Here is a great tool to have in your toolbox when assessing your department or team and how it can help you find the best way to communicate to your team as well as a way for your team to better understand their peers and how they can communicate more efficiently.
I used it in a staff meeting to introduce it to some and helped remind others who have heard it before to bring it to the foreground. It went hand-in-hand while I was introducing The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team to my department.
Here is a portion of a PowerPoint slide deck I used. I include it to give you as a reference or see (I Power Seeds).
Staff Meeting Overview of DISC
The information below comes from DiscProfile.
For further details – Click Here
This is an excellent video summarizing DiSC profiles:
What is DiSC?
DiSC is a personal assessment tool used to improve work productivity, teamwork, and communication.
The DiSC profile is a non-judgemental tool used for discussion of people’s behavioral differences. If you take the test, you’ll be asked to complete a series of questions that produce a report about your personality and behavior.
The DiSC model provides a common language that people can use to better understand themselves and adapt their behaviors with others.
How will DiSC help?
- Increase your self‐knowledge: how you respond to conflict, what motivates you, what
- causes you stress and how you solve problems
- Improve working relationships by recognizing the communication needs of team members
- Facilitate better teamwork and minimize team conflictManage more effectively by understanding the dispositions and priorities of team members
DiSC profiles help you and your team:
• Increase your self-knowledge: how you respond to conflict, what motivates you, what causes you stress and how you solve problems
• Improve working relationships by recognizing the communication needs of team members
• Facilitate better teamwork and minimize team conflict
• Develop stronger sales skills by identifying and responding to customer styles
• Manage more effectively by understanding the dispositions and priorities of employees and team members
• Become more self-knowledgeable, well-rounded and effective leaders
What does DiSC stand for? What do the letters mean?
Dominance
Person places emphasis on accomplishing results, the bottom line, confidence
Behaviors
– Sees the big picture
– Can be blunt
– Accepts challenges
– Gets straight to the point
People with D place an emphasis on shaping the environment by overcoming opposition to accomplish results.
A person with a D style
- is motivated by winning, competition and success
- prioritizes accepting challenge, taking action and achieving immediate results
- is described as direct, demanding, forceful, strong willed, driven, and determined, fast-paced, and self-confident
- may be limited by lack of concern for others, impatience and open skepticism
- may fear being seen as vulnerable or being taken advantage of
- values competency, action, concrete results, personal freedom, challenges
Goals:
- unique accomplishments
- new opportunities
- control of audience
- independence
Will need to expend more energy to:
- show patience
- display sensitivity
- get into the details
- allow deliberation
When communicating with the D style individuals, give them the bottom line, be brief, focus your discussion narrowly, avoid making generalizations, refrain from repeating yourself, and focus on solutions rather than problems.
Influence
Person places emphasis on influencing or persuading others, openness, relationships
Behaviors
– Shows enthusiasm
– Is optimistic
– Likes to collaborate
– Dislikes being ignored
People with the i style place an emphasis on shaping the environment by influencing or persuading others.
A person with an i style:
- may be limited by being impulsive and disorganized and having lack of follow-through
- is described as convincing, magnetic, enthusiastic, warm, trusting and optimistic
- prioritizes taking action, collaboration, and expressing enthusiasm
- is motivated by social recognition, group activities, and relationships
- may fear loss of influence, disapproval and being ignored
- values coaching and counseling, freedom of expression and democratic relationships
Goals
- victory with flair
- friendship and happiness
- authority and prestige status symbols
- popularity
Will need to expend more energy to:
- follow-through completely
- research all the facts
- speak directly and candidly
- stay focused for long periods
When communicating with the i style individual, share your experiences, allow the i style person time to ask questions and talk themselves, focus on the positives, avoid overloading them with details, and don’t interrupt them.
Steadiness
Person places emphasis on cooperation, sincerity, dependability
Behaviors
– Doesn’t like to be rushed
– Calm manner
– Calm approach
– Supportive actions
People with the S style place an emphasis on cooperating with others within existing circumstances to carry out the task..
A person with an S style:
- is motivated by cooperation, opportunities to help and sincere appreciation
- prioritizes giving support, collaboration and maintaining stability
- is described as calm, patient, predictable, deliberate, stable and consistent
- may be limited by being indecisive, overly accommodating and tendency to avoid change
- may fear change, loss of stability and offending others
- values loyalty, helping others and security
Goals:
- personal accomplishments
- group acceptance
- power through formal roles and positions of authority
- maintenance of status quo and controlled environment
Will need to expend more energy to:
- quickly adapt to change or unclear expectations
- multitask
- promote themselves
- confront others
When communicating with the S style individuals, be personal and amiable, express your interest in them and what you expect from them, take time to provide clarification, be polite, and avoid being confrontational, overly aggressive or rude.
Conscientiousness
Person places emphasis on quality and accuracy, expertise, competency
Behaviors
– Enjoys independence
– Objective reasoning
– Wants the details
– Fears being wrong
People with the C style place an emphasis on working conscientiously within existing circumstances to ensure quality and accuracy.
A person with a C style:
- is motivated by opportunities to gain knowledge, showing their expertise, and quality work
- prioritizes ensuring accuracy, maintaining stability, and challenging assumptions
- is described as careful, cautious, systematic, diplomatic, accurate and tactful
- may be limited by being overcritical, overanalyzing and isolating themselves
- may fear criticism and being wrong
- values quality and accuracy
Goals:
- unique accomplishments
- correctness
- stability
- predictable accomplishments
- personal growth
Will need to expend more energy to:
- let go of and delegate tasks
- compromise for the good of the team
- join in social events and celebrations
- make quick decisions
When communicating with the C style individual, focus on facts and details; minimize “pep talk” or emotional language; be patient, persistent and diplomatic.
Other Resources:
Free Test:
https://www.123test.com/disc-personality-test/
