Understanding and applying the styles-as-birds concept makes self-awareness easy, and participants will immediately put them to use. Co-workers will work better, smarter, and handle their differences less stressfully. Visit our website to schedule a complimentary review of your people plan with one of our experts.
