Who would have thought that only 2% of the population are like Trump?
Many people these days are trying to make sense of Donald Trump's actions. They are asking fundamental questions. Does he really believe what he says? What's motivating him? How do you get through to him? Where does it stop? You won't like the answers.
Paring through my library over the weekend I came across my DISC reference manual. (A DISC profile corresponds to generally observed behaviours, how a person shows up.) I quickly flipped through it because I remembered that inside were DISC graphs of famous people, among them Donald Trump. Looking at his chart wasn’t necessarily a revelation but definitely a confirmation. If you don’t believe in psychometrics, this just might change your mind.
As you can see in his chart, Trump is a !High! D. Descriptors include forceful, blunt, domineering, impatient and authoritative. The emotion of the D type is anger. The higher the D the shorter the fuse. High Ds need to direct. They have a desire and drive to win; they need to be on top. Furthermore, they love risk and the thrill of victory, damn the consequences. Finally, they want to be heard and have a forum to express their ideas and viewpoints. Sound familiar?
Trump’s below the line C reinforces his appetite for risk. This is because the emotion associated with the C/compliance factor is fear. Trump falls into the fearless range - self-willed, obstinate, self-righteous, uninhibited, unbending and arbitrary.
The emotion associated with high I is optimism. Trump’s is low I, he’s not warm, magnetic, and polished (typical high I traits) but falls in the skeptical, suspicious, moody and critical camp. Hence his reliance on fear to influence and persuade.
Trump has a negligible S/steadiness factor. The S factor is associated with emotional expression and responsiveness. A high S type will be loyal, a good listener, empathetic and motivated towards the traditional, the status quo. Trump is the opposite. He is emotionally expressive, impatient, impulsive and impetuous.
But it’s the almost off-the-chart D combined with a low ISC that makes Trump a truly interesting specimen. Trump is what is referred to as pure high-D and these types make up only 2% of the population. Trump is a non-conformist and agitator. He believes what he wants and what is useful to him. He is relentless and loves the fight.
So how do you deal with someone like that? Here's my advice.
First, rapport will be hard to gain and likely won’t matter much. Trump is not interested in small talk and is prickly, impatient and distrustful. He does like being the center of attention and having something new and shiny to focus his attention on though. A compliment, slightly off-colour joke could be a good ice-breaker. Be entertaining and witty otherwise you will bore him.
Set the stage by appealing to his ego. Overt expressions of gratitude and respect will go a long way, but don’t be obsequious.
No demands or hard closes. You are there to consult, suggest and above all help solve his problems and make him look good. Plant seeds, don’t expect immediate wins.
Present objective facts, not grievances. He doesn’t care about your problems but he is aware of the realities around him. While he won’t shy away from risk he doesn’t like when turmoil and consequences reflect back on him. His current image and legacy motivate him.
Get down to business by gently pointing out how execution on the ground (not his decisions and actions) are starting to detract from his image and real goals. Present solutions not as win-win but even bigger win for him in terms of popularity.
Drop names. He won’t trust you but he pays attention to a select group of influencers beyond his inner circle. Planting seeds of doubt about the loyalties and intent of those he trusts would not go amiss either.
Be ready to spar and don’t back down. He “respects” strength and straight talk. Openly contradicting him is a bad idea though.
Good luck with that!
