Unlocking Your Potential with DISC
- elilag92
- Mar 31
- 5 min read
Updated: Apr 5
DISC analysis enhances communication, team collaboration, and conflict resolution. It fosters personal development, maximises leaders' potential, and boosts efficiency by leveraging employees' talents.
Can we change our personality? How does the style of behaviour affect our relationships with others? These questions, posed before our time, remain relevant today.
One of the first people to explore this subject was Hippocrates. In the 4th century BC, he defined four basic personality types based on his observations: sanguine (pleasure-seeking and sociable), choleric (ambitious and leader-like), melancholic (analytical and literal), and phlegmatic (relaxed and thoughtful). Moving to IX century AD, specifically in 1921, Carl Jung, in his book "Psychological Types," categorised human behavior into two areas: Perception-Intuition and Thinking-Feeling.
The beginning
In his 1928 book "Emotions of Normal People," William Moulton Marston elaborated on this theory, seeking to comprehend human emotions and nonverbal behaviour.
He proposed four personality types: dominance, influence, steadiness, and compliance that shape behaviour in both professional and personal settings. Marston's work laid the foundation for modern personality assessments, despite not being formally recognized in psychology.
At the turn of the 1940s and 1950s, psychologist Walter Clarke evolved this theory by developing a standardized assessment tool, making DISC more practical and accessible. Then, in the 1970s, John Geier and others, based on Clarke's work, created the Personal Profile System® (PPS), the first DISC model in the form of a popular tool we know today.
What is DISC?
DISC stands for Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Compliance - four key personality traits that influence how we approach tasks, interact with others, and respond to challenges.
Dominance (D): People with high dominance are assertive, competitive, and goal oriented. They enjoy challenges and have a direct, results-driven approach to problem-solving.
Influence (I): Those with high influence are enthusiastic, persuasive, and social. They excel in motivating others and thrive in team environments, often bringing creativity and energy to the table.
Steadiness (S): Person with high steadiness are calm, patient, and reliable. They value stability and loyalty, preferring harmonious work environments and working collaboratively toward long-term goals.
Compliance (C): Those with high conscientiousness are detail-oriented, analytical, and disciplined. They take a methodical approach to tasks, focusing on accuracy and following processes to ensure quality.
How DISC Can Boost Your Capabilities?
DISC’s primary strength lies in its ability to provide a framework for understanding behaviour and improving interactions in a variety of environments, particularly in the workplace. Here's how DISC is applied across different sectors:
1. Personal Development
DISC is widely used in coaching and personal development to help us gain a deeper understanding of our behaviours and how they relate to others. By knowing their DISC profile, you can:
Improve the way we communicate and build relationships: Recognise our natural tendencies in communication, interacting and problem-solving.
Strengthen weaknesses: Develop strategies to overcome blind spots (e.g., a "D" style might learn to listen more attentively, while an "S" style might learn to assert themselves more).
Use our strengths: Discover our natural talents, strengths and learn how to use them effectively in our professional and private lives.
·Increase self-awareness: which can foster personal growth, emotional intelligence, as well as discover what really motivates us and drives us to act.
Manage stress: Understand what and why stresses us the most and how to effectively manage stress to restore balance and wellbeing.
2. Workplace and Team Dynamics
DISC is essential for improving team collaboration and enhancing communication.
Strengthen Leadership: DISC can help leaders understand how to motivate and lead different types of employees based on their DISC profiles. For example, a "C" style worker might prefer a more structured, detailed approach to tasks, while an "I" style may require more social interaction and recognition.
Build a team: DISC provides insight into the diverse work and communication styles of team members, defining team dynamics. This understanding helps us enhance relationships, foster trust, and cultivate a positive and inclusive workplace.
Improve cooperation: By understanding our colleagues' work and communication styles, we can collaborate and support one another more efficiently. Familiarity with the DISC style allows teams to be better structured for particular tasks; for instance, individuals with a "D" style can tackle challenging or demanding projects, whereas those with an "S" style are suited for roles that necessitate teamwork and stability.
Resolve conflicts: By understanding the behavior of colleagues, we can resolve conflicts more effectively and quickly by promoting mutual respect, finding compromises, and accomplishing common goals.
3. Recruitment and Talent Management
Many HR professionals use DISC assessments during the recruitment process to ensure job candidates align with the team’s needs and company culture. DISC is valuable for:
Role Suitability: For example, someone with high “S” might be better suited for roles that require patience and collaboration (e.g., customer service), while someone with high “D” might excel in leadership or sales.
Team Building: HR professionals can use DISC to ensure diverse profiles, which can lead to better balance and synergy.
Performance Management: DISC helps managers to identify their employees' strengths and challenges, allowing for better performance reviews and tailored development plans.
4. Sales and Customer Relations
Sales teams use DISC to understand how to approach potential clients and tailor their selling styles:
Customer Profiling: By identifying your customer’s DISC profile (for instance, an “I” style may appreciate social interaction, while a “C” style prefers logical details), sales representatives can adapt their pitch.
Relationship Building: Sales professionals can also use DISC to build stronger, more lasting relationships with clients, understanding how each style prefers to communicate and make decisions.
In today's diverse and globalized work settings, the DISC model plays a crucial role in managing cross-cultural teams, hybrid employees, and the adoption of new technologies.
Remote Work: With the rise of remote work, understanding different DISC profiles helps teams work cohesively across time zones and communication styles. For example, a "D" style might be more direct in emails, while an "S" style might prefer a more personal approach, so understanding these dynamics helps to prevent misunderstandings.
Global Teams: In international teams, where cultural communication styles can vary dramatically, DISC can bridge the gap by helping team members understand each other’s natural tendencies and adapt accordingly.
AI and DISC: As AI becomes more prevalent, DISC can be a key tool for human-AI collaboration. By knowing each team member’s DISC profile, AI can tailor workflows, task assignments, and project management tools to match individuals’ preferences, leading to higher productivity and reduced friction.
DISC has transformed from a theoretical concept into a practical tool that is widely utilised in corporations, large and small companies, as well as by individuals.
It is a powerful tool for enhancing communication, fostering collaboration, and boosting both individual and team efficiency.
Join our workshops and find out what is your or your team DISC style.
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