I first used the DiSC assessment years ago when I was working at a church in Phoenix, Arizona. Our church hosted a workshop and one of the speakers led us in this personality assessment. Since then, I have used it multiple times and with multiple teams to help me discover more about who I’m working with and how to lead and/or work with others best.
Depending on which DISC test you use (there are a few variations), it will tell you how you respond to certain situations. It’s really more of a behavioral predictor (according to some) than an actual personality test, but it will tell you a lot about both.
What I like About the DiSC assessment…
There are a number of things I like about this behavior assessment over others. It has really become one of my go-to assessments when working with teams or even individuals. I even use it on the fly when dealing with colleagues or leaders (and I’ll explain how and why momentarily.) Here are a few of the benefits of DiSC that I see.
It’s Quick
The DiSC assessment takes no more than 15-20 minutes for the full profile. Again, this can vary somewhat depending on which specific assessment you take. I’ve also seen facilitators do a “quick” version of this profile technique in about 5-10 minutes (or less).
It’s Easy
I’ve worked with a number of personality tests and used them for students, leaders, and myself. There are some that are great and may go into more depth than the DiSC; however, I don’t think any are easier both to use, understand, and teach others to use.
This is really key for me. You don’t have to remember strange-sounding words like “choleric” or “phlegmatic” or remember which personality each of those represents. (For some reason, I can never keep those straight.)
You learn 4 letters, and each letter corresponds with the type of personality associated with the letter.
D stands for “dominant”. These are your Type-A people who fall into the natural leader category. They are driven and determined.
I represents the “influencers.” These are your everywhere-and-everything-is-a-party people. They are outgoing and love to be around a crowd.
S represents the “steadiness” personalities. These are the nice people that are very supportive. They are the encouragers and your loyal friends.
C describes the “conscientious” types. They are the organizers and effective members of your team. They thrive on detail and “doing it right.”
It’s Intuitive
This is where it gets FUN! 🙂 Once you get the DiSC assessment down (it doesn’t take long, remember, it’s easy!), then you can begin to use it to improve communication for your team, family, friends, etc.
It gets a little addictive to begin to see people in a different light. Here’s the thing: when you know how people behave in certain situations (or in general) you can drastically begin to improve your communication with them. You can vary your communication style depending on who you’re talking to.
You begin to anticipate what each person needs:
- Do they need the big picture or a lot of detail?
- Do they need to know who’s coming or what the agenda will be?
- Will they need to know how productive it will be or how much fun they’ll have?
- And on and on…
The DiSC test doesn’t just help with communication, it also helps you know what each person would be best for specific roles:
- Who can lead a team?
- Who can hammer out the details?
- Who can get everyone at the meeting or function?
- Who can make sure all feel valued and cared for?
Can you imagine what you’d get done? Can you fathom what your team would get done? Feeling appreciated and understood. Feeling like you really know them and listen to them.
How Your Team Benefits from the DiSC assessment…
Develop Trust
One significant way to build trust with your team mates is for them to know and feel that you understand them and can relate with them. The DISC test helps by showing you what each person needs from you and one another in areas such as leadership, communication, work environment, and more.
Trust grows when you feel safe and know what to expect and what is expected from you. As a leader, it is important to know how to relate to each of your team members.
Increase Productivity
Imagine a work environment where you felt understood, appreciate, and valued. Your team leader gives you just the right balance of freedom and direction. You have open and honest communication with your manager and you feel comfortable sharing ideas, concerns, and asking for clarification if needed.
How productive do you think this team would be?
You can also build on the DiSC assessment by using Strengthsfinder 2.0. This profile allows you to identify the top 5 strengths of each of your team members. The identification of these strengths can then be used to align people into their giftings and further increase the productivity (and satisfaction) of your team.
Strengthen Collaboration
How well your team works together is a direct result of leadership and trust. Here are a few ways that the DISC personality assessment can increase collaboration:
- Capitalize on each person’s strengths
- Increase understanding between coworkers
- Enhance communication strategies
- Place people in the right roles (the first time!)
Collaboration and employee engagement go hand in hand. The better your team collaborates, the more engaged they will be and the more they will enjoy working on your team.
Communicate more effectively
It’s hard to communicate as it is. What if you could simplify that process and make it easier for you to communicate with others and for them to communicate with you? Each personality style communicates differently and understanding others and how they communicate will increase your communication strategy exponentially.
Have I convinced you yet? It really is a quick and easy way to improve your leadership and develop your team.
If you’re interested to learn more about the DISC or use it with your team these are the resources that I would recommend you start with:
DiSC Assessment (Individual) [Discounts start at orders of 10+ reports or more.]
I’ve recently switched to PeopleKeys for all my DiSC assessment needs. They’ve been great to work with and their selection of assessments is amazing!
Whether you work with one team or multiple teams, I would also strongly encourage you to think about getting certified as a DISC trainer. This will not only increase your understanding of the DISC personality test but allow you to train others within your company or organization (including managers, team members, etc.)
This certification is through 48Days and Dan Miller. I highly recommend all of his products and training. They are top notch!
What has been your experience with the DiSC assessment? What other ways and assessments do you use with your team? Let me know in the comments below?
Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links, and if you decide to make a purchase I will earn a commission at no additional cost to you. Please know that I have experience with all of these companies, and I recommend them not because of the small commissions I make if you decide to buy something but because they are helpful and useful, . Please only spend money on these products if you feel you need them or that they will help you achieve your goals or your team’s goals.
I love that you talked about developing trust with your teammates by letting them know and feel that you understand and relate to them. I remember when I used to work for a boss who made little to no effort to know his employees. You did a great job of explaining how trust grows when you feel safe and know what is expected of you and how a good leader will provide that security.
I like how you said that the more a team collaborates, the better they will work together. Having some kind of a team assessment survey would be a good way to figure out where everyone feels that they are lacking as a team. That way you can get ideas of how to help them so that there is more unity and more productivity.