DISC Coaching in the 4 “Seasons” of Our Career

The beautiful colors of Fall had me thinking about the different stages of our careers and how professional growth coaching is different in each phase. You can benefit at any point from a life coach to help you set and reach your goals for that "season" of your professional life. There’s also a possibility to go through any of these stages more than once, depending on your choices. So, let’s look at what I mean by the "seasons" of your career.

Spring

Everything seems to burst into existence quickly and powerfully. For one's career, they might be launching into their first job after trade school or college. They have a growing amount of energy that creates seemingly endless possibilities. From a DISC personality coaching standpoint, the focus is on defining one's identity. While everyone seems driven in Spring, the "D" style wants to be in charge. Coaching points can be about the positive use of their energy and seeing ideas through to completion. For an "I" personality, they want the adoration of being center stage. DISC coaching can work on dealing with rejection and flexing their enthusiasm into stronger listening skills to lead a team. The "S" style brings stability to the team. During their career in Spring, they may benefit from coaching around the idea of being open to change in order to take advantage of youthful energy. The "C" style loves to dig into the details and has enormous energy at this stage. Coaching them about how far to dig and not being so critical of others is a good starting point.

Summer

As one's career in Spring flows into Summer, they are at their strongest. Their confidence is at an all-time high and they are ready to push on to the next level. Maybe they're in a larger leadership position or have started their own business. It’s now time to continue the momentum that was created in Spring. As a "D," this might mean flexing into their "I" style to build consensus. The "I" personality now has to look at building teams, which means dealing with conflict (and they shy away from that). Coaching can look at how the "I" styles use their charm to manage confrontations. For an "S," they can capitalize on their steadiness while receiving coaching around balancing between process and innovation. And the "C" will be able to use coaching around their adherence to accuracy as a trade-off for quick decision-making.

Fall

This season of one's career bears the fruits of their work. They may have several different opportunities now that will lead into Winter. For the "D," this means coaching around current relationships and where they want to take them. It’s time to stop being the authority and think about becoming a sounding board. Coaching for the "I" style can be about using their influence to engage others in their plans, while also balancing what they can deliver against what was promised. The "S" style will benefit from being coached about putting their needs first before offering help to others. For the "C" styles, who fear criticism, coaching them about dealing with this will help them as their Spring team members express their energy.

Winter

At this point, one should have gained experience and wisdom in their career. The fall harvest is now ready to be distributed. This is the time to give back and create fertile ground for the next Spring. Coaching for the "D" style can center around deciding how to best share this. Will they talk at someone or engage them? The "I" coaching now means looking at how they can step out of the spotlight and become more of a producer to young talent. An "S" personality can be coached on opening up their closely held relationships with others. Finally, the "C" style can benefit from coaching focused on helping others like themselves understand the balancing act between their own need for detail versus effective decision-making.

The Winter season is one of the best times to become a coach to others, but every life and career stage can benefit from learning how to coach. Consider becoming a PeopleKeys® Certified Behavioral Consultant and give back to others using all that you’ve learned!