D their lead style/D your lead style
Managing a Dominance-led employee when you lead with Dominance
Two drivers in one reporting line. Decisions are fast, standards are clear, and neither of you wastes a minute of the other's time. The only real question is who owns what, because you will both reach for the same wheel.
What this pairing does well
- Direct feedback lands without bruising. Say it plainly and move on
- Stretch targets read as respect, not pressure
- Short meetings, decisions made in the room
- Neither side needs the relationship warmed up before business
Where it breaks
- Authority collisions: two people deciding unilaterally in the same lane
- Escalations turn into contests instead of conversations
- Nobody in the pair naturally slows down to check the people cost
The practices that fix it
- Split ownership by domain in writing. One lane each, tie-breaks pre-agreed
- Give them a target and the authority to hit it, then stay out of the method
- When you overrule them, do it once, clearly, with the reason. Never relitigate
- Book a monthly check on the humans around you both; neither of you will raise it unprompted
The dynamic in one paragraph
Two drivers. Decisions come fast and the scoreboard stays clear, and there is a collision risk whenever both want the wheel. Split ownership by domain so each has a lane, and agree on who breaks ties before the tie happens.
Guess less. Measure both of you.
The onboarding track measures DISC, Big Five, a 16-type code, and the Enneagram, then combines them into one profile.