Bulldozer Personalities in the Workplace

D type personalities ("D" referring to the DISC personality profile system) are the bulldozers among us that concentrate on completing tasks, often times at the expense of the people around them.

These are the General Pattons of this world, the Jack Welchs, the Stormin' Normans (Norman Schwarzkopf) the Mr T's. These are the individuals that drive hard towards their goal and stop for nothing on their way to achieving this goal! I have a confession to make.....I am a D type personality. I am often guilty of being way to task focused and not enough people focused. So far this sounds rather negative, however, without D type people who stay focused on task completion there are some things in this world (including some things in your business and maybe in your family) that might not ever get done.

D's, like any of the personality traits, have strengths and weaknesses. I have summarized these traits below;

Tendencies;

Wants immediate results - impatient
Loves challenge
Very competitive
Initiates action
Confident
Risk taker
Makes snap decisions but can change a decision when new data comes in
Questions popular thinking
Takes authority
Solves problems
Manages trouble
Task oriented

Required Work Environment:

Independence
Authority
Power
Frequent and new challenges
Individual accomplishment
Wide scope of operations
Direct answers
Freedom from controls or supervision
Ability to advance or be promoted
Varied activities

Needs People Who:

Review pros and cons of decisions
Are cautious in decision making and calculate risks
Have empathy towards others

To be more effective:

Must have challenging work
Must pace themselves and relax
Must understand that they need others
Must take the time required for decisions and must try to have enough data to make the proper decision.

Major Strengths:

Efficient organizers
Focused
Results oriented
Responsible for actions and decisions

Major Limitations:

Lack of people skills
Making decisions without all of the information required

Dealing with Ds:

Start with the bottom line
Look for mutual areas of agreement (mutual wins)
Don't lead up to the task at hand with small talk. Get to the point.
Ask "What" questions not "How" questions.
Stick to facts, not opinion.
Don't over-dominate.
Don't patronize.
Be prepared and organized.
Be clear and direct.

If you are a D type personality, I'm speaking from personal experience here, your biggest challenge is to ensure that you pay attention to the people issues around you and not just focus on the task(s) at hand. You need to patiently consider information from multiple sources and multiple biases before making decisions. Don't make a major decision today based on one source of information and change your mind tomorrow when you get another piece of information. You need to take time to genuinely listen to others and socially interact. Don't make the mistake that I did early in my marriage when I asked my wife to cut the chit-chat and get to the point......a very bad mistake which I have never repeated!

If you are managing a D, be aware of these things and provide a challenging environment with as much autonomy as possible. When interacting with a D, make sure you get to the point, stick to the facts and don't waste time with idle chit-chat.

If you follow these basic guidelines your interaction with D type personalities will be less antagonistic and substantially more productive!