Working with Different Styles - Direct People
Identifying a Direct person
A person with a direct work style, or some of the direct behavioural traits, can be one of the most challenging to work with. They are characterised by; focus on getting things done, impatience in meetings, disinterest in chit chat, quick decision making and a determination to get things done quickly. They can also be driven, determined and with a single minded focus on the goal.
So how do we work with directs?
How to work with a Direct person
The best tip in working with directs, whether internal or external, is to mirror them. Mirroring is based on the idea that people like working with people like themselves, so if we behave like them, they will tend to find it comfortable to work with us. By reflecting their work style we are playing to this instinct.
Communicating with a Direct person
In communication we can mirror by reflecting their email style, usually short and to the point. We can keep our verbal communication to the point by preparing and making sure we know what we are going to say. It is good to frame things from their style. “In order to achieve the objective…”, or “To get this done, we will need to…”, or “To avoid delays, we will need to…”
Influencing a Direct person
When trying to influence, beside preparing our arguments, we can also put our point with logic and rational. The direct person will change their mind as long as it makes sense to do so. We can also put questions to them with choices, rather than try to tell them what to do.
As with many people, mirroring works well with direct clients or colleagues.
Please note
But it is vital to remember that some people, in fact many people, will not be totally Direct. They will be partly Direct. And in this case we need to observe and remember which part of their work is driven by the Direct style. It may be their communication, their decision making, their approach to work or their focus on objectives.
Training on working with different people
If you would like to explore training on how to work with different styles, please check out our Professional Business Skills Training
