Join us for this month's complimentary webinar.

What you can do now to improve your relationships at work and get more done!

 

Thursday, November 19
2:00 pm EST

 

Part of being an effective communicator is understanding yourself and others.

Did you ever wonder why it is easy to talk to some co-workers and nearly impossible
to work with others? Wouldn't it be great if you knew how people wanted to be approached
and if others knew how you like to work? What if people had their needs written
all over them?

Is it just that some people are standoffish while others are friendly? Or is it
that some people like to work alone while others crave collaboration?

During our free webinar, "How Everything DiSC Can Improve Your Workplace,"
you'll gain insight and practical tips that will help you understand:

• Why is it easier to work with some co-workers and harder with others?
• What is style and how does style impact our ability to communicate?
• How can I easily identify others styles?
• What can I do to have better relationships with people that are different than me?

Meet Jeffrey: Conflict Resolution & the DiSC Style

If you read our last blog post, DiSC Profiles Minimize Conflict and Maximize Productivity, then you can recall the story of Steve and his sales team.

Jeffrey and Marsha were yelling at each other during a discussion that originally surrounded one of Marsha’s ideas. Jeffrey grew frustrated when Marsha felt attacked by Jeffrey and became emotional. From there, Jeffrey lost focus of their original discussion, and began targeting Marsha’s personality, at one point calling her, “over emotional.”

The D Style: At a Glance

D stands for Dominance

Positives:

• Fast-paced
• Strong-willed
• Results-oriented
• Confident

Negatives:

• Impatient
• Under-developed people skills
• Insensitive

Quote

Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes. – Peter Drucker

How does Jeffrey handle conflict?

Jeffrey handles conflict head on. Since those of a “D style” are fast-paced, you may find they interrupt others. They value honesty, but may lack tact in their delivery. If they feel as though they are not being heard, they can become argumentative orbelligerent. If they are having a discussion with a slower-paced individual, the D style can become impatient and frustrated.

How does this affect other styles?

Other styles may view the D style as demanding and difficult to work with. Other team members may stop speaking up in order to avoid conflict. Some members may become stressed out, overwhelmed and decide to leave the department or company.

What can Jeffrey do to improve?

While Jeffrey may have insightful things to say, he must realize that people may not listen, simply because of his tone. In order to effectively resolve conflicts with others, high D’s should practice patience and learn to effectively listen to what others are saying. They should express empathy and consider other people’s feelings before speaking. Since Jeffrey certainly has the determination to succeed, developing hispeople skills will make him more approachable and, thus more valuable to the team.

This and the rest of these blogs have been developed using the Everything DiSC® Workplace profiles, group reports and facilitator’ kit.

Join us for our next blog post in which we dive into the “i” style and how they handle conflict with others.

DiSC: From Line Graphs to Circle Graphs

I recently attended a training session based on the latest DiSC model. The session was interesting and extremely informative; it never ceases to amaze me how much goes into behavior profiling. Below, please find a review of what I learned about the new circular DiSC model and how it makes a difference to you. For over thirty years, DiSC has been used to help people understand their behavior and how it impacts others. As personal and organizational needs continue to evolve, so do the ways in which the DiSC model can be measured and symbolized. A new approach to measuring DiSC transitions away from the line graph used in the DiSC Classic products to the more contemporary circle graph used in the Everything DiSC Application Library products. The circumplex bears a closer resemblance the earliest representation of the DiSC model as explained by William Marston, the pioneer of DiSC theory. Marston presented DiSC as a circle on a color wheel, which illustrated the continuous nature of behavior. By identifying a participant’s DiSC style with a dot on a circle graph, now participants are able to quickly see where they fall on the DiSC spectrum in comparison to the other styles. It also provides a more visually apparent demonstration of the similarities and differences between the styles. Here are some of the benefits of the circle model:

• The circular graph is a more intuitive and memorable representation of the DiSC model. It illustrates the blend of behaviors to better reflect the flow of personality styles.
• Shading on the circle map indicates areas where a person might easily adapt in a situation and areas that may require the participant to stretch.
• It allows the facilitator to quickly assess the group composition. The Group Reports represent the entire team as individual dots on the circle map. This helps the instructor to identify the implications of the group dynamics.
• The priority words around the circle map provide an easy and memorable way for participants to apply their DiSC knowledge to everyday life. Instead of learning about abstract personality theories, participants can quickly see the relevance of their DiSC styles to their goals.
• The scoring in the EDAL products is more precise. Instead of the traditional 4 scales (D, i, S, C), participants’ dots are weighted on 8 scales (D, Di, i, iS, S, SC, C or CD). Respondents also have more freedom to answer in a way that best describes them. Instead of answering a forced-choice survey, participants assess themselves based on 79 questions rated on a 5-point scale.

While the line graph depiction of the DiSC model is still viable and useful, the circular representation of the DiSC graph provides a new way to understand and apply DiSC. The circumplex helps people to visually interpret relationships while realizing patterns in group dynamics.
 
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Get Certified to Present DiSC Training Sessions in 2010

Interested in using DiSC to improve communication, develop employee engagement, increase productivity or just to help your staff understand one another better? New training dates are updated here: DiSC Certification Dates
Certification prepares trainers to get the most out of the DiSC Model. You will learn about the history, theory and interpretation of DiSC. Participants review the training materials available to conduct DiSC training sessions, including the Everything DiSC Workplace Facilitation System and the complete line of DiSC reports. You also get hands-on-practice crafting a wide range of DiSC solutions. By the end of the two days you will be able to:

• Create effective DiSC-based training sessions
• Learn which DiSC tool works best for the desired outcome
• Discover how to combine DiSC resources for better results
• Customize DiSC-based training sessions to meet a variety of client situations

Learn more about the Everything DiSC Training Certification

Disney Character DiSC Behavioral Styles

Last week I spent a couple of days at Inscape Publishing’s MindLab conference in Orlando, Florida. In typical Inscape fashion the sessions were excellent and the people I met were delightful. We decided to take advantage of the location and spend a few days exploring Walt Disney World. Wow, have things changed in the 20 years since I was last there! Since we spent a lot of time in the Magic Kingdom, and we were discussing DiSC, I thought I would try a little character reading. Here are four characters I thought fit each DiSC behavioral style.


Musafa from the Lion King – High D

Well, let’s face it he’s a lion. Lions are dominant by nature but his personality style in the movie screams of highly dominant behavior. After all he accepted the challenge of being king, he manages any trouble that arises in the kingdom and helps the rest of the kingdom solve problems.

Ariel from The Little Mermaid - High i

This is one of my daughter’s all time favorites. Ariel tends to view people and situations with optimism, she is very articulate and makes an extremely favorable impression. While she may not seek out social recognition she does like freedom of expression and group activities. This is evident by the number of friends she keeps.

Winnie the Pooh from Winnie the Pooh & Friends - High S

While this loveable bear is not much for details (except when it comes to honey) he sure enjoys people. You might consider Pooh to be a high I but he is probably an S. In his never ending search for honey Pooh demonstrates an extremely steady side to his behavior. He is consistent but patient in his search. There’s no question he’s loyal and has a wonderful calming ability.

Jiminy Cricket from Pinocchio - High C

Jiminy Cricket served as Pinocchio’s conscience so who better to serve as our conscientious example? Jiminy uses subtle or indirect approaches to conflict, is definitely diplomatic and uses systematic approaches to situation. Jiminy Cricket is definitely highly conscientious.