New DISC Resources

Hi! I just got back from our annual Inscape Publishing Conference in Washington, D.C. Inscape value-added resellers from all over the world attended sessions including product knowledge, business acumen, and ideas on how to bring DISC alive in our training sessions.

I also learned more about social media, so watch for me on Twitter soon, and sign up to follow me if you like. I have also made a commitment to do a better job of blogging!

We are in the process of beta testing a brand new DiSC resource - watch for more information about this product, which will be released sometime in the summer of 2009.

Does Your Work Environment Affect Your DiSC Profile?

I recently joined LinkedIn to experience social networking more fully. If you have not done so yet, you might want to create your own profile by going to http://www.linkedin.com/. One of the neat features there is the ability to ask questions of the entire network and to receive answers from professionals around the world.

I have responded to 3 questions so far, and am putting the question and my answer here for one of the questions asked recently (by the way, it was selected as the "Best Answer" by the person asking the question.)

Here was the question:
Does the work environment have a major impact on an individual's DISC profile? Does the profile change if taken at different times?

Here was my answer:
"Let's go back to the work of Dr. William Moulton Marston, who developed the original theory of DISC back in the 1920's. Marston believed there were two important factors that influenced one's DISC behavior. One was our "Perception of the Environment" we find ourselves in - is it favorable or unfavorable? Certain DISC styles have a tendency to see the environment as favorable, where other DISC styles have a tendency to see the environment as unfavorable. Think about yourself. Do you naturally expect a situation/environment to be favorable as you tend to think you can influence or persuade people to see things your way or that you believe in cooperation, so expect that from others? Or do you expect the situation/environment to be unfavorable because there are always challenges to overcome (otherwise it gets boring) or because things can always be improved? This basic orientation can greatly affect our behavior. The second factor Marston believed would influence our DISC style was our "Perception of Self in the Environment" - do we see ourselves as more powerful than the environment we are in, or less powerful than the environment we are in. This has nothing to do with personal power, but our orientation for how we tend to deal with things going on in the situation/environment. For example, when I am in an environment where I do not feel as comfortable, I have a tendency to become a little more quiet than normal. In these situations, someone reading my behavior would see a different style than in an environment where I am completely comfortable and confident. These two factors can influence our behavior, and DISC is a behavioral-based model. Here is one more example. Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you normal tendency is to "take charge", but because you are less comfortable or feel less powerful in that environment (Examples: new to a job - new manager you haven't figured out yet - situation where you do not have control) you may be much more "cautious", which causes your behavior to look different than it normally would. These kind of factors can cause shifts in our behavior. We have found in our work with organizations and individuals that most individuals tend to remain fairly constant with minor shifts in their DISC behavior, unless there is a major shift in their perception of the environment or their perception of self in the environment. One last thing - there are numerous publishers of DISC assessments out there. Be sure and check out the validity and reliability factors for any assessment you are looking to use. Reliability of an assessment has to do with how "reliable" it is - will it give me the same results today as it would next month? The answer should be YES, unless there has been some major change in the focus in which it was taken, i.e. the work environment. This is why we also recommend DISC NOT be used as a hiring tool. Because it is based on the environment, you cannot know how I would behave until I am in that environment. That is probably more than you wanted to know, but DISC is a powerful tool for individuals and organizations if used in the appropriate way. I hope this was helpful!"

Let me know your thoughts!
Paula

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

DISC and Love

This topic might catch your attention! We do a DISC virtual training program (Go DEEP with DISC) several times a year that provide trainers and other HR professionals with the latest information and applications in using the DISC assessment tool. During the program, each participant must make a presentation to the rest of the group. One of the participants did a very interesting presentation covering how our DISC style affects us in relationships, particularly differences between what is important to us in dating, creating romance and intimacy and then later in marriage or a committed relationship. For example, since individuals with a high "D" (Dominance) preference are focused on results, they can often get a little complacent once the goal is reached (e.g. the marriage takes place). They have to be reminded of the need to continue the romance into the on-going relationship. She also talked about how a high "C' (Conscientiousness) preference might lose some of their passion if their partner carelessly throws clothes on the floor, or doesn't take the mood they have set seriously enough. I'll continue to add to this discussion, but thought we would start it here. What do you think? How have you seen your own DISC style affect love in your life?

7 Deadly Sins DISC Trainers Make

I have been using the DISC model in my work with clients for over 20 years now. It is a fabulous tool for helping people understand behavior, minimize conflict, enhance relationships and more.

I have found 7 Deadly Sins that DISC Trainers Make. Here they are:

• Not covering all four of the styles equally
• Trying to teach too much in too little time
• Not validating the individual’s experience, reality
• Sharing too many “personal” examples & stories
• Not having adequate DISC knowledge
• Not focusing enough on how to apply DISC learnings
• Not building in any follow-up for the group

I have made all of these mistakes and more over the years. If you would like to hear more about each one of these deadly sins and how to avoid them, please sign up for our free audio mini-course at http://www.disctraining.com/new_disctraining/7DeadlyDiscTrainingSins.asp. You will receive a lesson via email every three days or so. Hope you enjoy it!

Also, please tell me the mistakes you have made, and lessons you have learned in using DISC.

Have a great day!

Radio Talk Show around DISC

Just recently, a colleague of mine (Dee Clarke) and I were the featured guests on Barb Giamanco's Executive Business Forum's radio talk show in Atlanta.

The title for our show that afternoon was: How to Build, Maintain & Repair Relationships When Running Hard and Fast!
Please listen to the podcast of our show from June 14, 2006. It is about an hour long. I hope it won't take long for you to download it. To listen, click here: http://www.disctraining.com/members/cpaudio/TalentBuilders_Jun_14.mp3

Let me know what you think of our show!

Welcome to My DISC Training Blog!

As a passionate believer in the DISC model, I am hopeful we can share training tips in how to use DISC to improve relationships (both personally and professionally), as well as reduce conflict, go deeper in our dialogue with each other, and have some fun with understanding human behavior.

Are you currently using DISC with your work? Do you find it as relevant in explaining why people do what they do as I have found? Let me know your thoughts...