DISC and Emotional Intelligence

I am teaching a class right now at a local university. The class is called "Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace". Last night we introduced the concepts around the DISC model, and how they relate to Emotional Intelligence. Research bares out that leaders (and people in general) are happier and more successful in life if they have well-defined EI competencies. One of the primary competencies in Emotional Intelligence is self-awareness.

Do you remember the first time you took the DISC model? I sure do. In fact, I was brought back to that part of my life from a recent conversation with my 23 year old son. He was having trouble understanding how someone he knew didn't like him. He said, "I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't like me." He and I are very similar in our styles. We both have healthy doses of both "I" and "D" behavior.

It was through my exposure to DISC many years ago when I made the startling discovery that not everyone sees the world as I do. That was a big revelation for me when I was much younger. Even though most of us know that from a "head" perspective, it is often more difficult to remember from a "gut" perspective. And as someone with a lot of "I", the thing we often have a lot of difficulty with is when people do not like us, or socially reject us.

If you do not have a healthy dose of "I" in you, you could probably care less about people not liking you. However, you might have trouble understanding why someone does not set their standards as high as you do, or why someone holds back and does not take action on something that needs to be accomplished, or how someone can be so insensitive to those with whom they work.

What a blessing in our lives that there are differences. Learning how to increase our own Emotional Intelligence can give us the tools we need to live happier, more productive lives. Adding a thorough understanding of the DISC model and our own behavioral style can help us with all of the EI competencies.

All for now,

Paula