After Dominance, the next DISC factor is Influence, also known simply as 'I'. Influence is associated with a sunny, friendly and extrovert personality, warm and open to other people, sociable and gregarious. People with a high Influence score (called 'High-I's') are communicative and outgoing, and often possess well-developed social skills and an urge to meet and talk with other people. Influence is the second factor described by a DISC graph, reading from the left. The communicative and socially confident style of those with high Influence tends to be balanced by a rather impulsive and emotionally-based approach to life. The urge to relate to and impress those around them can lead such a person to act in ways that other less socially-oriented personalities find very difficult to understand. The hardest thing for a High-I to accept is rejection. They need to interact positively with those around them, and their friendly, open style usually helps them to maintain relations of this kind. The socially active nature of the highly Influential personality is often an important factor in bringing other less gregarious personality styles together. By their nature, High-I's are extremely trusting and ingenuous. Their desire to be open with other people can lead them at times to reveal information or express feelings that more controlled types might prefer to keep hidden. For this reason, they are sometimes seen as lacking in tact. Nonetheless, their natural communicative abilities often permit them to talk themselves out of any difficult situation resulting from their lack of diplomacy. |