Intentional leaders series continues with study of leadership styles

Tim Coleman, pastor of First Baptist Church Winfield, said God doesn’t create humanity with cookie cutters. Everyone is different.

“God wired us uniquely, and we all must live and function as who we are,” he said. “Today, let’s work on us!”

Coleman is a certified trainer for the Biblical DISC Assessment. He directed a session of the Intentional Leader Series on July 23 at the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions office facility in Prattville. Church leaders who attended completed the DISC assessment beforehand and brought results for analysis and discussion.

The DISC assessment asserts that “the most effective people are those who know themselves, recognize the demands of the situation and adjust or change their behavior so as to have the best chance to meet the needs of any given opportunity.”

Coleman said the goal for the day was to identify specific personality strengths and weaknesses, to build interpersonal skills and to improve relationships.

“The completed assessment is a snapshot of you today,” he said.

Types

Coleman explained the four main personality types. He said that the dominance style represents a leader with strong vision who enjoys a challenge. These leaders don’t like long meetings and projects that require many months of planning.

“These leaders are hard-charging,” he said. “They see impediments as a challenge to overcome. They can press the organization to effective change. But they can also be seen as blunt and move too fast in the perception of others.”

The influencing style indicates leaders are skilled in motivating others and seek to build relationships.

“Influencers are fun to be around,” he said. “They’re very people-oriented, and they enjoy cooperation with others to achieve results. They’re good disciple makers since they tend to have good people skills and conversational skills.”

Coleman identified this as his predominant DISC style and said it’s common for him to visit with other leaders and ask them about their spiritual growth and goals for Christian maturity.

“Influencers are verbal, and I can talk too much,” he said with a laugh.

Dealing with change

The steadiness style describes leaders who enjoy a predictable routine and a friendly environment and who “dislike change,” according to Coleman.

“These leaders form attachments and work best in a supportive and harmonious environment,” he said.

The final category is the conscientious style, representing leaders who are “cautiously analytical.”

“These leaders enjoy solitude and are highly motivated to get tasks accomplished,” Coleman said.

“They enjoy defined responsibility and precise detail. They’re naturally cautious and want the decision process to flow through the proper channels rather than people making impetuous decisions.”

Assessing

Coleman divided attendees into groups according to their assessment styles for further discussion. Individuals in groups listed qualities they’d seen in themselves. He then asked attendees to discuss the strengths of their personality types and some of the potential drawbacks.

“Self-awareness is key,” he said. “This instrument helps us know more about ourselves so that we can function at our best and learn to function better with others.”

Coleman also distributed a leadership table diagram and asked attendees to think about those who “sit at the table with you” and imagine what their leadership styles might be.

“Knowing this can help us work more efficiently,” he said. “We can help one another through mutual understanding to accomplish ministries for the Lord’s work.”

Coleman said he has administered the assessment with church leaders, and it has helped groups be more understanding and productive.

More information about the DISC assessment can be found at LeadLikeJesus.com or from the Office of LeaderCare at 800-264-1225, ext. 2218. Coleman can be reached at fbcwinfield.com.

The final session in the Intentional Leader Series for 2024 will be Sept. 17 and will focus on the work of the pastor. Facilitators will be Eric Hankins, pastor of First Baptist Church Fairhope, and David Eldridge, pastor of Dawson Memorial Baptist Church in Birmingham.