Understanding a DISC Assessment

Understanding The Maxwell DISC Personality Indicator & DISC Assessment

The DISC assessment will allow you, as an individual, to better understand your strengths and weaknesses. Your individual personality affects every aspect of your life. That’s why one of the best things you can do to grow yourself and others is to understand your personality and what naturally drives you. When you recognize your strengths and weaknesses, you are able to give your best as you work with people around you. I strongly believe that an individual’s future success is related to how well they understand their unique personality type.

First, let’s go back in time to learn more about personalities and how they are rooted in ancient history. In 444 B.C. Empedocles identified 4 elements of humans being earth, air, fire, and water. All of them are earthly components he used to describe human behavior. Then in 400 B.C. Hippocrates developed a theory of humans being affected by internal fluids of cleric, sanguine, phlegmatic, melancholy. Fast forward 1921 and Carl Jung developed thinking, feeling, sensing, and tuition; which is the basis for the Myers-Briggs personality assessment. Finally, in 1928, Dr. Martson wrote Emotions of Normal People; which used the foundation of Jeung’s findings, as well as placing people into the following 4 degrees of personality: dominant, steady, influencing, and compliant. Throughout history, we see 4 columns of personality and how they correlate or segue to each other.

Your personality is determined by 3 things: Heredity, Environment, and Role Models.

1. Heredity: from birth, distinctive powers of behavior, uncontrolled.
2. Environment: life experiences that impact your way of life.
3. Role Models: people in our life who teach us values, behaviors, and our moral fiber

Try a Quick 1-Minute DISC Assessment

This exercise will determine your primary personality, and learn more about that style below:?

1. Draw a horizontal line in half of the paper, draw a vertical line in half of the paper, making a cross dissecting the center of the page
2. Write in a D in the top left corner, I in the top right corner
3. Lower left corner is C and S in the lower right corner
4. Hold your pen in the center of the page
5. Move your page to the top half of the page, if you’re outgoing
6. If you are reserved, move your pen to the lower half
7. Move your pen to the left if you are task-oriented
8. If you are people-oriented, move to the right side of the page
9. Your pen should be over your personality type

If your pen is over the D, you are dominant and driving. If you’re in the top right, you are most likely an I, an influencing personality. If your pen is in the lower half to the right, you are most likely an S or steady & stable personal. If you’re in the lower left, you are most likely a C or correct & compliant personality type.

D: Dominance, Results, Direct, Competitive | Greatest Fear: Being taken advantage of

Do’s: Be direct and brief, stay in the big picture, provide them with options

Dont’s: Ramble, bore them with details, challenge them

I: Influence, Enthusiasm, Friendly, Optimistic | Greatest Fear: rejection or loss of influence and wish to make change

Do’s: Allow them time for socializing, opportunities to speak or instruct, use written instructions, incentivize

Don?t?s: Don’t publicly challenge them, don’t ignore their ideas, don’t tell them what to do in an authoritative manner.

S: Steadiness, Sincerity, Patient, Modest | Greatest Fear: Loss of Security

Do’s: Create a friendly tone, show interest in them as a person, give them time to adjust to change.

Dont’s: Speak in a confrontational tone,?

C: Compliance, Accurate, Cautious, Contemplative | Greatest Fear: Criticism

Do’s: Provide all the details, use validated facts, be specific

Dont’s: Pressure them for quick response, be unprepared, marginalize their questioning

Interested in the full DISC Assessment as a company or team leader? We provide private assessments and discovery sessions for the DISC Assessment. Learn more, here.

Now that you know your personality type, the do’s and the don’t’s, you should be able to identify better with yourself and others. Flexing your communication style based on your personality strengths, or weaknesses will be the key to teamwork, productivity, and successful execution of your goals.

Visit Buildcs.net to learn more about a DISC Assessment, and contact brianb@buildcs.net for analysis & opportunities for growth.