When I present my workshops, I usually start by telling the story of our eldest daughter as a teenager working in our orthodontic office. She is an outgoing, gregarious, full of energy, thrives on people and challenges type of person. But we needed help in the lab. So she had to sit back in the dark recesses of our office, in a little cubicle, all alone, with a model of someone’s teeth in one hand and a sharp dental instrument in the other, laboriously picking bubbles off the models, model after model, hour after hour. She honestly thought she was going to lose her mind! She was a High I-Style person doing a very High C-Style job (more on C-Styles in a couple more weeks).
Last week, we looked at what demotivates the High D-Style person. If you missed it or want a refresher, just click here to go to that blogpost.
This week we will focus on the High I-Style. But again, please remember that most people are a combination of two or three Styles, but it simplifies things to address one Style at a time.
As a quick review, the High I-Style person tends to:
- Be fun-loving, a “party looking for a place to happen”
- Focus on people more than on tasks
- Have a “faster speed motor”
- Be more outgoing – an extrovert
- Be very persuasive
- Have a positive attitude – usually sees the jar half full
- Have lots of enthusiasm
Now let’s focus on what demotivates an I-Style:
- Isolation – since they thrive on people interactions, putting them alone for periods of time is truly painful and demotivating
- Rejection – this can take the form of not listening to their opinions or ideas or acknowledging their feelings
- To be unappreciated – if they give effort on a task or assignment, but don’t get a “thank you” or “well done”, they will feel discouraged and demotivated
- Harsh criticism – or being treated harshly or disrespectfully in any way
Bottom line example – if the High I-Style person in your office is given a “work alone all day” type of role, with little appreciation or acknowledgement of what they do, or if they are treated harshly, they will be extremely demotivated to do a good job.
I hope this gives you a better understanding of what might demotivate a High I-Style, so you can avoid these factors, whether for yourself or for others around you.
If you would like to learn more about your own DISC Styles, just click here for the Resources page of my website for more information on getting a DISC Assessment – an easy online process that will gain you lots of insight on your personal Styles.
QUESTION: If you have some I-Style in you, do you find these things demotivate you? Or if you live or work with a I-Style, do you think these insights might help you better understand them? I’d love to hear your thoughts and observations. Please share in the comment section below.
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