In the world of DISC Assessments, a high S individual has unique behavioral traits that are different from high D, high I, or high C. We’ve created a human persona of these high S traits that we like to call Stabilizing Sasha.
Why do we call them Stabilizing Sasha? You may have heard the S in DISC described with another word because even though the reports are based on the same science, some DISC reports use different terminology to describe each column. You may have heard these terms used: Dominant, Influencing, Submissive, Compliant. That was the language used back in the 1920’s when the DISC model was created. Times have changed and we prefer to apply words that don’t feel quite so negative. So, we changed Submissive to Stabilizing.
Defining A Higher S
You can describe Stabilizing Sasha as steady, reliable, and patient. They often exhibit a calm, consistent, and supportive demeanor. You could call them even-tempered. Because of their inherent steadiness, you could see them sopping up detail-oriented tasks like a sponge. While they may appear reserved on the outside, on the inside they’re ready and willing to share their thoughts due to their collaborative nature.
High S Likes
Stabilizing Sasha and their high S friends like to maintain a peaceful and supportive environment and they’re willing to work hard to see that it stays that way. This makes them invaluable in collaborative settings. They are relationship builders and value creating connections with others. Interestingly, while they enjoy relationships establishing bonds with others might take them a little longer than the Interactive Ira’s of the world. Stabilizing Sasha loves when things remain the same or when change can come slowly. They also like to be recognized for their loyalty and dependability.
High S Dislikes
Because harmony, balance, and peace are some important to the Stabilizing Sasha’s of the world, conflict of any kind is high on the list of their dislikes. They are naturally inclined to seek out peaceful solutions and consensus so argumentative and contentious situations are not their favorite thing. They could have a tendency to back away or shut down when faced with conflict. Cross them one too many times and they could hold a grudge. Also high on the dislike list for higher S types is fast-paced change. They fear a loss of security when things change too quickly. Their motto may be ‘slow and steady wins the race’ and if you push them too far too fast, you could again risk a shut down on their part.
High S Strengths
Stabilizing Sasha is great at keeping the peace and maintaining harmony and balance in their surroundings. Their great patience provides the foundation for their steady behavior. If conflicts do arise, approach them with calmness and a focus on attempting to secure mutually beneficial outcomes. Higher S personality types can be excellent mediators if the environment can remain calm rather than chaotic. Since consistency and reliability are their trademark, Stabilizing Sasha’s love clear expectations and goals. When faced with competing deadlines and chaotic situations, their initial reaction is to make sense of the chaos and organize it to the best of their ability.
High S Potential Weaknesses
Because Stabilizing Sasha enjoys a slower pace, piling too much on their plate too quickly might send them into a down spiral and cause them to want to move even slower. They’ll need time to organize their thoughts and next steps. They may take a while to warm up to new systems, processes, and change in general. If you desire quick decisions and instant opinions, you may want to look elsewhere. Higher S types prefer some time to digest and process new ideas before they offer their thoughts. As we’ve established conflict isn’t their favorite so if you have feedback to offer a high S serve it up gently. They can be quite sensitive to criticism. They are people-pleasers and want to be sure their contributions make life easier for others.
High S Communication Style
You might be able to recognize a Stabilizing Sasha due to the pace of their speech and hesitant willingness to share immediately upon meeting someone new. Instead you’ll observe their excellent listening ability before they’re willing to open up and share about themselves. They have a tendency to prioritize the needs of others over their own, so they’ll want to hear all about you before sharing their own agenda. To get them to open up, provide them space to share and a calm and patient environment. If they are faced with an overly assertive communication style say from a higher D like Decisive Devon or I such as Interactive Ira, they’re more than willing to take a back seat and allow them the limelight.
High S Training & Learning Style
Because a slower pace is important to Stabilizing Sasha, if you have something new to share do so in a clear and straightforward yet collaborative way. Be ready to provide detailed information and most importantly, the ‘why’ behind the change. Knowing the ‘why’, especially if it benefits others, will help Sasha adopt the newness. Most of all, be patient. As we stated earlier, Stabilizing Sasha needs some time to digest new information before sharing their opinions on it. It may take a bit of time until something new can be deemed important enough to warrant changing their existing process.
What It’s Like To Work With a High S
Higher S personality types are excellent team players and they love a supportive and collaborative environment. Delegate to Sasha because they’ll do their best to meet your deadline, as long as they’ve been given the opportunity to weigh in on how realistic they feel it might be to achieve. Respect their slower pace and grant them the time to follow the routines that are important to them. Be patient if you need them to vary those routines. If you do need to upset their applecarts, reassure them about the aspects of the situation that will remain the same. And above all remember that they enjoy to have their loyalty and contributions to the team recognized.
You may be surprised at how many Stabilizing Sasha’s you’ll find on your team since they have a lot of high S friends. Based on hundreds of thousands of respondents to the DISC assessment, about 35% of the population is highest in the S category. When you find them, they’ll be extremely loyal, collaborative, and nurturing.
