D For Dominant Personality 
…not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 1 Peter 5:3
If your Primary Personality Trait is Dominant, you are confident, courageous, commanding, pioneering, resolute, definitive, determined, full steam ahead! You have things to do, places to go, and people to see. You are Outgoing and Task oriented and you love to accomplish. You’re motivated by power, authority, competition, winning, control, and success. Your claim to fame is you get things done!
You know where you’re going and you can get people involved (delegate) and storm the gates of hell to accomplish your goal. But—you can’t keep your staff or team because you burn them out emotionally (sometimes physically) and discard them. Your mantra is, there are wars to fight, battles to win, dragons to slay, buildings to build, money to be raised before your competition does. If you’re a one person organization, that’s fine—you only have yourself to work into an early heart attack.
When in-control, Dominants are courageous, quick to respond, goal oriented, results oriented, deliberate, self-confident, direct, self-reliant, straightforward, competitive. The world needs you! D’s make great entrepreneurial leaders—they start things— like businesses and churches. I say entrepreneurial because once the business grows passed a few people, you start running into significant problems because you are typically not (necessarily) people oriented. You look for what works and head that direction. And if it fails, you chalk it up to experience, change directions instantly and keep pushing (fail forward).You take huge risks. If the data changes, you change direction instantly with it—which can cause havoc for your team — especially the ones whose personalities are opposite, who hate risk, and like the status quo. You are an entrepreneur. 10% of the population are D’s — which means 90% of the population is not a D.
Out-of-control you can tend toward being domineering, insensitive, cruel, demanding, impulsive, rash with decisions, manipulative, non-apologetic, controversial, arrogant, hot-tempered, sarcastic, self-confident, unemotional, cold, harsh, prideful, know-it-all, impatient, self-sufficient, contentious, gamblers, coercive. Those things are where your strengths can take you when you push your strengths to their extreme and you are not aware—which is also one of your greatest weaknesses — low or no self-awareness.
D’s need to check the negative side of their Dominant attitude when working with others. Be aware of the condition of your speech as well as the content. You still get to determine what happens — you’re in control (usually) — so lighten up. You can bowl people over with your drive and demonstrative demeanor. If you are kind, you can go really far.
You will do better if you do the necessary homework to learn how to do it and not just simply plow ahead with energy instead of wisdom. Learn what to do first— and then do it better than anyone!
Dominants can see some other personalities as lazy when it’s really that the other person’s life pace is normally slower. You can demand that people keep up with your break-neck speed and awe-inspiring energy—without realizing it! Be careful. You can be demonstrative and dictatorial. Raise your kindness and lower your negative, out-of-control Dominant traits when working with a reserved personality (Cautious and Supportive are both reserved). They are naturally slower in their pace (not their intelligence or ability) and you can frighten them (seriously) with your non-stop, fast and loud attitude. Other D personalities will be right there with you and ready to move at the same speed you take them and I’s can keep up with you if you make the work interesting.
C (Cautious) personalities share task orientation with you and can work well with you when you are precise, have good answers for their questions, and are judicious with their time. S (Supportive) personalities will sometimes improperly see your D personality as mean spirited because you can be too loud, too fast, and too demanding for them — or for anyone. S’s are sweet and are very people oriented— they are your opposite. D’s are outgoing and task oriented. S’s are reserved and people oriented. They are not wrong in who they are — just different from you.
Don’t mistake being fast paced for being correct or better — those are different things. Many things require a slower pace. If you move your organization too fast, you’ll lose a lot of people. Remember — only about one third of the population is fast paced — two thirds are slower paced. Take your time. One’s pace does not make one right or wrong. Do not equate speed (pace) with ability. God made them (and you) for a specific purpose. The eye can’t say to the hand… I have no need of you (1 Corinthians 12:21).
Pray: Lord, help me love Dominants the way they need to be loved; If I am a Dominant, Lord help me have eyes to see my lack of self-awareness and empathy…
That’s it! Much love and blessings, see you tomorrow!
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