DDominance (pure)

The Driver

Results first, comfort later.

This person runs at the goal. They decide quickly, take ownership without being asked, and treat obstacles as personal insults. What they want from you is a target, the authority to chase it, and as little process as you can legally allow.

Strengths

Makes fast decisions with incomplete information
Takes ownership by default, without being asked
Unafraid of hard conversations and hard negotiations
Raises the urgency of everyone around them
Recovers from losses fast and comes back swinging

Blind spots

Steamrolls quieter voices without noticing
Mistakes deliberation for weakness
A win can leave bruised feelings behind that they never see
Delegates the task but not the context

Communicating with them

Lead with the bottom line
Bring problems with options attached
Be blunt. They can take it, and they respect it
Keep meetings short and decisions explicit
Challenge them openly when you disagree

Don't

Pad bad news
Take over details they own
Make small talk the main course
Expect them to read subtle hints
Slow-walk a no. A no with a reason beats a maybe

Motivators

Authority matched to accountability
Hard targets other people think are unreachable
Visible wins
Fast progression
Direct access to decision-makers

Demotivators

Micromanagement
Consensus processes with no owner
Slow feedback cycles
Ceremonial meetings

Feedback that lands

Deliver it straight. Brevity is not optional
Be specific about cost: 'this decision cost us X'
When correcting style, tie it to outcomes they care about: losing the room means losing the decision
Never sandwich. They discard the bread and distrust the meat

Stress signals

Gets more blunt and interrupts more
Makes unilateral decisions that skip agreed process
Impatience hardens into visible contempt

Delegation

Hand them the outcome, not the method, and say when you want to hear back. If you find yourself specifying steps, you've given them the wrong project.

First 90 days

Give them a real deliverable in week one, not a ramp-up plan
Introduce them to decision-makers early
Define the edges of their authority explicitly. Otherwise they find the edges by crossing them
Schedule a week-six check on relationships alongside results

1:1 questions

What's blocking you that I can remove?
Where do you need more authority than you have?
Who have you run over lately?
What would you do in my seat that I'm not doing?
What target feels too easy?

Managing someone who leads with Dominance? The directional guides cover that pairing from your own style. Wondering which archetype your newest hire is?

Send them the assessment