Diversity as a strength in project work

Everything DiSC – tool for self-awareness and team development

DiSC is the world’s most widely applied behavioral analysis tool based on 30 years of systematic research. It has been used in over 60 countries and applied to approximately 45 million profiles. The insights it provides support improving communication skills, prevent and resolve conflicts and enhance leadership, sales and team collaboration effectiveness.

DiSC profiles provide language and structure for understanding behavior, communication and leadership styles. This tool has also been validated in Finland - its suitability and the distribution of results are verified through research based on thousands of profiles.

What if you knew more about people’s natural behavior?

While working in leadership positions - with projects as well as training and coaching - it's always been fascinated to study human differences and how diversity can be harnessed as a strength. DiSC often resonates with people through increased self-awareness. This in turn enhances their ability to operate effectively in diverse environments and situations and supports teams to function more efficiently and even saving time.

Jori's personal experience with interpreting over 1,500 profiles reinforces the effectiveness of DiSC and confirms that the development must be a continuous process where leadership is based on building trust and strengthening psychological safety. Understanding people’s behavioral styles, motivation factors and responses to conflict—and how to adapt behavior accordingly—lays the foundation for more seamless, trust-based collaboration.

The value of training

One of the most rewarding aspects of training is seeing the moments of joy and excitement when people realize the benefits of DiSC. This often happens through practical examples and peer learning. Groups learn from and with each other - and frequently, peer networks are formed within organizations that carry forward the lessons learned into everyday work life.

Situations where DiSC training brings immediate value

• Implementing common ways of working

• Forming new teams

• Further development of management teams

• Strengthening team cohesion

• Launching large-scale projects

  
  

What are the typical DiSC profiles?

From over 800 individual profiles particularly among Finns, certain characteristics stand out—creativity, focus on development, results orientation and objectivity. These traits are often combined with a tendency toward precise and detail-oriented work which is characteristic in the Finnish business world.

When analyzing project managers specifically (a group of over 400 individuals across different industries), the most common traits are analytical thinking, precision, carefulness and task orientation. This raises an important question: do these profiles align with the expectations of a project manager’s role? Or might a more extroverted, people-oriented, fast decision-making, and results-driven style be better suited for certain types of projects? Together with our clients, we explore the answers to these questions.

What defines a successful project leader?

The pace of change accelerates all the time and demands for agility are growing. Broad global trends are constantly influencing our businesses, often without a clear beginning or end - change is as well continuously evolving into different forms. The importance of leadership skills has grown in this environment and is increasingly critical under the pressure of unique, complex and uncertain projects. Digital tools are excellent and powerful, but the real success factors for achieving development outcomes are still people - leadership, collaboration and communication skills.

Understanding others' differences is rooted in a culture of openness, dialogue, and mutual respect. A safe environment must be created where everyone feels empowered to share their expertise and opinion - and challenge ideas when necessary. Embracing diversity and integrating different skill sets is a strong enabler of success creating networks of individuals who may be very different but work together toward a shared goal.

A project leader must stay alert and responsive throughout the project. This means being able to read situations, provide systematic timely appropriate feedback to maintain motivation and ensure corrective actions are taken. It requires trusting the team's expertise while allowing them the freedom to work in ways that suit their natural styles. At the same time, the leader must be ready to support the team, navigate challenges and work with upper management and key stakeholders to resolve issues.

Project manager role demands strong situational and emotional intelligence to adjust leadership approaches accordingly. When managing a large strategic project, the project leader may under the client's mandate need to demand actions firmly from partners - but always encouraging constructively and respectfully. Awareness of cultural differences is vital and sometimes requires personally engaging key individuals to bring them into workshops and encouraging them with compelling arguments - to emphasize why their input is critical for the project's success. In a nutshell project leadership calls for a chameleon-like working style, persistence and composure guided by common sense.

Challenges of remote way of working

When in-person meetings aren't always possible, it becomes more difficult to build shared understanding—especially in dispersed project organizations. Video and Teams meetings inevitably cut out essential parts of communication: facial expressions and gestures are reduced or lost and even audio can be unreliable. Both business and project leaders must rely on and “hear the quiet signals” of their teams and adjust their communication and leadership styles as needed using every means available. While we should embrace the benefits of digitalization, we must remember that robots can’t (yet) replace human brains when it comes to interpreting business reports or leading strategic transformation initiatives aimed at boosting competitiveness.

Summary – one view of project leadership profile

1. Trust-based leadership which relies on people's internal motivation, ability and desire to learn

2. Strong communication skills including dialogue with various stakeholders

3. Courage to lead both in terms of tasks and team dynamics

4. Ability to give and receive feedback and to learn from it

5. Problem-solving, negotiation and decision-making skills

6. Attitude, passion and readiness for continuous development

   
   

Growing as a person and as a leader is a lifelong learning journey.

Writers

Jori Kosonen

CEO Talent Network

Marja Laitinen

Senior Consultant

Talent Network