Supporters: 5 things Supporters would ask from you – if they weren’t so nice

We all know the type of people that are just plain nice. They are the ones that are always asking how they can help. As leaders, Supporters are the type that considers how procedures and policy changes will affect everyone on the team. Supporters tend to be pretty hard on themselves if they don’t get a task done properly that you were counting on them for. They are kind. Thoughtful. On a team, they tend to be the most loyal members. They have a good tone when speaking to others. There’s no sense in telling them you have an open door policy because they would never want to bother you. Supporters, as described in the DISC behavioral model, are the true Superman and Superwomen of the workplace. They tend to be behind the scenes of a lot of success stories. They are more than capable of leading. They may just be waiting to be asked.

They tend to move a little slower than the Drivers or Influencers that we discussed in the last couple of articles. When being assigned tasks they tend to like to gather as much information, first, and then be allowed to asked questions, later, to be sure they have everything they will need to complete it properly. Their question is “how?” meaning, “How can I help?” “How would you like to have that done?”

Here are 5 ways to help support your Supporter this week:

HAVE A PERSONAL CONVERSATION:

A Supporter will really appreciate it when co-workers take an interest in them on a personal level and get to know them. Supporters aren't as gregarious as the Influencers. They tend to form fewer bonds with people, but have really strong bonds with the few people that they do interact with. They like to go a little deeper in interpersonal relationships. This also can make a Supporter more at ease at work and it feeds their sense of loyalty.

TAKE TIME TO ANSWER QUESTIONS:

Supporters REALLY want to do a good job for you and if they feel like they are not sure how to best do that, it can cause a lot of anxiety. Supporters tend to ask a lot of questions about how you want things done. This can frustrate a Driver or Influencer because it's "slowing down the process", but realize it is normally coming from a place that really wants to do the project well.

ASK FOR THEIR OPINION:

Supporters are notorious for being the "quiet one" in the room. They tend to be very polite and do not want to "bother" you with their opinion. This does NOT mean that they do not have opinions! Often, since Supporters tend to be the best listeners and observers, their feedback is incredibly insightful, as they may see things others do not. If you make a supporter feel safe and comfortable (see "have a personal conversation” above), they may offer insights that others have not seen.

LET THEM TALK:

We just established that Supporters can be quiet and polite. For this reason, in a meeting it can be very easy to "bulldoze" over them. When you are talking to a Supporter this week, make an effort not to interrupt them. They often allow interruptions because they tend to be more passive, but slow down and listen for great results.

CLARIFY ROLES:

Supporters LOVE to have a sense of stability. Having clarity on what their role is and what successes they are having at their job feels very good to an S. Remember, they like to know how they can help, so if their role is clear and they have a good understanding of HOW to do their job well, they will feel a great sense of security and safety.

APPRECIATE A SUPPORTER ON YOUR TEAM THIS WEEK: Supporters will not ask for appreciation and in fact, they may shy away when you express it to them. IGNORE how they react and be sure to amply appreciate them! It’s food for their soul.

TEAM EXERCISE:

Be sure to use “rounding” in an upcoming meeting this week to be sure that all are heard. The Supporters on your team may not speak up unless you use this method. Rounding is a technique wherein each person, in a meeting, is given at least 30 seconds to express their thoughts or opinions on a topic or agenda item. Many times, only the Drivers or Influencers are heard because they are more likely to speak up… this does not mean that no one else has an opinion. It simply means that they may need to be asked to share in order to feel safe and comfortable to state what’s on their mind. Their insights might just surprise you.