The Social Leader is someone who scores high on Sociability (HPI) and Affiliation (MVPI). These individuals are very proactive in the way that they communicate and are seen as approachable and socially skilled by others. They often do very well at networking, communicating, and likely make a good first impression. Given their social style, they are motivated and driven by not only communicating with others but also just by being in social situations. Sometimes, however, they tend to over-communicate and frequently interrupt others. This often leads them to be less inclined to listen to others. Also over time, more reserved individuals will start to see them as loud and domineering.
Given their need for social interaction, sometimes the Social Leader can confuse socialising with productivity, leaving others to be distracted when completing tasks or assignments. They may also prolong conversations that others may not want to be involved in. Given their likely distraction to others, you could coach this type of leader around getting them to determine where and when is an appropriate time to communicate. Have them evaluate their surroundings, are they around others who may be trying to work quietly? Have them ask when they approach someone for a conversation, “do you have a few minutes?”. Then coach them around keeping their conversation to that timeframe. They should also evaluate the content of what they are communicating to determine if it is appropriate at that time.
The Social Leader also tends to strike up conversations sometimes without notice. When this happens, one coaching tip could be to have them stop to listen to what the other person is saying. Then have them determine if the content is appropriate and work related, or are they just demonstrating non-productive socialisation. If it is not work-related, have them create a key phrase that the other person could say to them that allows the conversation to end. Another technique to get them to listen and observe the situation is to get them to focus on what the other person is saying by paraphrasing. What is the main topic that they are trying to reach? Instead of formulating their own thoughts, have them ask pointed questions to the individual to ensure they understand the conversation.
One of the Social Leader’s tendencies is to insert themselves into conversations even if they weren’t invited. As such, one thing they should Stop doing is chiming in and providing input when it is not solicited. If they have a trusted colleague, the Social Leader could ask them to count the number of times they saw them interrupt others. Given each situation, determine what and why they felt the need to provide their thoughts and was it appropriate? When they are talking do they share the space with others? In other words, do they tend to dominate the conversation such that the other person doesn’t have any air time. If this is the case, as a coach, you could help them determine over the next month what their balance is in conversations. To do this, they might reflect on each conversation to determine if they were listening to the other person; did they know the main topic and what the conversation was about? Another technique could be to carry a recorder so they can use this to later reflect. If they chose to do this technique, work with them to create a checklist of things they should tryout when communicating to help reflect on whether or not they did them during the conversation.
Lastly, these individuals do very well at proactively reaching out to others when needed, which can be good for those direct reports that are more reactive and behind the scenes. As such, the Social Leader should Continue proactively reaching out to others and their direct reports when needed. This will help them stay visible and open to their team. They should also Continue to develop connections and network to keep their social need motivated.
