Communication Strategies in Healthcare (and beyond)
Personality assessments go back in history and have evolved over the years. They aim to help us identify personal strengths and then to be able to capitalize on those to make us more effective. The more we understand how we work and those around us. I am most familiar with the John Maxwell DISC assessment, based on William Marston’s theories that people basically possess one or more of four different personality styles.
Dr. Marston was a renowned lawyer and psychologist who invented the early form of a lie detector. He also authored self-help books and created the Wonder Woman comics.
Dominance
A person who is direct, decisive, a problem-solver, a risk taker, and a self-starter.
Some people are forceful, direct, and strong-willed. They are assertive and to the point and only want to know the bottom line. You will see this in many CEO-type positions. They don’t want to know all the details, just the bottom line. This is the D style. Their biggest fear is being taken advantage of.
Influence
An enthusiastic, trusting, optimistic, persuasive, talkative, impulsive, and emotional person.
Some people are optimistic, friendly, and talkative. They are great communicators and friendly to everyone they meet. This is the I style. Their biggest fear is rejection.
Steadiness
A person who is a good listener, team player, possessive, steady, and predictable.
Some people are steady, patient, loyal, and practical. They are good listeners and great team players. This is the S style. Their biggest fear is loss of security.
Compliance
A person who is accurate, analytical, conscientious, careful, precise, meticulous, and systematic.
Some people are precise, sensitive, and analytical. They are the ones who enjoy gathering facts and details and are thorough in all activities. This is the C style. Their biggest fear is criticism.
Understanding key personality traits can help you when working with your teams to discover strengths and weaknesses but most importantly, to be able to have the most influential communications with each other. We all have driving factors and parts of each of these traits. When you work with a coach on DISC assessments, be careful not to put people in a box.
For example, I am considered an I/D combination or what is referred to as a persuader. My high I makes me influencing or inspiring, and combined with a high D, I can be dominant and decisive. These are two good traits for leadership, but you can’t just look there. I have a lower S and C, so I know that sometimes I need to slow down and look at all the details before making a decision. Being self-aware is very important.
If you are communicating with me, you would need to understand that I need quick communications that get to the point and not be bogged down with many details. I want you to like and trust me. I work best with an S-type personality, they can provide the details I need to make decisions, I should not work with others of my same personality type. My spouse is listed as a precisionist. He is a high C/S. We get along well because he does not like to make decisions naturally, but interestingly enough, we show as poor for personal interaction. This means - you cannot base all your decisions on the results. You need to let it guide you towards understanding others and communicating better based on strengths and weaknesses.
D - Measures how a person solves problems and responds to challenges.
I – Measures how a person attempts to influence or persuade others
S – Measures the pace at which a person undertakes activities and responsibilities
C – Measures how a person responds to the rules and regulations set by others
A limited study I performed of high-performing women in coding leadership showed higher C’s and I’s. Even though we have changed in healthcare, we have rules, making this style of personality extremely compatible. They also value teams and stability, meaning planned change. Makes sense since there are timelines for coding changes these are considered planned changes.
Many will like the repeated work patterns with areas of specialization.
Coders and auditors all need a higher C. Those working in a position of influencing through communications need an I above the midline.
Understanding the personality habits of others can help us achieve better communication as we allow ourselves to focus on the receiver instead of the sender in our communications. DISC helps to get there faster with our teams.