How they operate: For Dominant style people the most important to get from point A to point B the fastest way. They do not focus on little details, they only care about the big picture. The way they dress is usually color black or red and they favour status symbols, high level brands. Their walk is fast and energetic. They will keep eye contact during discussions, they are direct. They can be overly mad.

How they see themselves: great problem solvers, make decisions easily, competing, direct, innovators, initiate and drive change, take responsibility

How we see them: impatient, insensitive, careerist, arrogant, harassed

Their main emotion: anger

Their fear: that others can take advantage of them, so they become the means to achieving a goal that others have set and which they have no say in; wasting their time

Reaction to Fear: Fight / Reject

Their natural strengths: to lead others, to direct, strategic thinking, they see the overall picture, they set goals and realize them

Weaknesses: they don’t pay attention to detail, don’t think through their decisions; they may seem arrogant who do not take others into consideration

Stress Factors: Everything that is ineffective, inability to make decisions

When stress appears, they become: nervous, demanding, violent

Under constant stress: They are unable to make decisions, they are lost in detail. They may get away – to lick their wounds, they give up control.

What steals their time: firefighting, crisis management, lack of written plans, consequences of sudden decisions.

People with the Dominant (D) style are extrovert (that is, open, focusing outward, gaining energy from their surroundings), active and task-oriented. They love to get from A to B quickly. In the shortest possible time, and the shortest way.

The main driving force of managers with high Dominant value is to get their environment under control and then to keep it there. They strive to do what they want and how they want it and get others to do their job according to their ideas. Their personal autonomy is extremely important to them, and they take it very badly if they are instructed how to act, if they are micromanaged, if they have no opportunity to decide, or if there is a lack of progress due to other participants or bureaucratic regulations.

There is a clear image in their minds of what results they want to achieve – and they are working to realize these. Their actions and communication are aimed at achieving their goals as quickly and efficiently as possible and to win others to support the achievement of the expected results. In general, they can solve new (previously unmet) problems very quickly and directly. They don’t overthink things and are willing to take the risk of making mistakes.
They form their opinion fast, and, with the information they know, they try to make the optimal decision, immediately and determinedly. They rarely involve others in the decision-making process, and they are not very patient to explain how they got to the final version.

Dominant style leaders focus on the overall picture: they create the strategy, set the goal, launch the processes – and run them until they find them challenging. They hate routine tasks, so they quickly hunt for new challenges. That is why they are looking for competent people for their team, looking for colleagues who can take responsibility for their work and who they can fully trust.

They can be annoyed by people who are unable to pick up their pace, lack purposefulness, or can be diverted easily from the road towards their goal. They often consider these as lack of efficiency and motivation, or even as a sign of weakness. They resent having to prod or coddle their direct reports, they look for people who can be relied on to carry out their part without questions. Without questions, because it is hard for them to ask for the opinion of the subordinates. The ultimate control always stays in their hands, they like to keep their eye on the running projects – and have a say in them as well.

They are the men of action, not words. They are not really interested in what others think in general. The only opinions that count for them are those of people who they look up to and respect. Their communication is very direct and concise, they hate chatter, evasion, too many or irrelevant details, and verbose or grandiloquent speeches.

They love challenges – the bigger the better – and enjoy it if they can find a solution. If there are not enough challenges in their environment, they will create some themselves. They are constantly pursuing more and more ambitious goals, as they also compete with themselves, not just with their environment. They are proud of their performance and try to reach higher and higher. Respect from them depends on the results achieved. They expect others to look up to them, and they also appreciate those who have achieved results through hard work and self-effort.

Development areas

• They exceed their scope of authority or limits
• They act too impulsively
• They unsettle others
• They make too harsh or honest comments
• They tend to be critical and hairsplitting
• They do not pay attention to detail or accuracy
• They are bored of routine so they can skip steps or tasks
• They do not like to be controlled or if they have to follow something / someone

How to communicate with them

• Be clear, specific and concise
• Do not depart from the subject and prepare with possible solutions
• Be efficient and do not waste time with unnecessary chatter or irrelevant facts
• Keep an eye on the big picture, do not get lost in little things
• Be confident, don’t look indecisive or undetermined.
• Do not be afraid of confrontation if you need it – Dominant style people love if the other can be a partner in debate

DISCLAIMER / Addendum
We would also like to draw your attention to the fact that people are always multi-dimensional, they can rarely be described with one behavioral style. Usually there is a secondary or tertiary style that affect their behaviour. In addition, the adaptive behavior of most people differs from their natural behavioral profile, which should always be taken into account as well. The values that motivate behaviour – and serve as an explanation to others – are always there, under the surface.
The above summary fits people with high D (Dominance) value and gives a partial description without recognizing the impact of the motivations, the other styles, and their natural vs. adaptive behavioral profile.