Leadership is a set of behaviors that help people work together to achieve shared goals. More about influence than power, leadership skills can be developed at any level within an organization. Leaders can be in the C-suite, at the manager level, or in entry-level positions.

Everything DiSC Work of Leaders^® approaches leadership as a one-to-many relationship, as opposed to the one-to-one relationship of management.

However you or your organization defines leadership, you probably want more people to develop leadership skills. And leadership skills can be taught, just as the skills of a manager can. They just need to be identified.

DiSC leadership types

Everything DiSC^® has identified eight dimensions of leadership. DiSC leadership types »

A recent survey by Wiley found that perspectives are shifting about how leadership is viewed. It’s much more people-focused and collaborative than authoritative or charismatic. It’s less about position and more about relationships and accountability.

“Leadership is not a person or a position. It is a complex moral relationship between people based on trust, obligation, commitment, emotion, and a shared vision of the good.” Joanne Ciulla, American author and professor at the Rutgers Business School

DiSC leadership styles

What type of leader are you? What can you learn from other styles of leadership? Everything DiSC leadership types »

Leadership skills are often taught in management courses, but everyone within an organization can grow their skills and become better leaders, regardless of whether they directly manage others or not. Consider what leaders often get recognition for:

• Sharing their vision and inspiring others to share in it. Infusing a sense of shared purpose and direction.
• Paying attention to the marketplace, the environment, the climate, evolving technologies, etc., and seeing new opportunities or challenges ahead.
• Emotional intelligence and self-knowledge, knowing what they need help with, and having confidence in their own expertise and skills.
• Communication abilities. These might include public speaking but also include utilizing the best channels for communicating to different audiences, using appropriate language, or telling a persuasive story. Also being exceptional listeners.
• Taking charge and accepting responsibility; holding oneself accountable.
• Setting a standard of mutual respect and dignity, competition, and debate. Setting goals for the collective interests, not just one’s own.
• Having high expectations while being personally humble; publicly valuing the contributions of others.
• Willingness to take risks and to meet failure with creativity and experimentation. Knowing when to reevaluate options.

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“[I]n an ever-faster-moving world, leadership is increasingly needed from more and more people, no matter where they are in a hierarchy. The notion that a few extraordinary people at the top can provide all the leadership needed today is ridiculous, and it’s a recipe for failure.” — John P. Kotter, author, professor, and business entrepreneur

Organizations can support the development of leadership, not just individual leaders. We recommend using products like Everything DiSC Work of Leaders as part of any leadership training program. These products help develop the softer skills required by today’s leaders.

Mentoring can be helpful if good matches are made, and both the mentor and mentee receive training on how to manage their mentoring relationship. Mentoring doesn’t always come naturally and not everyone expects the same thing from the relationship.

Of course, the best teacher is experience. Setting stretch goals, offering feedback, providing opportunities for self-reflection, hiring a coach, and other actions can also generate powerful learning experiences.

Learn more about developing leadership within your organization »

Pick your favorite management guru and ask for a definition of management. The response will probably include something like Henri Fayols’ definition of the five functions of management: planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling. Or maybe the response will be more along the lines of Peter Drucker’s list: setting objectives, organizing the group, motivating and communicating, measuring performance, and developing people. Others might add reporting and budgeting functions.

“In fact, management is a set of well-known processes, like planning, budgeting, structuring jobs, staffing jobs, measuring performance and problem-solving, which help an organization to predictably do what it knows how to do well. Management helps you to produce products and services as you have promised, of consistent quality, on budget, day after day, week after week. In organizations of any size and complexity, this is an enormously difficult task. We constantly underestimate how complex this task really is, especially if we are not in senior management jobs.” – John P. Kotter, Management is still not leadership, Harvard Business Review

No matter how your organization defines management, it’s a critical role. Managers are held responsible for making sure their teams execute the vision and meet the goals of the organization’s executives. They are expected to resolve problems and find solutions, whether they are regarding personnel or other resources.

Everything DiSC^® Management

Everything DiSC Management is designed to uncover the unique DiSC styles of managers and adapt their behaviors to more effectively manage, motivate, direct, and develop staff based on their own DiSC styles. Become a better manager »

The roles of managers and supervisors do differ, although some skills are beneficial for both: good communication skills, for example, and organization skills. Managers tend to focus more on what work is getting done and what resources or policies are necessary to facilitate that work. Supervisors are more focused on making sure the manager’s decisions are being implemented. They are more focused on task completion and instruction.

Both managers and supervisors need the soft skills necessary to resolve personnel conflicts, motivate employees, and offer any direction necessary for completing tasks. Managers need to set policies, develop engagement initiatives, and create a healthy workplace environment. Managers shape the culture of their teams.

Motivating your team

Learn how to create an engaging work environment for people with different needs and personalities: Motivation and the DiSC Profiles »

Management skills are often taught in courses for executives. You can consider the different skills needed by managers in light of what managers often get recognition for:

• Effectively delegating tasks and motivating others to complete them.
• Developing their staff and coaching them for better performance.
• Their organizational and time management abilities; their efficiencies.
• Their knowledge of the capabilities of their teams, advocating for their needs, championing their successes, and holding them accountable for performance.
• Great communication skills, including providing timely feedback, mitigating or resolving conflicts, encouraging collaboration, and shepherding information up and down the organizational hierarchy.
• Having the technical or specialized skills that allow them to understand, or even do, the work of their staff.
• Creating a positive and inclusive work environment.

DiSC management styles

What type of manager are you? Prepare to expand your skills and open new doors. Explore DiSC management styles »