Do you ever wish you could tell your manager how they could better manage you? DISC helps you to do it.
Dear Manager,
Remember last week when we were both so frustrated discussing the issues with the project? Our conversation was anything but productive. I kept trying to tell you ways we could address the problems, but you just looked at me like I was speaking another language. On top of that, I had no idea what you were trying to tell me! It was like we were speaking two different languages!
I left your office feeling drained, and I have a feeling you felt the same way. Both of us were trying to convey our messages, but we were simply getting nowhere. Frustratingly, I feel like these interactions between us happen more often than not.
Yesterday, I attended a DISC workshop and wow! I feel like I now have a better insight into our different ways of doing things. There's no better or worse style but, simply different. I practiced a simple way of identifying the styles of others, which will help me better understand how you prefer to do things.
I was reminded that I am in control of my interactions; I choose to make adjustments or not make them. As much as I'd like to, I can't force others to adjust. I think back when I would excitedly rush into your office and bombard you with my latest and greatest ideas. Now, I am going to take a brief moment to remind myself of your preference for detailed emails and scheduled sit downs.
Here are just a few things about myself I'd love for you to know. My ideal supervisor is someone who supports me when I have people problems. I would love extra support when risky decisions are to be made and thrive on honest encouragement. A positive, helping, and inspiring atmosphere is the key to my success. If I could be given clear instructions and opportunities for discussion, I feel I would be more productive and successful.
What tends to drain my energy? I'm so glad you asked! I like being around my team, so having to do things alone stresses me out! I do my utmost to avoid repetitive, dare I say tedious tasks, solutions and people I find critical and nit picky drain my energy as well. While I can't stand making those cold, less emotional decisions, I truly admire people who can. Can I mention that when you come into my office, ready to point out every spelling error and grammatical mistake I made on my email, I may be rolling my eyes (internally, of course)?
Now, let's focus on you, but from my perspective. I get the sense that you like things to be more orderly and structured. You hate surprises and chatting about things outside of work is not your thing. You seem to prefer detailed emails over face-to-face communication. However, these are just based on my observations. Am I right? I wish I could understand your natural preferences more. I know that DISC could help, not only understand myself better, but understand you better as well.
Ultimately, I know we have a great team, but that doesn't mean we can be more productive. If only we could replace those non-productive and very frustrating interactions with more effective ones. I know we could get things done faster and better! In fact, I really think DISC can benefit both of us and our team.
I've attached my DISC Assessment and hope you find a moment to read my DISC assessment. You can learn more about me; what motivates me, how I prefer to communicate, etc. It's not how I always show up because we make adjustments all day long, but it predicts how I usually will.
As the saying goes, 'people leave managers, not companies' so I hope I can stay because of my manager.
Sincerely,
Your employee
