Decoding DISC Leadership - Understanding the “ACCEPTING LEADER” style - 4/8

Julie South [00:00:04]:
Today we're shining the light on the lead vet or the head nurse who listens closely because they want to connect with everyone on their team. They seek first understandable perspectives before bringing people to consensus. They are inclusive and into collegiality and collaboration. Maybe you crave a leader who truly listens and supports you, or maybe you're tired of feeling unheard and underbelly valued. These are both the realities of working with an accepting leader. Stick around as we celebrate the empathy and understanding they bring and how to help them better understand their blind spots. Thank you for tuning in to the Vet Staff podcast, where veterinary professionals can top up their resilience tank, get their heads screwed on straight and get excited about going to work on Monday mornings again, just like when you were studying. This is episode 183 and I'm your show host, Julie south, certified disc trainer and resilience coach.

Julie South [00:01:16]:
The Vet Staff podcast is powered by Vet Staff Limited, the recruitment agency on a mission to help vet clinics recognise, retain and recruit their dream team. We show clinics, vets and nurses how to crack the communication code that's unique to them. So resilience skyrockets and people want to join and stay. You can find back copies of the Vet Staff podcast@vetstaffpodcast.com this is the fourth in our exciting eight part series all about leadership styles based on the disc behaviour and and personality model. DISC is a research backed and science based personality profiling tool used to understand our behaviours, our communication styles and our work preferences. It's all about understanding what makes you and the people you work with tick. So far we've looked at what it's like working with three different leader types, the dominant, dynamic and inspiring leaders. If this is the first time you've picked up this podcast, you might like to go back and listen to those three episodes as well to see if you recognise yourself or your leader in any of those different scenarios.

Julie South [00:02:41]:
As I said, this week, we are looking at the accepting leaders style using the disc personality and leadership framework. Accepting leaders are outgoing, enthusiastic and optimistic. They motivate their teams with infectious energy and passion. The accepting leader, who's an I type, has an influencing people focused personality. Their way of leading is through inspiration, persuasion and creating positive team environments where people feel supportive, valued and motivated. They are encouraging and appreciative. They're the type who praise talent and are into celebrating everyone's successes. They're outgoing and approachable.

Julie South [00:03:36]:
They are good. They're great, actually, at developing rapport through humour. They like making people laugh and they have witty communication styles. They're empowering. They boost people's confidence and self belief as a way to unlock their potential and they're visionary. They paint exciting pictures of future possibilities as a way to inspire action. Accepting leaders are all about relationships and bringing people together. They're warm, approachable and are big into harmony.

Julie South [00:04:13]:
However, they don't like tension and they don't like resolving disagreements. This is the type of lead vet or the head nurse who will listen closely. Because they want to connect with everyone in their team. They seek first to understand all perspectives before bringing people to consensus. They are inclusive and into collegiality and collaboration. However, as you can imagine, because their emphasis is on positivity, appreciation and approachability, this can mean that they may avoid usually do they avoid addressing problems that jeopardise this harmony that they've created. They don't like rocking the boat. Rather than give someone constructive feedback, which they see as criticising them, they'd rather let that poor standard persist.

Julie South [00:05:10]:
Also because they're big on getting everyone's buy in. As you can imagine there, it means that this can slow things down and it can create delays. What's it like when you're on the team with an accepting leader? Let's have a look at each of the different major disc personality types, how each might get along with like a house on fire with the accepting leader, and then where things could possibly start fraying at the edges and breaking down. If your preference is that of someone who's task oriented and who likes to get things done fast, then for you the good is that you'll appreciate having the autonomy from your accepting leader to drive results independently without too much micromanaging or over the top oversight. You prefer your leader to allow you the freedom to determine the best way for you to get things done. Where it starts breaking down is that you'll likely get frustrated, possibly very frustrated, with the slower, indecisive pace that accepting leaders set. This is because you're the results driven one and you need to keep things moving forward while your leader needs to carefully consult everyone before they make a decision. This means that you may be of the view that your leader is far too concerned about consensus and people's feelings.

Julie South [00:06:52]:
Rather than pushing things through and getting things done, you'll think your accepting leader is soft and unwilling to drive the team towards getting big things done. If you are more of the type who is people oriented but you still like to move things along at pace, then the good for you is that you'll align well with your accepting leaders people focus and their empathetic nature. You'll respond positively to the encouraging and the appreciative approach that your leader has. Things will start breaking down though, because you might take advantage or try to take advantage of your leader's tendency to avoid confrontation and addressing poor performance. Your leader's desire for harmony means that they'll shy away from giving constructive feedback. This means that if you're underperforming, you may take your accepting leader's lack of feedback because that's not their happy place as tacit approval to continue underperforming and or carrying on with your bad habits. If you're the steady as she goes types, people focused who likes to know all angles have been at and everyone is on board, then you'll relate to your accepting leaders patient and supportive approach. You'll also like that they focus on collaboration and they build team cohesion.

Julie South [00:08:28]:
This is because it creates a predictable and a harmonious team environment which is your happy place. However, things start to break down because you may enable your accepting leaders tendency to dither and pussyfooter when firmer decisions are required to keep things moving forward. Your accepting leader, as I keep saying, is into team consensus and while you're the more cautious and won't push them to decide because that might mean that you'll rock the boat and we don't like that. Your accepting leader, as we've said, is into team consensus while you're more cautious and you won't push them to decide because you don't like rocking the boat. It means that important and mission critical decisions won't ever get made then. If you're the type of person who likes to see eyes dotted and t's crossed and results being achieved, the good for you is that you'll appreciate your accepting leader comes to you for your expertise, your analytical approach, and your logical thinking when they make decisions. This is because it's you who provides the objective data to make informed decisions. However, things will start fraying and breaking down because you may view your accepting leader's penchant for always wanting team consensus as both frustrating and inefficient when your data and your facts clearly show the best direction already.

Julie South [00:10:11]:
And this is because your leader prefers decisions that are based on everyone's feelings and not so much the data driven evidence. Now, we've just talked about some of the strengths and the possible development areas for accepting leaders to be aware of and how they play out with different people on their teams. Now let's look at how the different types, different personality types might be triggered by this leader and what each might say to get things back on track in a way that works for them, for you and your strengths. If you're the get it done now type, you'll be triggered because your leader spends a lot of time getting everyone's input before making important decisions. To you, this is just a couple complete waste of time and delays taking the action necessary that you think needs to be to be done to be taken to get things done. You'll especially be triggered if you think the matter is urgent. You'll get more and more aggravated by meetings where no firm decision is being reached when you just keep going round and round and round in circles. If you can relate, then here's what you could say.

Julie South [00:11:33]:
I appreciate you want to reach consensus to find agreement as a team, but when we keep going over the same points, meeting after meeting without any decision being made, we're not moving forward and I get frustrated. I think we've gone around in circles for long enough and we need to make a decision now. Let's make a decision so we can move forward and keep things moving. Then, if you're the fast acting collaborator, you might be triggered because your team leader provides only positive feedback to someone who's not performing or underperforming. If there's an underperformer, it means that your leader's failure to address this problem means that issues escalate until the team morale suffers. Meanwhile, because nothing's being said, the underperformer is thinking that their performance is fine when in reality it needs correcting. So if that is you, then whether you're the underperformer or not, or you see the underperforming, then as the influencing type, what you could say is, I know you want everyone to feel encouraged, but when you don't give constructive feedback about problems, no one knows what needs to be done to fix them. Let's start talking honestly about this so people know what they need to do to improve.

Julie South [00:13:03]:
Next. If you are the steady as you go people, focus. Team member who likes direction so you can plan, and your accepting leader keeps discussing multiple options without deciding the best way forward for moving on an important project, you'll be triggered. It's their passive, indecisive style that leaves you wanting and waiting somewhat anxiously, maybe even frustratedly, for more direction so you can get started. You'll be getting more and more stressed as the clock ticks closer to a deadline without any progress being made. So if that's you, then you're the steady as they go. This is what you can say. I appreciate that you want us to reach consensus on the way forward, but our ongoing back and forth discussions and meetings means we're not making any real progress.

Julie South [00:14:01]:
I need you to assess the options and make a firm decision so I can get on and do my job. Now, if you are the dot to your I's, cross your t, your t's results focused team member, then you may be triggered. Because despite you providing massive amounts of data and analysis showing the logical, optimal solution, your accepting leader will continue to discuss at length to get consensus. This frustrates you like crazy because all your heart, all the hard work that you've done to get the evidence is either being discounted or ignored. So here's what you can say. If that's how you're feeling, if that's what's happening. I know you prefer we all align on the way forward, but sometimes the data makes the best choice clear. When you ignore solid evidence just to gain consensus, it's like you're not valuing all the hard work I've done to give you the facts and the evidence.

Julie South [00:15:07]:
I need you to make a decision. As you can see from these, the hold up for the accepting leader, or the trigger point for the accepting leader is when they just need to keep getting everyone's consensus. I hope you found this helpful as a way to understand yourself a teeny tiny, incy wincy dinky little bit better, and how you might relate to someone who has the experience accepting leadership personality style next week we're going to be looking at the perfectionist leader, and these are those who are described as being efficient, independent and committed. So remember to click that follow button on your podcast app of choice so you don't miss out on that episode. Have you ever wondered what makes you tick? Taking the desk personality profile assessment gives you that information, plus how to gel better with other people. For leaders, you'll discover your leadership style and your strengths. When everyone in your clinic has been assessed, your team's collaboration levels will go through the roof because everyone will understand everyone else better. Interested to learn more? Then get in touch.

Julie South [00:16:32]:
Julietaff congratulations on getting this far. You are part of an elite group of listeners who have made it all the way to the end. From that, I'm going to assume that you've liked what you've heard. Therefore, can you please do me a favor and help spread the vet staff podcast love. All you have to do is share it with three of your veterinary friends who are maybe losing their mojo or your manager because you think that what we've talked about today will be beneficial to your clinic. Thank you. Doing that will help rekindle the passion you all had when you started studying and being excited about going to work on Monday mornings. Again, this is Julie south signing off and inviting you to go out there and be the most fantabulous, resilient and empowered version of you you can be.