Some of our leaders have high Dominance DISC profiles while others are highly Steady, leading to silent withholding of ideas. How do you facilitate our sessions to ensure everyone contributes equally?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

An unbalanced room can indeed be a dangerous room. When highly Dominance profiles inadvertently overshadow more reserved, highly Steady team members, you risk losing valuable insights and fostering unaddressed resentment. To mitigate this behavioral friction, we proactively manage communication flow during sessions by leveraging an understanding of DISC profiles.

Facilitating Balanced Contribution

Here's how we ensure everyone contributes equally in sessions:

• Establish Clear Ground Rules: We set explicit expectations for communication. A key rule is that silence is agreement. If a quieter leader is holding back thoughts, we will directly call on them to share their perspective. This provides them with explicit permission and a dedicated space to speak without needing to compete for the floor. This approach helps in building a more [vulnerable and trusting environment](/qa/building-vulnerability-trust-rprs-calls).

• Coach Active Listening: We coach dominant leaders to practice active listening. A crucial technique here is the strategic pause. This slows down the conversation, preventing fast-paced thinkers from rushing to decisions before more analytical minds have fully processed the information. This can be particularly useful when there's a dynamic where some leaders might be more inclined to [speak first](/qa/leadership-team-trust-healthy-conflict).

• Strict IDS® Process Discipline: We adhere to the IDS® process with strict discipline. Every team member receives an equal opportunity to state their view on an issue before the discussion phase begins. This structured approach prevents any single personality from dominating the narrative, ensuring a balanced input from everyone. This is essential for preventing issues where [blame is assigned](/qa/using-accountability-chart-to-stop-blame-in-ids) rather than constructive problem-solving.

By actively managing these behavioral dynamics, we cultivate a balanced environment where every leader can contribute their unique strengths to solve the organization's most significant challenges.