Author, Business Keynote Speaker | Dean Lindsay, Sales, Customer Service, Leadership, Business Networking Speaker

Archive for the ‘Workplace Performance’ Category

Get DISC Assessments | Info on DISC Training

DISC is a powerful model of human behavior that helps people understand “why they do what they do.” We each have our own style, our own way we like to communicate with others (different strokes for different folks). This is a basic human fact. Each interaction with other people requires you to assess the situation from a fresh perspective.

Unfortunately, a tremendous amount of human energy is used unproductively in talking past or “at” each other. We often fail to make a real connection with someone because we have a set of behavioral preferences that do not mesh with those of the person on the other side of our bifocals.

Progress agents can utilize a keen awareness of individual behavioral differences and, without being chameleons, modify their own preferences to make favorable impressions .

Even though we are all unique, most people do fit into a certain style or predictable pattern of behavior. People with similar styles tend to exhibit specific types of behavior common to that style. Such patterns of behavior influence how people prefer to communicate and interact.

“Behavior is the mirror in which everyone shows their image.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

We need to strive to understand and embrace these different behavioral styles. This makes us better able to interact with other folks, even those who appear to be very different and sometimes hard to understand. When we identify the behavioral differences in ourselves and others, we can adapt our style to create a comfortable environment for the person we are speaking with.

A solid understanding of the DISC behavioral model is useful. DISC assessments measures observable behavior and emotions. The development of the DISC model is based on the work of American psychologist Dr. William Marston, an expert in behavioral styles.

In 1926, Marston published The Emotions of Normal People, in which he grouped people along two lines: either active or passive tendencies relative to their favorable or unfavorable view of the environment and their relationship to that environment.

Say what? Here is a view the DISC Behavioral Model from 30,000 feet:

Some people are Reserved and some are Outgoing. One type is not better than the other.

Some people are People-Oriented and some are Task-Oriented. One type is not better than the other.

Each of us is a unique blend of: Reserved or Outgoing, mixed with the quality of being People-Focused or Task-Focused.

Marston’s DISC research showed how behavioral characteristics may be grouped into four fundamental styles (D.I.S.C.):
Dominance
Influence
Steadiness
Conscientiousness

D – Dominance

These are the Task-Oriented, Outgoing Types.

These folks are direct, demanding, determined, and decisive. They are confident, competitive, take-action doers.
They will likely ask WHAT questions more than HOW questions.

Some famous dominant behavior types are:
Donald Trump, Margaret Thatcher, Henry Ford, General Patton, Mark Cuban, Barbara Walters, Vince Lombardi.

To deliver a solid first impression to D-types:
Be concise and direct. These people need prestige, authority, and control.

I – Influence

These are the People-Oriented, Outgoing Types.

These folks are interactive, inspirational, impressive, and interested in people. They are friendly, outgoing, emotional “talkers.”
They will likely ask WHO questions more than WHY questions.

Some famous influential behavior types are:
Oprah Winfrey, Will Farrell, Bill Cosby, Sally Field (You like me. You really like me!), George Lopez, Bill Clinton, Wayne Brady.

To deliver a solid first impression to I-types:
Skip the details, socialize, and show excitement.
These people need recognition, acceptance, and to be heard.

S – Steadiness

These are the Reserved, People-Oriented Types.
These folks are stable, sensitive, and supportive. They are loyal, dependable, and good listeners. They will likely ask HOW questions more than WHAT questions.

Some famous steady behavior types are:
Mister Rogers, Mother Teresa, Albert Schweitzer, Florence Nightingale, Mahatma Gandhi, Tonto (The Lone Ranger’s faithful Indian companion).

To deliver a solid first impression to S-types:
Be reassuring and take it slow. These people need security, appreciation , and time to decide if there should be a relationship.

C – Conscientiousness

These are the Reserved, Task-Oriented Types.

These folks are competent, careful, calculating, contemplative, and cautious. They are analytical, detailed, and do not show emotions readily. They will likely ask WHY questions more than WHO questions.

Some famous conscientious behavior types are:
Emily Post, Tom Landry, Isaac Newton, Columbo (OK, not a real dude, but you get the point), Johann Sebastian Bach, Michelangelo, Sherlock Holmes (again, not a real guy).

To deliver a solid first impression to C-types:
Be prepared and structured. These people need facts and are committed to quality.
Of course, all typologies are approximations. People display varying amounts of these four dimensions rather than just one. However, understanding the four different behavioral styles makes us better able to make positive impressions, even with those who we see as “different” or hard to understand. Being sensitive to these differences creates a relaxed environment where people want to move the relationship forward and offer their best.

Recognize and respect individual nuances, make adjustments, use good judgment, and adapt. Learning and incorporating the DISC model of behavior is valuable for increasing trust and keeping communication open.

In my work with individuals and within organizations, I have had the opportunity to research and utilize several useful educational tools based on the DISC behavioral model. Feel free to contact me for further information.

A few interesting side notes:
Much later in his life, Dr. Marston created “Wonder Woman” while serving as an educational consultant for DC Comics. Authoring the Wonder Woman comic, Marston used a pen name: Charles Moulton.

The desire to understand the reasons for our diverse behavior has been an age-old preoccupation. The explanations of the ancients were interesting:

Empedocles (444 B.C.), the founder of a school of medicine in Sicily, believed that everything is made of earth, air, fire, and water. These external elements combine in an infinite number of ways, thus explaining the diversity of behavior.

In 400 B.C. the Greek physician Hippocrates came to the conclusion that it is not external factors that shape behavior. He disagreed with many of his day who believed human behavior was determined by being born under a certain astrological configuration of planets. Hippocrates theorized that it was something that takes place “inside” the individual.

Hippocrates believed that if people had a fast, hot fluid running inside their body, they would be direct, decisive, and a leadership-type person. If one had a fluid that was warm and slow, that person would be family- and relationship-oriented.

Even though Hippocrates’ ‘blood theory’ didn’t hold much water, it was the first substantial method for identifying and grouping types of human behavior.

Embracing Diversity is making efficient and effective use of the differences in the workforce by creating supportive environments that promote the best use of all workers. An exclusionary environment impedes efficient use of the total workforce. Failure to embrace the diversity of an organization appropriately wastes scarce human resources. People need to feel valued, wanted, and important. When people do not feel valued, the quality of productivity suffers.

All companies and organizations strive for Total Quality Management (TQM). Total Quality Management is the achievement of organizational goals through the use of effective teams. Businesses have a powerful tool to use in the pursuit of Total Quality Management. Research has shown that the more diverse a team or organization; the more productive. Diverse teams come up with better ideas than teams that are made up of like people. Because group performance depends on having a diverse approach to problem solving, embracing our county’s diverse population is linked in a positive way with the TQM of an organization. Organizations can not afford to view diversity as something they can choose to value or not.

Diversity is a somewhat confusing term. The strength of America is in its diversity. Diversity involves respecting each person as an individual and appreciating the differences among people. Diversity allows us to enjoy someone else’s uniqueness and places responsibility on sharing our own uniqueness. Diversity is valuing those human qualities that are different from our own and outside the groups to which we belong.

There are two basic dimensions to diversity. Primary dimensions include: ethnicity, race, sexual orientation. age, gender and physical abilities. Secondary dimensions of diversity are those human qualities that can be changed. They include: behavioral preferences, religious beliefs, income, educational background, marital status and work experiences. When companies strive to embrace diversity they create an emphasis on accepting and respecting differences. Insightful companies assist their teams in recognizing that no one group distinction is intrinsically superior to another and all distinctions can prove useful to the organization.

The advantages of a diverse workforce in the ever growing world markets may be clear but making diversity work while simultaneously ensuring a stable work environment can be challenging. Embracing diversity demands sensitivity to individual differences. For instance, Christmas parties may be renamed, as we become more sensitive to the various religious groups within organizations; for example, Hindus, Jews, Buddhists, and other individuals who do not celebrate Christmas. This heightened sensitivity requires that managers, team leaders and team members adhere to a basic professional etiquette.

One of the first steps to optimizing the productivity of employees is to help them intellectually and emotionally understand why different groups of people have diverse beliefs and cultural behaviors. The ultimate goal is to recognize and work through stereotypes of others that reinforce age-old prejudices. When individuals are able to change their rigid views, they can perceive co-workers in a more favorable light and begin to value their uniqueness. Providing training and direction to employees to enable them to work together toward common goals is a fundamental obligation of management.

An issue many organizations face is respecting individual behavioral differences and the judgments made based on those differences. Without an understanding of human behavior, these behavioral differences have the potential to lead to problems in the workplace. The search to understand the reasons for our diverse behavior is an age old pursuit. The ancients explanations were interesting. Empodocles (444 BC), the founder of the school of medicine in Sicily, believed that everything was made of earth, air, fire, and water. These external elements were combined in an infinite number of ways thus explaining the diversity of behavior.

In 400 BC, the Greek philosopher, Hippocrates, came to the conclusion that it was not external factors. He disagreed with many in his day who believed human behavior was connected with being born under a certain astrological sign. Hippocrates theorized that it was something that takes place “inside” the individual.

Check this out, Hippocrates believed, if a person had a fast hot fluid running inside their body than they would be direct, decisive and a leadership-type person. If a person had a fluid that was warm and slow, that person would be family oriented and relational. Hippocrates named the different personality styles phlegmatic, choleric, sanguine and melancholy. Even though Hippocrates’ theory had no scientific or medical validity, it was the first substantial method for identifying and grouping types of human behavior.

Hippocrates’ method was expanded upon in the early 1920s by Carl Gustav Jung, a Swiss psychologist and one of the most influential modern behavioral theorist. In 1921 Jung published “Psychological Types” which described four psychological functions: thinking, feeling, sensation and intuition. Jung also classified the four types further by calling them either “introverted” or “extroverted.”

Today, the DISC behavioral model is commonly used as the universal language of observing human behavior. DISC measures observable behavior and emotions, the “how we act” versus the “why” or “what” behind our actions. The development of the DISC model is due to the work of the American psychologist, Dr. William Marston, an expert in behavioral understanding.

In 1926 Marston published “The Emotions of Normal People” in which he grouped people along two axis: either active or passive tendencies relative to their favorable or unfavorable view of the environment. An interesting side note is that much later in his life Dr. Marston created “Wonder Woman” while serving as an educational consultant for DC Comics. To write the “Wonder Woman” comic, Marston used a pen name: Charles Moulton.

Marston’s DISC research showed how behavioral characteristics can be grouped into four fundamental styles. People with similar styles tend to exhibit specific types of behavior common to that style. Such types of behavior influence how people prefer to communicate, manage others and otherwise interact. The four styles are: Dominance (D), Influence (I), Steadiness (S), and Conscientiousness (C).

Understanding these four different behavioral styles makes us better able to act with respect toward other persons, even those who we see as “different” or hard to understand. Today this language is learned and applied in business interactions to improve effectiveness, build productive teams and resolve conflict caused by diverse behavioral preferences.

With an understanding of DISC comes an increased ability to create a causal environment where people want to move forward and perform at their best. Groups begin to explore their differences more openly from a behavioral approach rather than from the usual diversity perspectives of age, gender, lifestyle or race. This translates into greater understanding, respect, satisfaction and leading-edge productivity on the job.