I’m one of those people who love to learn about what makes people tick. I’m fascinated by how the mind works and how it effects people’s actions. Have you ever noticed how your co-worker’s approach to a project is completely different from yours? Have you ever tried to have a conversation with your boss and wondered why he or she just wasn’t getting it? I have. So, why is this? Why do we each take different paths to get to the same place? Mentally, that is.

Recently I signed my team up for a DISC communications class. The goal of the class was to learn how to influence others’ behavior by learning to identify and understand the four behavioral styles. The test classified me as a Dominant style; a left-brained decision maker who loves challenges, driving processes and confronting tough issues. My team? They were classified as right-brained Influencers who spread enthusiasm and are always interested in the “why” behind everything. So the question is, how does a left-brained, questioning and logic-focused leader mentor and manage a right brained, accepting and people-focused team. The answer: by recognizing the strengths of their styles and capitalizing on them.

By having the ability to understand and learn from each style, we can each broaden our own capabilities and create more efficient teams. So what’s the bottom line? The bottom line is that we can all work together effectively; we just need to understand how to speak each other’s unique language.