72 ◾ Transforming Teams
I = Inuencer
Descriptors
Charming
Convincing
Good mixer
Open-minded
Persuasive
Talkative
Condent
Enthusiastic
Inspiring
Optimistic
Popular
Trusting
eir Style
Animated, friendly voice
Rambling
Fairly loud voice
Smiles a lot
Expressive hand gestures
Value to the Team
Optimism & enthusiasm
Creative problem solving
Motivates others toward
goals
Team player
Negotiates conict
Emotion: Optimism
Fear: Social rejection
Need: To interact
Looking for: e
“experience”
Tendency Under Stress
Self promoting
Overly optimistic
Gabby
Unrealistic
Ideal Environment
High people contact
Tasks requiring
motivating groups
Democratic supervisor
Freedom from control
and detail
Freedom of movement
Multi-changing work
tasks
FromTarget Training International, Ltd. With permission.
“Moving around the DISC behavioral wheel, we
cross over the extroversion–introversion line and nd
the ‘S’ or Supporters. People who are a ‘high S’ tend
to be more quiet, introverted, and have a low sense
The Language of DISC ◾ 73
of urgency and competitiveness. Their natural domain
is to slow down the pace in order to make sure the
details are accounted for. They are opposite the Driver,
so whereas the ‘D’ seeks conict, the ‘S’ avoids it,
whereas the ‘high D’ seeks change, the ‘S’ seeks stabil-
ity. They are excellent listeners; they are detail oriented;
and they are dedicated to getting the job done. If you
see someone making their way through a to-do list, or
if you ask them a question and they say, ‘Can I have
some time to think about it?’ you’re probably dealing
with a ‘high S.’ Finally, the ‘high S’ shows little emotion.
This doesn’t mean that they don’t have emotions. They
just don’t show them. Their greatest fear is lack of secu-
rity, which is why they don’t go overboard with their
emotions. And their value to the team is derived from
their organizational skills and their drive to be a team
player. There simply isn’t a functioning team without a
high supporter.
“Are there any of these in the room?” asked Charles.
A lot of hands went up, and they were mostly from
the customer service team.
Charles nodded his head knowingly.
“One of my favorite examples of a ‘high S’ is Laura
Bush, the former rst lady,” continued Charles. “Laura
was always cool and reserved. She always had the
same expression on her face. It was hard to read her,
unlike Hillary Clinton or Barbara Bush or Michelle
Obama, whose faces you could read like a book. Laura
was and is quiet and reserved and admits that she does
not relish change or conict. She’s a classic ‘high S.’”
74 ◾ Transforming Teams
S = Supporter
Descriptors
Amicable
Good listener
Predictable
Stable
Systematic
Understanding
Friendly
Patient
Sincere
Steady
Team-player
eir Style
Soft volume
Small hand gestures
Relaxed, non-emotional
Leaning-back
Value to the Team
Dependable team player
Supports a leader and a
cause
Patient, empathetic,
loyal
Logical thinker
Long-term relationships
Emotion: Non-
emotional
Fear: Loss of security
Need: To serve
Looking for: Security
Tendency Under Stress
Non-demonstrative
Unconcerned
Hesitant
Inexible
Ideal Environment
Job with standards and
methods
Long-standing
relationships
Stable, predictable
environment
Allows time for change
Time for personal
interactions
FromTarget Training International, Ltd. With permission.
“What are you, Eliza? You seem like a ‘high S,’” said
one of the sales representatives.
“Actually, I’m a couple of things. I’m a ‘high S,’ but I also
have Driver and Inuencer in me, so I’m kind of a mish-
mash of several of these behaviors. But, yes, my highest
The Language of DISC ◾ 75
is ‘S.’ I went back and looked at my old assessment from
college, and I’ve clearly changed a lot since then: I now
have a lot of ‘D’ in me, which I never had before, so that’s
a behavioral change that I’ve made over the years.”
“The fact that you could even nd your assessment
after 15 years tells us all we need to know about your
behavioral style, Eliza,” Dave kidded.
“Actually, Eliza makes a couple of great points,” said
Charles. “It is very rare to nd someone who is 100
percent of something and zero percent of the other
three behaviors. We are all an amalgam of behavioral
styles. In fact, the DISC reports out hundreds of behav-
ioral styles, not just four. So when Eliza says she’s a
mixture of things, that also makes it harder for some-
one like me to predict her true behavioral prole. I can
only guess at the major highs and lows. Second, when
Eliza says that her style has changed over the years,
it’s important to note that natural behavioral styles can
change over time, but it is typically a major change or
a life event that will create that change in behavioral
style. What changed in your life, Eliza, that you could
attribute to your increase in your dominance?”
Eliza thought for a moment before responding.
“Well, I never told anyone this but I used to suffer
from anxiety. I was shy. And difcult, confrontational
situations always created a lot of stress for me. Many
years ago, when I was new to my career, I had a situa-
tion at work where an executive was taking advantage
of my subordinate personality. He not only took credit
for my work, he created a somewhat hostile work envi-
ronment for me. He would make comments about my
76 ◾ Transforming Teams
appearance. He would make unwelcome advances to
me at work, and he really created a toxic environment
for me. But he was also close with the president and
CEO of the company, so it put me in a really bad posi-
tion. I knew if I confronted him I could lose my job
and, except for him, I really liked my job.
“Plus, think about it, as a ‘high S,’ I didn’t want the
conict. I didn’t want to make waves. It put me in a ter-
rible position. I internalized so much of the stress that I
developed an ulcer and I became depressed.
“You weren’t kidding, Charles, ‘high S-types’ really do
internalize their emotions. And unfortunately for me, he
was a ‘high D,’ so he was up for a ght, and I knew the
president of the company would side with him if I came
forward. I was between a rock and a brick wall.
“The last straw for me was when he approached me
at home. It was before I got married and I lived alone.
He drove to my house and called me to let me know
he was sitting in his car in my driveway. He enjoyed
scaring me and upsetting me.
“But once he invaded my home, my sanctuary, I
knew I had to do something.
“I stayed up all night for a couple of days, imagining
different scenarios, practicing different imaginary argu-
ments. What nally got me to take action was a sense of
determination, and, more than anything, anger. It prob-
ably was the result of profound sleep deprivation, but I
got deeply and sincerely angry. Who was he to do this
to me?! How dare he? How dare I let him do this to me?
“Well, I decided that, come what may, I was going
to confront him. The next day I met with the president
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