In a recent post I introduced the concept of DISC profiling which is a way of understanding the different behaviours that often cause conflict in the workplace or in our personal lives. Understanding these different behaviour profiles can help us understand our own weaknesses and help us to adjust our behaviours when dealing with conflicting profile types. It would be better to read the introduction post first to make sense of this post.

I have also written a post to introduce the Reds and a post to introduce the Yellows

Today, I want to introduce you to the greens who are the S's - the submissive type.

Before we start off, just a reminder that this is not black and white. It is just a guide to help us understand the world we interact in. There is no right answer either. Each type has its strengths and weaknesses - just as we all do.

Introducing the Greens

The greens are usually calm, considered, predictable and loyal. They are warm people, not as flamboyant and extraverted as the yellows but once you make friends with a green, they will be good solid friends. Some people say the S in DISC should stand for Supportive. Because that is what the S's do really well, they support everyone around them: friends, family and work colleagues. They do prefer close relationships rather than many superficial friendships, it may take time to build a relationship with them but once you have a relationship, they are usually very generous and loyal friends.

The greens are motivated by feeling helpful and supportive. They like sincere appreciation for their efforts because the most important thing is that they feel they supported you. They approach things in a logical and predictable manner - you know what you will get when you are dealing with a green.

Greens are good at multitasking, they are dependable and they are good seeing the task through to completion. They are usually compliant towards authority and they are loyal team members.

Weakness of the Greens

The greens fear the loss of stability and having their world turned upside down. If you are trying to push change through in your business, you are going to have to put extra effort in with the greens to ensure you can take them on the journey with you. You will need to avoid being confrontational with greens, they find any situation of conflict quite difficult.

Greens are also quite passive which means that when they are upset, they have the tendency to hold grudges. They are not ones for facing issues head-on and may therefore live uncomfortably with frustrations.

Greens like to please other people and may therefore find it hard saying no. This may result in them taking on too much and when they perceive a problem, they tend to internalise it.

Handling Greens

Since greens desire appreciation, make sure you give it. Thank them for their work because it will mean so much to them that their loyalty is recognised. It is important to be kind to greens and be patient. They are logical and methodical, give them the time they need to work through things and become comfortable.

You will need to avoid being pushy, cantankerous, using a strong tone or aggressive body language. Greens will recoil if you do.

When trying to implement change, you will need to be especially patient with greens. Give them the time they need to understand and accept the change. They fear their world being turned upside down so if you rush through change quickly the greens will harbour a lot of resentment. They will close up and the problem will fester.

Greens are not good at taking feedback so do it gently and in a kind and considerate manner. Greens are such nice people but you have to deal with them gently. They are also not good at giving feedback, so invest time getting to know a green and make sure they are comfortable sharing with you how they really feel.

Example

One of the famous examples of green is David Beckham. He is a high S, the green type. Another example is Mother Teresa. I wonder if you can see any of the attributes I have provided above in this type of person?