D + I + C · one of the four tri-types
DIC personality type (The Strategist)
The Strategist wins with a plan that is fast and checked.
The Strategist pairs a bold plan with numbers that hold up, and brings people along.
DIC is one of the four tri-types in the WiredType model. Dominance, Influence and Conscientiousness all play a part. This page describes the Strategist. If the Strategist is your type, you will likely recognize yourself in it. If you live or work with a Strategist, it shows what the Strategist is wired to do and how to work well together.
This page describes the DIC type in general. Take the free test to see your own result. It is free, and you won’t be asked for a credit card or any payment details. You can also see the Full Profile and its price for the complete DIC report.
Traits of the Strategist
This section covers what drives the Strategist and what the Strategist works to avoid, then the Strategist's main strength, main weakness, motto and signature animal, from WiredType's profile of the DIC type.
What drives the Strategist
- The Strategist wants people to follow their plan by choice, and the proof comes when a coworker repeats the Strategist's Friday deadline back without being asked.
- They want their family behind a bold plan, so they text each doubter the costs before they bring up the move at dinner.
- They want friends to pick their idea and trust their math, so they post the plan and the cost per person in one message.
- The Strategist wants to move fast with their money, and they still recheck every total in their budget before they pay the deposit.
- They want the right answer to also be the popular one, and a quick yes from everyone shows them both.
What the Strategist works to avoid
- The Strategist can fear that a less skilled rival who simply moved first will win over a coworker the Strategist spent weeks persuading, and the fear starts when that coworker stops answering.
- They can fear one preventable mistake costing their family's trust, and the worry starts when they hit submit on the tax return.
- They can fear pitching a plan to friends that they cannot prove, and the worry starts when the group chat goes quiet after their message.
- They can fear missing something obvious in their own plans, and the hard moment comes when the bank flags a bill they forgot to count.
- The Strategist can fear a smart move stalling while people wait for full agreement, and the fear starts when one choice comes up a third time.
Superpower (main strength)
When a plan starts to slip, the Strategist names the real numbers and the new date first, and people accept their date before anyone argues.
Kryptonite (main weakness)
When the smart move is to wait for one more answer, the Strategist can commit on Friday, and on Tuesday they redo the work that answer changed.
Motto
“If the numbers hold and people are behind it, we start today.”
Signature animal
The lion leads the pride with presence and a planned hunt.
How the Strategist works with each style
Each section describes what tends to happen between the Strategist and a colleague of one style, and gives a line the Strategist can say. If you are that colleague, read your own style's section.
DDIC and D (Dominance)
The Strategist and a D type colleague both want to make the final decision. The colleague respects the Strategist's speed and numbers. The Strategist respects how fast the colleague decides and owns the result. The first week is easy because both see the urgency. On Wednesday the Strategist walks two allies through the plan over coffee. On Thursday the colleague walks into the review and finds the room already leaning the Strategist's way. The colleague may read the coffees as a maneuver.
What the Strategist can say to a D-type colleague: “I respect your read on this. Here are my numbers first. Then we split which decisions you own and which I own, so we stop crossing each other.”
IDIC and I (Influence)
The Strategist and an I-type colleague both move fast and like a full room. The I-type sees the Strategist as a fellow talker who opens the spreadsheet mid-meeting. The Strategist sees the I-type as the person who can sell the plan to forty people and sometimes skip the Friday follow-up. The pair works when the Strategist sets the plan and the I-type rallies the team. It breaks when the I-type hears the Strategist's numbers as a no, or the Strategist reads the I-type's excitement as poor preparation.
What the Strategist can say to an I-type colleague: “I like where your idea is going. I want to add a little structure so we can decide today. If you had to choose right now, which one would you pick?”
SDIC and S (Steadiness)
The Strategist's lowest dimension is S, so an S-type colleague brings the patience, steadiness and attention to people that the Strategist uses least. Stability is what lets the S-type do their best work. On Monday the Strategist announces the new launch date in the 9 a.m. meeting and moves to the next slide. The S-type stays behind with the analyst who has to rebuild the schedule. When the S-type trusts the Strategist, the S-type delivers the plan week after week, on time. When the Strategist pushes changes past the S-type, the S-type stops speaking in the Wednesday meeting. The silence often goes unnoticed until Thursday, when the S-type's part of the plan slips.
What the Strategist can say to an S-type colleague: “I sprang that change on you too fast. I went straight to the numbers before I asked what you think. What worries you most about it? I have the next half hour, and I want to hear it.”
CDIC and C (Conscientiousness)
The Strategist and a C-type colleague tend to both work from the numbers, and the C-type digs deeper. The Strategist sends a one-page summary on Monday. By Tuesday the C-type replies with a list of the rows the Strategist never opened. Because the Strategist checks their own rows, the C-type respects that rigor more than a pure D-type's or I-type's. The Strategist can spot a gap in the C-type's analysis, and the C-type catches what the Strategist's faster pass missed. Tension starts when the Strategist stops at the strategy and the C-type keeps reading.
What the Strategist can say to a C-type colleague: “I trust your analysis, and I need it by a set time. Tell me which assumption drives this. Bring me your recommendation by Friday at noon, with your work attached. If you need more time or data to feel sure, tell me today.”
Explore how DISC styles work together
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