Supportive, Patient and Reliable: S (Steadiness) DISC Profile for Authors

Once I make the decision to do something, I tend to take quick action. This often confuses my team. But what they don’t realise is that I’ve been pondering it for a while internally rather than talking about it for months or years. I lead with a ‘S’ profile in the DISC profiling tool, with ‘Influence’ and ‘Compliance’ as my secondary strengths. Although I can shapeshift to work with someone with any kind of profile, ‘S’ is one I know well.

In this fourth blog in a series focusing on DISC personal profiling and how it can impact you as an author, an entrepreneur and an individual, today I’d like to focus on the S (Steadiness) DISC Profile. And in a moment, I'll introduce you to Lorraine Senior.

You can check out my blog for more detail on each of the profiles and how you can use it to enhance your strengths and work on your limitations (we all have them!)

‘S’ Strengths = Supportive, Patient, Reliable

High S profiles are easy going and conscientious. They may take a while to make the decision to do something big like write a book, when they have committed to the idea, they tend to make it happen. Although they may not do it speedily, as they are known for their reliability and consistency.

Lorraine joined my online programme 'Smart Author System - Community' in 2020, and when I launched my group programme 'Smart Author - Fast Track' in 2021, she decided that she needed some extra support. Alongside this, she had some one-to-one support from me with her final developmental edits, and her first book Reflexology for Schools launched in January 2024.

When I started working with Lorraine, I observed high S in her profile. Although it’s not her only strength, it’s the one I believe she leads from. I also recognise some ‘I’ in Lorraine’s profile, which meant she had to work quite hard to get and stay organised!

Lorraine is a patient, thoughtful and empathetic soul, attuned to the emotions and concerns of others. Lorraine found it easier to write her book when she decided to focus on the stories of some of her young clients. This meant she could showcase their journey, relating to her reader on an emotional level, making her book engaging and heartfelt.

‘S’ Limitations = Resistant to change, over-accommodating, difficulty asserting

Although high S profiles can be patient, they can also be overly accommodating. The biggest challenge they face is ensuring their book is a high enough priority.

High 'S' profiles will often put other people before themselves. This means their book can easily go on the back burner, and the process then takes longer than they would like. Lorraine agreed that this has been the case for her.

And although they can likely diligently work through an online programme, having support in a group can help them to keep on track with their goals, meet their deadlines and make steady progress. This is what Lorraine chose to do. However, they are likely to be quieter than their ‘I’ counterparts. Even if they have something they want to contribute, they don’t always have the confidence to say it, so they can blend into the background if they’re not careful.

However, in saying this, when I recently contacted Lorraine for feedback on our Smart Author - Fast Track programme, she told me how it was useful to hear from other people’s experiences as they were writing their books as they galvanised her into taking action.

With the writing itself, high S profiles are much less likely than high D profiles to assert themselves in their writing, which means that they may shy away from saying what they think or being disruptive with their writing. This is an area where a book coach or mentor can help them to step into their expertise.

Their preference for stability and routine can sometimes lead to resistance when it comes to making significant changes to their writing. They may be hesitant to revise or restructure their work, even if it's necessary for improvement. But they need this improvement to provide reassurance during moments of uncertainty.

Marketing can be a challenge for ‘S’ and ‘C’ profiles (more on the latter next week), as they are quieter and more reserved than their ‘D’ and ‘I’ counterparts, and a book can only have an impact if people know that it exists.

Lorraine's book, Reflexology for Schools launched in January 2024.

If you identify with the ‘S’ profile, how does this affect how you write your book?

• It may take a while for you to commit to writing a book, and you may do a lot of thinking before you communicate it to other people, but once you’ve said you’re going to do it, it’s likely to happen.
• If you’re self-motivated and confident in your topic, you’ll probably work solidly through an online programme (like Smart Author – Self-study or Community) but would likely work best with regular input and support. When you work alongside a book mentor on a group mastermind programme like Smart Author – Fast Track, you will get the encouragement and confidence boost you need and reassurance during moments of uncertainty.
• Be consistent, as this is one of your strengths. You’ll benefit from weekly sessions of writing booked into your diary. But if you don’t manage to achieve these weekly sessions, then you may get frustrated and annoyed that it hasn’t happened.
• It’s important that you get support from other people in your life so that you write your book and set some boundaries in place. This includes family, friends and clients, as without this support you are likely to put yours and your book needs first. You also may need to say no to opportunities to get the consistent words down onto paper.
• Showing up online isn’t likely a place of comfort, and you may prefer the written word to video, but make sure you tell people about your book. You could choose to do this via research, email or social media interactions. Also, look at how you can be supported through marketing like podcasts or interviews.

If you identify with the ‘S’ profile, how does this affect your readers?

In terms of appealing to readers, you are likely to emit a warm and friendly tone through your writing but remember that your ideal readers may be another profile.

'I' readers may want more energy, so make sure that you use stories and storytelling to back up your arguments and ideas.

'D' is an opposing trait to a ‘S’, so they want more directness and less fluff – a summary and subheadings are good for Ds, so they can skip some of the content and get the general gist.

‘Cs' will want data and research to back up the things that you are saying.

Getting support with your book

If you recognise yourself as a high ‘S’ profile, then let’s chat about how I can support you as your Book Mentor.

You value structure and certainty, so you will likely enjoy working through me. You can book a call with me to discuss the options here: https://librotasbookfocus.youcanbook.me.

What did you think about this post? Are you a high S or know someone who is? Check out next week's blog post where I'll explore the 'C'.

A word of caution

While DISC is a powerful tool, it's important to remember that personality profiling is just one among many methods for understanding human behaviour, and it's one of many tools I use. It offers valuable insights, but it should be used in conjunction with other approaches to achieve a comprehensive understanding of people. It's also worth noting I am a DISC trained practitioner through Thomas International and it helps to work with an expert to understand yourself better and know where you excel and where you might need help.