S + D · one of the twelve blends

Sd personality type (The Shield)

The Shield protects their people and holds them to a high standard.

This type used to be called The Iron Hand in a Velvet Glove.

The Shield is steady and firm, and protects people with quiet authority.

Sd is one of the twelve blends in the WiredType model. Steadiness leads, and Dominance is close behind. People also write this blend as SD or S/D. The Ds blend, in which Dominance leads, is a different type. This page describes the Shield. If the Shield is your type, you will likely recognize yourself in it. If you live or work with a Shield, it shows what the Shield is wired to do and how to work well together.

Take the free test See all 25 types

This page describes the Sd 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 Sd report.

Traits of the Shield

This section covers what drives the Shield and what the Shield works to avoid, then the Shield's main strength, main weakness, motto and signature animal, from WiredType's profile of the Sd type.

What drives the Shield

  • The Shield wants people at work to get everything they were promised, so when a delivery the Shield counted on arrives late, the Shield stays to finish the job that night.
  • They want the load shared at work, so after they stay late twice to finish the same coworker's work, they ask that coworker to stay late the next time it comes up.
  • They want their friends treated fairly, so they speak up the moment someone at the club talks over the quiet one.
  • The Shield wants money set aside for the hard month, so they keep three months of bills in savings and check the balance every Sunday.
  • They want a line they draw to hold, so a deadline they set for Friday at noon is still Friday at noon the next week.

What the Shield works to avoid

  • At work the Shield can fear one sharp email ending a long working relationship, so they rewrite a hard reply four times.
  • They can fear turning harsh with the people they train, and the hard moment comes when a trainee at the clinic ignores their second calm reminder.
  • They can fear losing trust they built over years, and it starts when an old friend goes quiet after the Shield turns down a favor.
  • The Shield can fear chaos they cannot steady, and it starts when a $900 car repair and the rent land in the same week.
  • They can fear being seen as weak or as cruel, and the hard moment comes in the quiet right after they say no.

Superpower (main strength)

When someone the Shield cares about admits they are struggling, the Shield hears the whole story first. Then the Shield helps them choose one next step and the day they will take it.

Kryptonite (main weakness)

The Shield quietly takes on someone else's share to keep the peace and stays up until midnight finishing it. The next morning they tell everyone they are fine.

Motto

“I look after my people. If you mistreat them, you deal with me first.”

Signature animal

The elephant is gentle with its family, protects it fiercely and remembers who was loyal.

How the Shield works with each style

Each section describes what tends to happen between the Shield and a colleague of one style, and gives a line the Shield can say. If you are that colleague, read your own style's section.

DSd and D (Dominance)

A D-type colleague sets the pace, and the Shield watches the people. On Monday the D-type announces a new target, and by Wednesday the Shield has checked who can carry it. When this works, the D-type sets the goal and the Shield builds the team that reaches it. When it fails, the D-type talks over a teammate's objection, the Shield smooths it over afterward, and the Shield's concerns stay off the agenda.

What the Shield can say to a D-type colleague: “I support the plan. Give me until Thursday at 10 before it goes out, so I can check that everyone can make it and talk first with the people it affects most.”

ISd and I (Influence)

The Shield and an I-type colleague care about the same team in different ways. The I-type brings talk and new ideas, and the Shield keeps people working together. When it works, the two build a team people want to stay on. When it strains, the I-type pitches ideas faster than the Shield can hold Friday's plan steady. The Shield redoes the plan that night.

What the Shield can say to an I-type colleague: “I love the energy in these ideas. We already set the date and the budget, and I'm holding both. Can you help me pick the one idea that fits?”

SSd and S (Steadiness)

The Shield and an S-type colleague settle in fast, because both work steadily and speak calmly. The risk is that neither one pushes, so a change the team needs sits for weeks while both keep the peace.

What the Shield can say to an S-type colleague: “We both saw this happen again, and neither of us said anything. Can we raise it together this week? I'll start the conversation, and you back me up.”

CSd and C (Conscientiousness)

A C-type colleague brings analysis that strengthens the Shield's decisions. The Shield writes what the team hears. On a good Tuesday, the C-type's 14-tab model and the Shield's announcement go out together. On a bad one, the C-type is still modeling at six, and the team asks the Shield what changes.

What the Shield can say to a C-type colleague: “Your numbers are thorough. Before we share this, I want one answer: how will people take it? Let's write what we'll tell them next to the numbers by Wednesday.”

Is Sd your type?

The free test is five scenarios and shows your most likely type. You do not need to give an email address. Your Full Profile is written from your four scores and goes deeper on the Sd profile, across 54 pages: the full portrait, strengths and growth, leadership, career, and relationships.

Take the free test See the Full Profile, $29.95

If you already know your type, invite someone you know to take the free test and compare. You will both see how your types work together.

Compare with someone you know
A sample page from the Sd Full Profile, titled What charges you. What drains.
Sample page A page from the Sd Full Profile, exactly as a buyer receives it. If your type is different, your Full Profile has the same page written for your type. Open the page full size.