DiSC Profiling

DiSC profiles look at how you respond to certain situations, your drives and motivations, how to influence others and how you respond to and interact with your co-workers. Employers use DiSC assessments to assess teams effectiveness, communication, and match potential candidates to their roles.

DiSC profiles describe behavioural styles and how to relate better with others in the workplace. When people understand their own behaviour and that of others, they learn how to communicate more effectively and relate better to the different needs of the people around them, thus making the work environment so much simpler and easier to navigate and ultimately more productive.

There is no such thing as a good, or bad DiSC profile…it just is. A DiSC profile helps people to look in the mirror and articulate who they are and what moves them. DiSC is an objective tool that opens up thoughts and conversations that normally couldn’t be accessed. The insights that these internal and external conversations lead to are revelatory and profound. A DiSC profile is not a “one and done” tool – A DiSC profile should be a living document that is continually referenced and helps people build self-awareness over a long period of time. It is important to understand that the DiSC process is not about change – it is about awareness. Using DiSC to grow a deeper sense of awareness and emotional intelligence helps people move into a place of presence, control and intention and away from chaotic, emotional and reactive behaviour.

Leaders, in particular are more successful when they understand their leadership approach and the environmental conditions they create for their team. Employers use DiSC information to assemble teams that work and communicate well together which results in a more productive flow of communication within a structured context. Each DiSC personality style has its unique strengths, weaknesses and nuances within itself. Understanding the different DiSC styles and characteristics can enhance workplace relationships.

DiSC is a widely used assessment tool that helps individuals understand their behavioral styles and communication preferences. Wanting to classify human behaviour is not new. As early as 400 BC, it was the founder of Western medicine, Hippocrates, who set out to observe and explain human behaviour. He identified 4 temperaments:

• Choleric: quick temper, hot-tempered
• Sanguine: fiery and energetic
• Phlegmatic: calm and quiet
• Melancholic: heavy-hearted

In a more recent history, it was Dr Carl Jung who observed human behaviour from the 4 psychological functions: thinking, feeling, perceiving and intuition. He later added the two-part introvert-extravert.

The DiSC model is based on the research of William Marston and derivative of Hipocrates and Jungs work, identifies four primary emotions and associated behavioral responses: Dominance (D), Influence (i), Steadiness (S), and Conscientiousness (C). This model is designed to help individuals gain insights into their strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement, ultimately enhancing their self-awareness and communication skills.

The DiSC model operates on two intersecting axes: the vertical axis ranges from “task/goal” focused behaviors to “people/relationship” focused behaviors, while the horizontal axis ranges from “reserved” (or “ask/listen”) behaviors to “outgoing” (or “tell/talk”) behaviors. This is also congruent with Carl Jungs model of inner and outer worlds.

The four quadrants of the model are:

• D (Dominance): Individuals with a dominant style tend to be assertive, results-driven, and decisive.
• I (Influence): Those with an influencing style are often outgoing, enthusiastic, and people-oriented.
• S (Steadiness): Individuals with a steady style are typically consistent, reliable, and calm.
• C (Conscientiousness): Those with a conscientious style are usually analytical, precise, and procedurally driven.

Understanding your DiSC style can significantly enhance self-awareness, improve communication skills, and boost emotional intelligence. By recognising their own behavioral tendencies and those of others, individuals can foster better relationships and create a more harmonious and productive work environment.

The primary function of a DiSC profile is for individuals to cultivate an understanding and awareness of their personal style and attributes. Ownership and acceptance of self is the first step to growth and development particularly in leadership. This is especially prevalent when we are comparing the adaption of attributes from the essential to the working self. When we can create an awareness and deeper understanding of who we are and how our attributes (inherent and learned) work for and against us depending on situation, context and our reaction to those – we are then in a position to respond in a more considered and intentional manner to be congruent with our values and objectives.

By virtue of understanding ourselves, we then have a lens from which to see the behavioural attributes of those around us. Having effective communication both structurally and interpersonally is the key to building a culture, a team and optimal workplace relationships at a human and functional level. High performing teams are founded on trust and a common understanding – trust is developed when we feel we can rely on the people around us and that we have a psychologically safe environment.

Connection is the key – we need connection in order for relationships to flourish and for communication to flow. DiSC helps people to connect through cultivation of self-awareness, curiosity and an understanding of others needs. Why do we find it more difficult to communicate/relate to some as with others? It’s because not everyone is like us….When we develop an understanding of our own communication style and motivations we can learn to recognise other DiSC personality types helping us to relate in a more effective way. This in turn allows many communication barriers to be removed and people can work to their strengths in a supportive team environment.

In building a high performing team there are a few key factors to consider. At a high level we need an organisational structure that is fit for purpose, we need each of discreet role to be clearly defined through a good quality position description (role, responsibility and accountabilities), we need the “right” people based on a values based culture and appropriate skills sets and we need those “right” people in the right roles. Underpinning this is a psychologically safe environment based on high levels of trust and open communication. When recruiting or facilitating internal movement or promotion simply having the skills for a role are not enough – in order to optimise effectiveness individuals should ideally fit the behavioural requirements of the role through DiSC profiling. This shouldn’t exclude individuals from a role if they are not a “traditional” match however, it creates valuable insights into a candidates strengths and potential weaknesses and blind spots.

In the services and training programs we facilitate for businesses, we always recommend incorporating DiSC Profiling. Leader and/or Workplace Profiling are strongly encouraged to conduct in-depth comparison reports of team members.

DiSC profiling doesn’t just provide individuals with an understanding of their own behavioural style – it gives them specific strategies to achieve better results by improving communication and relationships with everyone else in the workplace.

You can order profile reports for leaders, sales professionals, and everyone in the workplace and have a workshop for your business designed to bring teams together. This can be embellished further with debriefing and further coaching with a DiSC expert to facilitate greater awareness and develop strategies to optimise individual and team performance.