The Di style in Everything DiSC represents the mix of Dominance and Influence, exhibiting a bold and action-oriented approach. When it comes to decision-making, Di personality types are fast, confident, and driven by impact. Their speed and enthusiasm are invaluable for capitalizing on opportunities and mobilizing others, but it can also outpace caution at times.
Let’s break down the steps of the Di decision-making process, along with some tips for channeling strengths and mitigating risks, to help you and your Di colleagues find the best ways to work together and produce positive outcomes.
Step 1: Identifying Opportunities: “This could be huge. Let’s go!”
Di types scan the environment with the questions, “This could be huge. Let’s go!” Their Dominant aspect senses the potential for results and influence, while their Influential side fuels the excitement, making them sensitive to opportunity. For example, a Di marketing lead may spot a trend and jump to suggest a bold new campaign idea.
According to Everything DiSC, this vision is a source of innovation and energy though, it can also lead to over-optimism. To channel this strength, Di’s can pause to briefly validate potential with data or input from others. Colleagues can contribute by offering succinct and relevant insights to ground a Di’s enthusiasm without suppressing it.
Step 2: Enthusiastically Mobilizing Others
After identifying an opportunity, Di’s focus on gaining support, thinking, “If I can get everyone on board, we’ll move fast.” Their Influential charm is in full force as they pitch ideas with passion and sell the vision to generate momentum. For instance, a Di manager may rally a team around a new strategy, using charisma to overcome resistance. Everything DiSC points out that this ability to motivate is a powerful strength but can lead to ignoring or polarizing skeptics. To make the most of this skill, Di’s can pause to acknowledge and address key concerns from others, rather than assuming it all. Teams can support by engaging with energy and offering concise feedback to resonate with the Di’s drive.
Step 3: Making a Quick Decision
Next, Di’s opt to decide quickly, using the mindset of, “We’ll adjust if we need to, but waiting is worse.” The Di type’s Dominant urgency to produce results pushes them to cut to the chase, while their Influential side resists over-analyzing or getting caught in “analysis paralysis.”
For instance, a Di entrepreneur may greenlight a product launch to beat a competitor to market, trusting that they can pivot as needed. Everything DiSC suggests this agility is a competitive advantage but risks accepting uncalculated risks. To optimize this skill, Dis can leverage decision-making techniques that are rapid and flexible, such as a simple list of pros and cons. Colleagues can help by providing clear, concise information to support quick choices.
Step 4: Charging Ahead to Execute
Finally, the Di personality type charges ahead into execution, operating from the belief, “I’d rather try and fail than hesitate and miss out.” The mix of confidence and action-orientation drives a fearlessness in moving forward, making the Di type unfazed about trying new things. For example, a Di project lead may roll out a new initiative without overthinking, trusting that they can course-correct later if needed.
Everything DiSC acknowledges this decisiveness as a catalyst for progress but may miss hidden risks or important details. To avoid this, Di types can benefit from setting simple checkpoints or review dates to track progress. Teammates can support by providing candid feedback in real-time, to keep the Di’s momentum focused without veering off course.
Di Personality Type: Speed vs. Stability
The Di style’s decision-making strengths of identifying opportunities, rapidly gaining support, making fast decisions, and charging ahead to execute can be a great asset in fast-moving, dynamic situations. However, their confidence and speed can also lead to risky choices, hidden flaws, or tension later on when overlooked details catch up. A Di may jump into a project without fully vetting the budget, for instance, later causing friction with resource or support needs.
Everything DiSC emphasizes that more structured decision-making processes and accountability can help temper this tendency. Colleagues of Di types can facilitate their decision-making by keeping information and communication streamlined and action-oriented, while kindly surfacing key issues that they may be missing.
The Everything Di Type: Decision-Making Style
A Di types’ decision-making style is fast, confident, and impact-focused, excelling at spotting opportunities and mobilizing to move forward. While this fuels action and innovation, it can be risky or short-sighted at times. Di styles can be more effective by remembering to “sharpen their axe” with careful review of important facts before committing to a course of action and by doing so, it will clears the way for their energetic pace to implement. Stay tuned for Part 6, where we will discuss how the Di style works with other styles.
