How to Earn Respect from Diplomat Personalities

Part 3 of 5 in our Earning Respect Challenge: See how to earn – or lose – the respect of your Diplomat team members

Image from 16personalities.com

Do you lead a Diplomat (INFJ | INFP | ENFJ | ENFP)? 

Diplomats include all personality types who share the Intuitive and Feeling personality traits. They are cooperative and imaginative, often playing the role of harmonizers in their workplace. They are warm, empathic, and influential individuals, but they may have trouble relying exclusively on cold rationality or making difficult decisions.

Welcome to Day 3 of our five-day Earning Respect Challenge, where we reveal how to earn (or quickly lose) the respect of your Diplomat team members. 

I work with a team of very talented Diplomats (among other personalities). Recently, our leader announced significant changes to how we work. While we all had concerns about our day-to-day responsibilities, my Diplomat colleagues focused on something bigger: 

How will these changes affect the quality of work that we deliver to our customers? And how can we ensure that these changes don’t diminish it but actually improve it?

Did you catch that? Their main concern was the impact on the greater good and the customers we serve. By listening to and actually addressing these concerns through (many!) one-on-one meetings, our leader maintained and reinforced the respect of his Diplomat team members.

Now let’s apply this to your leadership.

Today, we’ll explore: 

• The single most impactful action that you can take to earn Diplomats’ respect

• The biggest misstep that could quickly cost you their regard

• A thought-provoking question to help you refine your leadership approach for these sensitive, purpose-driven individuals

The Best Way to Earn Diplomats’ Respect

If there’s one thing that will make Diplomat personalities sit up and take notice, it’s consistently demonstrating genuine empathy in your decision-making process. But this goes beyond simply saying “I understand.” 

Here’s an example of empathetic decision-making done right: 

Imagine that you’re faced with a decision to restructure your department. Instead of focusing solely on efficiency metrics, you take the time to meet with each team member individually. You listen to their concerns, validate their feelings, and incorporate their insights into your plan. When you present the final decision, you clearly articulate how you’ve factored in the well-being of the team alongside business needs.

Moreover, you frame the restructuring not just as a cost-saving measure but also as an opportunity to create a more collaborative environment that will allow the team to make a greater positive impact on your customers and community. 

For instance, you might say, “I understand that these changes may feel unsettling. However, by streamlining our processes, we’ll be able to dedicate more resources to our community outreach program, which I know many of you are passionate about. I’d like to hear your ideas on how we can maximize this opportunity to make a difference.”

Tip: Diplomats are driven by a desire to contribute to a greater good. They value leaders who can balance pragmatism with compassion and who aren’t afraid to sometimes let their heart guide their head.

The Biggest Turnoff That Will Lose Diplomats’ Respect