What DISC Types Make the Best Leaders?

Not sure if you’re cut out for leadership? The truth is, all of the DISC personality types have their own qualities and strengths as leaders. There’s no one DISC type who is better or worse in this role – in fact, every type brings something unique to the table. All that separates successful leaders from the rest is their ability to lean into their strengths and use them to their advantage.

With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at how the different DISC personality types win over their teams, hit their goals, and tread the path to success.

Drive: The Dominant Leader

What do Elon Musk, Hillary Clinton and Margaret Thatcher have in common? All three are leaders who embody the Drive personality – a type that is characterized by ambition, focus and determination. The Drive personality excels at setting challenging goals, inspiring their team to work hard and take plans and projects from zero to 100 in no time. They’re pragmatic, direct and not afraid to pivot their plans when they see a better or more efficient option to get things done. 

In short, Drives possess all the stereotypical traits of leaders. The downside is they can be impatient with team members who move too slowly and results that don’t meet their standards.

How to succeed as a Drive leader:

• Listen more: The Drive personality type is excellent at leading a team, but they could benefit from being more open to other people’s opinions and ideas. To improve your leadership style, try to listen more to the people around you to take in a diverse range of perspectives and build a more cooperative working environment.
• Develop your EQ: High Drive types are sometimes lacking in other awareness and empathy, which is the ability to discern how others are feeling and relate to their emotional experiences. The Drive's directness can sometimes come across as blunt or unsympathetic in teams. If you want to be a better leader, work on developing your EQ and connecting with your team on an emotional level.

Influence: The Charismatic Leader

The Influence type is defined by their energy, enthusiasm and persuasion. If Drives are the stereotypical leaders, then Influencers are the ones who come across as more approachable and charismatic – think Oprah Winfrey and Steve Jobs. As the most sociable type, Influencers are extremely good at helping their team work together. They have a fun and open leadership style that welcomes ideas and opinions from all corners.

Their challenge is with follow-through. For all that Influencers love to brainstorm ideas and come up with new ways of doing things, they can lack the focus that’s necessary to get things done.

How to succeed as an Influence leader:

• Practice consistency: One of the key things to learn as an Influence leader is consistency. Influence individuals are brilliant at generating ideas but not necessarily as good at seeing them through to completion. To be a better leader, surround yourself with people who will compliment your personality type and help you be more consistent to see your goals come to life.

• Keep your team informed: Influence individuals are extremely good at taking on new information and coming up with new ideas or strategies – but for their team members this hyper-flexible approach may be confusing. To help your team keep on top of changes and do their best work, make sure you keep them informed and make it clear what you need or expect of them.

Support: The Stabilizing Leader

The Support personality type is defined by qualities such as loyalty, dependability and patience. This makes them the perfect partner to other leadership styles, and often they’re the ones who hold a team together when times are tough. They’re great at providing the guidance and constructive feedback that help team members overcome their challenges.

However, for high Support types, there is a clear difference between working in a team and becoming a leader. For many, it can be an adjustment that takes time to get used to. People naturally warm to Support types and enjoy working with them, but they need to learn how to step up and take the lead instead of letting others assume control.

How to succeed as a Support leader:

• Practice self-belief: One of the core characteristics of the Support personality type is their reluctance to take charge and give directions to others – but this is a key aspect of good leadership. To be a better leader, work on being more authoritative and direct, and believe in your abilities to lead your team, whatever challenges come along.

• Hire a diverse team: The Support personality type is extremely good at emotional support but they can struggle in other areas. For best success, hire a diverse team with a wide range of personality types and strengths. For example, having goal-oriented personality types like Drive and Clarity individuals on your side can help to enhance your team’s strengths and capabilities.

Clarity: The Efficient Leader

People with the Clarity personality type are analytical, detail-oriented and strategic – traits that make them excellent problem solvers. They’re great at finding solutions to complex problems and seeing things through a long-term perspective. This is exactly what teams need when it comes to setting goals and planning ahead

Methodical and rational, the Clarity type is able to take in large amounts of information and distill it down into the essential details, providing a laser-sharp approach to leadership that’s often extremely effective. But, there’s a risk that Clarity types can become too focused on the details while missing the bigger picture.

How to succeed as a Clarity leader:

• Look at the big picture: As a result of their detail-oriented personality, high Clarity individuals can sometimes forget to look at the big picture and put the details into context. Remember to take a broad view as well as looking at the small details for better results.

• Connect with creative individuals: Clarity leaders are extremely analytical but they can sometimes lack creativity. To help you succeed as a leader, connect with more creative-minded team members to get their take on the challenges you’re facing and to add another perspective to your analytical outlook.

Become a better leader with the DISC assessment

Leadership is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor and there is no one DISC type that’s better suited to leadership than the others. Every DISC type has their own strengths and weaknesses as leaders and there’s always room for improvement. To help you become a better leader, embrace your unique style, learn from your weaknesses, and celebrate your strengths. After all, it's the blend of various flavors that makes a dish truly delectable – same goes for a dynamic, successful team!