Have You and Your Colleagues Compared Your Work Styles Lately?

A critical project is about to start and Maria, who thrives on plans and careful timelines, opens her laptop with color-coded notes at the ready. Across the table, Jacob taps his pen with restless energy, eager to start brainstorming and get to work right away. A few seats over, Aisha quietly scans the team. She’s wondering what she can do to effectively work with people she finds quite stressful, and reduce the likelihood of conflict right from the beginning. Meanwhile, Diane is thinking ten steps ahead, ready to stretch the boundaries of the project and push for bolder results.

Though each person is poised for success, they’re also poised for collision. Each one has a very different work style that shapes how they think, communicate and tackle problems. Unless someone brings these differences into the open, the promise of the project may easily unravel into frustration.

What is Work Style Alignment?

Style alignment is often the conversation that never happens. When we start working with someone new, the needs of the project often take center stage. People assume that if they perform the tasks they’re responsible for, everyone will naturally pull together and things will sort themselves out. But that assumption only holds up when their work styles are aligned. 

Alignment in this case means taking the time to talk about what matters to each person— how they approach tasks, what motivates them, what conditions help them do their best work—and making space for differences before those differences become obstacles. When you explicitly discuss your values and preferences, you dramatically reduce the risk of misunderstandings later on. 

As for what those work styles might look like, they’re best analyzed through the DISC framework. Specifically designed for work teams, DISC gives everyone a shared language to describe their natural way of working. It explains why Maria is so detail-oriented, while Jacob wants to jump right in. 

Understanding the Four DISC Workplace Styles

During their first project kickoff meeting, Maria might present a comprehensive 20-slide analysis with detailed risk assessments and timely check-in schedules, where Jacob interrupts after slide three, asking “Can we skip to the main takeaways?” or “I have a few new angles—do any of these sound exciting to everyone?” 

Neither are being difficult, it’s just their DISC styles talking.

Drive (D): Results-Focused Achievers

Professionals with high Drive scores are action-oriented and put results before anything else. They tackle work with assertiveness and often feel a natural urge to take charge, even when they’re new to a team. Drive types prefer to keep things moving, so they communicate directly (sometimes even bluntly) and can get frustrated with long explanations or unnecessary bureaucracy.

In group settings, people with Drive bring energy and momentum, helping teams stay focused. But they can find it tough to slow down when others need more time to process information or want a more collaborative approach. What might come across as impatience or abruptness is usually just a strong push to achieve results in the most efficient way possible.

Influence (I): People-Centered Motivators

Influence types thrive on connection and collaboration. These individuals are naturally enthusiastic and great at rallying others toward a common goal. When communicating, Influencers gravitate toward the lively and interactive. They’ll turn progress meetings into brainstorming sessions if guardrails aren’t set—for Influencers, there’s always another angle, another idea, another way.

Colleagues can expect animated conversations and a strong relationship focus when working with someone who leads with Influence. While their high energy keeps momentum up, they may be less interested in long-term follow-through or painstaking detail, preferring to focus their efforts on novel ideas and the bigger picture.

Support (S): Steady Team Players

Support personalities are the quiet backbone of collaborative teams. These individuals are hard-working, persistent and patient. They’re not flashy in their approach, but they will make sure the job gets done, and everyone feels included in the process. 

Support personalities communicate thoughtfully and get anxious in competitive, conflict-prone environments. They may appear reserved in meetings but often provide valuable insights when directly asked for input. Colleagues working with Support types get the best results by allowing enough time for them to make decisions, and being clear on both expectations and how people will ultimately benefit from the work they are doing. 

Clarity (C): Quality-Focused Analysts

Clarity personalities approach work with care, precision and thoroughness. They excel at analysis, quality checks and technical problem-solving, and their instinct is to get the details right before moving forward. They tend to need a lot of information before they will make a decision.

When collaborating, Clarity types are the ones who risk assess and make sure nothing has slipped through the cracks. But if deadlines are rushed or the facts are foggy, it can throw them off. Giving them background information and enough time to review details helps Clarity personalities feel grounded and lets them contribute their best thinking.

The Same Team, With and Without DISC Knowledge

Going back to our opening scenario, you have probably figured out that Maria is a Clarity (C) type, Jacob brings Influence (I), Aisha is the team’s Support (S) and Diane leads with Drive (D).

With their DISC styles out in the open, this team now works from a place of understanding rather than guesswork. Each person knows their strengths are valued, and their blind spots are balanced by the team. In practical terms, here’s what that might look like:

• Maria gets the data she needs well in advance of deadlines, but Jacob helps her see when “good enough” is better than “perfect.” Without DISC? She might feel steamrolled into making fast decisions, while Jacob chafes at her “analysis paralysis.”
• Jacob’s brainstorming gets channeled, not shut down—he’s given space to throw out ideas, then Maria and Diane help land on the most practical. Without DISC? His energy could be seen as disruptive or unfocused.
• Aisha anticipates friction and mediates early. Her steady approach keeps Diane from leaving quieter voices behind, and helps Jacob slow down, so the team makes decisions everyone can support. Without DISC? Tension festers, and team members start to disengage or feel anxious about conflict.
• Diane pushes goals while being reminded by Aisha to explain the “why” and listen for roadblocks. Without DISC? Diane feels slowed down and frustrated, while others feel rushed or unheard.

Quite simply, when team members understand each other’s work styles, that’s useful information. Knowing who needs autonomy, who needs a sounding board, who needs a plan, who needs flexibility, who needs check-ins, who needs space for creativity and so on means the team has a blueprint for getting the best out of each other, right from the start.

How to Have a Style Alignment Conversation the DISC Way

Now that you know the benefits of exploring each other’s DISC styles, let’s look at how you can have those alignment conversations.

Take a DISC test and prepare

Start by preparing just as you would for any important discussion. Before diving in, read your DISC results thoroughly and understand what they mean for work style. Getting clear on your preferences—and your “hot buttons”—makes it easier to share them with the team.

If you don't know your DISC type, you can take the DISC Personality Assessment here. Manager? Navigate to our DISC Assessment for Business Page and follow the instructions to quickly test every member of your team. 

Set aside time for the conversation 

Let others know you’d like to touch base about work styles, why it matters, and what you hope to gain. An open invitation could sound like: “I think we’d all benefit from talking through our DISC styles. If we know what each of us needs, we can help each other work even better. How about we set some time aside to compare notes?”

Share and listen

Go around and have each team member briefly describe their DISC style, what would help them do their best work on this project, and what could undermine their effectiveness. Aisha, for example, might share, “I value regular feedback and encouragement so I know I’m on the right track, and I really appreciate when we keep team check-ins low-pressure and positive. If things feel rushed or there’s tension in the group, I tend to shut down—so it helps me if we can talk through changes ahead of time and make sure everyone has a say before decisions are final.”

Sharing is one part of the conversation; the rest is listening. Ask questions to make sure you’ve understood what the other person is saying and to clarify how their preferences might fit into the project plan.

Turn the conversation into real agreements

Don’t stop at understanding—this is all driving towards a practical project plan that works for every member of the team. For example:

• “Let’s agree that Jacob can lead brainstorms, but with a 15-minute time limit so we don’t get too far off track.” 
• “Maria will get full information packs at least a day before any big meetings or decisions, so she has the prep time she needs, and she’ll kick off each meeting by telling us what’s missing or where the inconsistencies are.”
• “Aisha will signal if things get tense, so we slow down and check in.”
• “Diane can fast-track decisions only after everyone’s had a chance to weigh in or ask for detail.”

Revisit these agreements regularly. Work style alignment isn’t a one-and-done. Reference your ground rules when projects start, when tensions run high, or when new teammates join. Over time, staying honest about what’s working—and what’s not—keeps the benefits alive, so everyone is working true to their DISC style and rowing in the same direction as a team.