"How to finish the job, if I ..." or GTD and DISC for "non-licenses"

In one of my previous posts, I promised to continue the topic of the DISC theory for non-licenses . Today is another post in this direction.
Probably one of the key moments of the work of a programmer, a project manager, and indeed any person, both IT-related and non-IT, is a habit, skill, or the ability to bring things started.
In this post we will deal with this issue.


So, I remind you that we had before. The DISC theory considers each person, his behavioral habits and models from the position that each person is a mixture of four basic styles of behavior. The names of each style form the name of the theory D (Dominance), I (Influence), S (Steadiness), C (Conscientiousness), which means: Dominance, Influence, Stability and Compliance (Conscientiousness).
For a more precise understanding, I recommend rereading the previous post on this topic.
I will briefly describe each of the styles.

Style D

People who dominate this style are also called “The Worker” , in English-language literature the Director and Driver are often used. People of this style are fast and decisive, their motto is: “Get involved in a fight, and there you will understand” or “Less idle talk, more work!”. In communication, they do not go "around and around", as a rule, they say everything head-on, straight. They are natural leaders and commanders. Because they perceive the world as hostile, they often appear as warriors. Control, power, choice and challenge (challange) are just their needs. They are most afraid of losing control of the situation and be defeated.
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Style I

People of this style are called "Inspirer" , in the English-language literature often found the name "Socializer" and "Promoter". For people of this style, as well as for the Worker, activity and speed are characteristic, but it is directed towards communicating with people. A crowd of people around who look at the Inspirer with an enthusiastic look is the perfect picture for him. Their motto is “Don't worry - be happy!” Or “Relax - don't worry!”, And the basic life idea sounds even better: “Life is beautiful!” They are very sociable and socially active. For them, public speaking is fun, and communicating with people is a way to relax. They always have a lot of friends. Popularity, recognition and approval by other people are their needs. And to become an outcast and the loss of popularity - this is what they fear the most.

Style s

People who have a high level of style S are called “Ally” , and in English literature the names “Relater” and “Supporter” are often found. People of this style are a bit slow, they don’t like to make quick decisions (or rather, they don’t like to make them at all), and at the same time they value relationships with people very much. If someone is in the circle of their friends, then these are very close people and a very narrow circle. People of this style really love the routine. Stability is their goal. Their credo is: “Do not cut the branch on which you are sitting” or “You must love the one who is next to you”. People of this style can work with pleasure all their lives in one job, because the key needs for them are safety and guarantees. They are most afraid of unexpected changes, loneliness and hurt the feelings of other people, because they very much value close relationships with people.

C style

People of this style are called “Thinker” , and in English literature the names “Thinker” and “Analizer” are often found. It is typical for the Thinker to move and make decisions in an unhurried manner. Well, it’s not for nothing that their credo is “Measure seven times, one cut off”, but the main way in which you should act is “correct” (that is, according to the rules)! For people of this style, following the rules and procedures is probably the most important thing. In relationships with people, they may seem cold, because they are always deliberate and reasonable. It is very important for them to understand everything and get quality answers to their questions. Moreover, they are often very critical. And most of all they are afraid to make a mistake and be criticized. Also, they are frustrated when someone does “anyhow”, because high standards are what they value in everything - in clothes, goods, their actions and the actions of other people (politeness above all).

How to define your style

So, I briefly described the basic behavioral styles. And now, first of all, you should deal with yourself: “What style do I personally prevail?” - ask yourself this question. In order not to guess for a long time, I suggest one very simple way to find out.

But before I talk about the method, I will say a few words about who I am. I have a lot of things indicated in my profile, but I have been doing training and applied psychology for quite a long time (since 2002). Therefore, what I will tell you further is what I use in training, and it works well.
I developed a fairly simple questionnaire (such as a test), it is in pdf format, and it can be downloaded from this link - with its help, you can quickly determine your prevailing style of behavior. It is advisable to print it.
Questionnaire
In principle, you can determine your behavioral style and by eye, based on the above, but the questionnaire will be easier and more accurate.

We now turn directly to the topic of today's post.

How to use it?

Immediately recall that each person is a mixture of four basic behavioral styles. For example, you may have 80% of pure D style, 90% of pure I, 20% of S, and 45% of C. That is, you can be different.
In other words, D, I, S and C are four scales.
The level of style D - reflects the way you manifest in situations with solutions to problems;
Level I - characterizes the style of your interaction with people;
Level S is how you react to changes;
A level C - how do you feel about the rules and procedures.
Here is an illustration that explains exactly how this affects.

Specifically about each

Your prevailing behavioral style greatly influences how you act and how you treat your tasks, tasks and deadlines.
We will deal with each style separately.

Doer

Due to the fact that the Worker is very fast and active, he is usually very effective in projects at the very beginning. He knows how to put together a team, give instructions, see that everything is moving, and then ... And then he simply becomes not interested. When a planned movement begins, it is for the Worker a routine. It is like making a mobile child sit still.
It is necessary to clarify. Figures are very rarely programmers. Most often they are customers. They always look for deadlines, but as a rule other people follow what they promised. They themselves also care about the timing, but there is a nuance. Very often, when they were no longer interested? They bring things to an end in order to simply tick off. And not the fact that it will be very high quality. Also, Figures do not like to focus on details, so if something is done “in general”, they consider that the work is “done”, although the quality may suffer considerably.

Recommendations for efficiency:

1. Focus on the details - of course you can see the sights at a speed of 120 km / h, but they will all be some kind of blurry.
2. Be flexible - of course, your opinion is very important, but the main reason for your inefficiency is the inability to compromise when it is necessary. Be tolerant of others.
3. Timing is just as important as quality - monitor the quality of your work. It will be difficult to do it yourself - agree with someone. Of course, it will be annoying, but only at the very beginning.

Inspirer

Inspirers are probably the least likely to be IT-Schnick, because sitting at the computer they will be seen by very few people (unless it is a reality show like HOUSE-5- Design Studio). Often Inspirers are PR-managers. Next to them is always fun. Work and they are rarely compatible concepts. They can go on negotiations, but not agree on anything, but they will remember him there. With terms and details they are very bad things. They simply do not remember them! Therefore, all agreements with the Inspirer should be registered, signed, and then also reminded (only to him personally, and not publicly - publicly the Inspirer can only be praised).
For the mastermind is normal when there is a lot of unfinished business. This is not because they are irresponsible to their occupation, they just love to like people very much, and often take on obligations that they simply cannot fulfill.

Recommendations for efficiency:

1. Responsibility is such a thing that you need not only to take over, but also to carry and bring to the end. When you undertake obligations - plan step by step implementation. A plan is not a formality.
2. Verbal agreements are good, but better on paper. Write down the terms and conditions of the agreement in detail. Do the same with your goals. For an Inspirer, moving away from his goal is very easy, the main thing is for the company to turn up.
3. You are not 100 dollars to please everyone. Do not try to please everyone. It's impossible. Remember this, and when you make a decision, it’s better to make an effective decision than a popular one.

Ally

If someone can keep things in order, it's an Ally. Well, firstly, this is because stability is the most important thing for an Ally. And secondly, they love the process, sincerely and wholeheartedly. This is precisely the reason why the Ally is often not friendly with the terms. As a rule, he does not install them himself, it is necessary that someone installs them, for example, the Worker. If the deadline is not real, and the Worker is too energetic, then the Ally will agree, and then he will quietly delay. But if the term is real and fulfilled - you can count on it, but control it a little.
With the Ally there can be another confusion associated with the timing. Due to the fact that they often empathize with other people, they have a desire to help others, especially the Inspirers, and they can take on additional workload, and then not have time to finish their own.

Recommendations for efficiency:

1. Healthy ego is very useful. Of course, you may want to help everyone, but who will take care of you? First of all, keep your goal and task in focus. If the task and goal of another person with yours in one side, and you along the way - then go ahead.
2. Practice saying no. It is clear that it can be very difficult for you to refuse a request to someone, especially if it is a friend (colleague, friend, boss, former (necessary) to underline). To say no - that does not mean offending someone. No - it's just not.
3. Make decisions faster. Get into the habit of making decisions faster. For example, decide that you always make decisions in 10 minutes. If it does not work, then agree with someone you trust so that he (a) periodically rapes you for quick decisions. Get used to it. Of course, it is desirable that this was the Activity - your antipode.

Thinker

The Thinker, on the topic of completed cases, is probably the most interesting style. The first and most significant is that the Thinker is a perfectionist. He can, in days, months, and years, improve his project or program. Clean code and optimize, improve performance, collect statistics, adjust logic, etc. - this is what the Thinker can do forever. If the Thinker misses any deadlines, then it is only because HE PERSONALLY considers that something else is not ready, or not completed, or not yet verified. Although any other long ago would have started to earn money on this.
Excessive attention to detail very often leads to the fact that the planning stage is delayed for a very long time, and the Thinker does not even proceed to action. He is like a general who has been planning a battle strategy for so long that the war is over.

Recommendations for efficiency:

1. Planning when to plan plans is not worth it. In addition to deadlines, always set yourself and the time when you move from planning to action.
2. The hedgehog bird is proud, until you kick it - it will not fly. Of course, you do not really want to get kicked, but from time to time you should allow someone to do it.
3. The level of quality is not a deal with conscience. Remember, there is such a thing as, for example, ISO or GOST. This is not the highest possible quality. This is a certain level, acceptable and standardized. Set yourself this level, and do not change it in the course of the project. You can improve everything indefinitely. This is not your goal.

And what if I have traits from different styles?

In general, this is a normal situation. Only about 10% of people have 1 distinct style. Most have a mixture of two distinct styles, for example, IS, CD, DS, etc. And a small part has pronounced 3 styles, for example ISC or CID. In the DISC Methodology, when a style is described, the first letter is the style that is most pronounced in the behavioral style of a person, the second letter - which is slightly less pronounced, and the third - which is the least pronounced of the three. For example, DI ≠ ID, DIS ≠ IDS.

So, I hope that I clarified some details of this theory.
In the next post on this topic, I will describe how easily you can recognize the style of another person, and what you should pay attention to in order to do it easily.

PS For the curious - in the past my post The Tale of how I became a developer of software for the iPhone , I described my application for the iPhone, which is based on the theory of DISC, and allows you to quickly understand it.