How the High D-Style can Improve Their Time Management

I have thoroughly enjoyed putting these blogposts together that focus on DISC Styles and Time. If you missed any or want to find them again, just click here.

For the next four blogposts in this series, I want to concentrate on the ways each DISC Style can improve their Time Management. I believe this is a goal for most of us. Let’s take the High D-Style person today.

As a quick review, the High D-Style person tends to:

• Like to be in control
• Focus on tasks more than on people
• Have a “high speed motor”
• Be decisive – sometimes without researching the facts
• Get things done quickly
• Be authoritative
• Take charge in a situation

Not surprisingly, then, their Approach to Time includes:

• Do it NOW!
• Don’t give me spreadsheets! We need Action Steps!
• Is an Active Style; a red Ferrari that goes 0-60 in 3 seconds
• Having too much of a short-term perspective
• Expects sresults to be accomplished sooner rather than later
• Can abandon the efforts of their project or their team too soon – “maybe this was a bad idea, maybe we did something wrong”, so quit and start something else

So, for the D-Style to Improve their use of Time:

• Don’t give up too soon on the project, even if results are slow in coming
• Work on being patient with both the people and the task
• Be willing to listen to and consider other people’s thoughts, desires and opinions before making quick decisions
• Choose to slow down if they have lots to accomplish (very counter-intuitive for a D)
• Focus on the long-term perspective and results
• Be wary of multi-tasking – it can just divide your mental clarity
• Don’t just focus on end results; be concerned with the process needed to get to that end result
• Do at least a little planning
• Think of the steps they need to take
• Beware of being so eager to get started right away – can go in the wrong direction which wastes time
• Realize that others on the team who are not High D will be moving at a different speed and have a different perspective
• Allow ideas to develop; then can eventually achieve the desired results

I hope this Review and these Suggestions have given you some practical insights and help, whether you are the High D-Style or live or work with one.

[Thanks to Extended DISC for their insightful webinar on the DISC Styles and Time.]

QUESTION: Did you get any new understanding of how a High D-Style can improve their Time Management?  I’d love to hear your thoughts and observations. Please share in the comment section below.