As I mentioned earlier, the DISC profiling system has been helpful to me. As I pen this section, I’m in Costa Rica with my wife, my 76-year-old mama from Alabama, my brother, and his wife, along with two of my clients, Bruce and Joanna DeLoach.
Bruce and Joanna are technical trainers (who do a phenomenal job in their industry by the way), and we were talking about this process by the pool. Bruce couldn’t stand it anymore. He had to know “what” he was. He took the DISC profile online and it explained why he was so much fun to be around.
The DISC Profile reveals four basic communication styles: outgoing and
reserved, and people-oriented and task-oriented:
D = Dominant. This style is outgoing and task-oriented. The D style is direct and to the point. They are usually in a hurry and impatient, and they can be demanding. They can be good CEOs because they like to be in charge, and they know how to get things done. The weakness of the D is they are in such a hurry to get things done, they forget that people are around! They can be too
hasty, which causes all sorts of problems.
I = Influential. This style is outgoing and people-oriented. They are the life of the party. They love people and they love to talk. Since they love people, they make good outside sales and marketing reps. Their weakness is they aren’t detailed, so things can fall through the cracks.
S = Steady. This style is reserved and people-oriented. They are concerned about the welfare and feelings of others. Since they are reserved, they don’t seek the limelight. Many times they have a servant attitude and make great customer service people. Their weakness is that they can get their feelings hurt easily.
C = Competent. This style is reserved and task-oriented. They are cautious and calculating. They are analytical and make great accountants. This is the person you want to read a contract or to crunch numbers. Their weakness is they can come off very critical and negative.
Do you know anyone who fits one of these communication styles? What about you? Of course, you want to take an assessment to see how you score in each of the areas, but you probably see some of these characteristics in yourself and those you know well.
This is probably the briefest outline of DISC on the planet, but it gives you a quick overview of how people have different behavior and communication styles. As you learn more about this, you’ll see that most everyone has a combination of the two letters and that their dominant style will show more
or less in different situations.
Many times their style will show up differently when they are at work or at home, under stress or not. And please understand this is not to put a label on anyone. It is simply to understand how they communicate and what kind of environments they will prosper in.
Now, how will you use this information? When you understand your behavior style, and you understand the dominant behavior style of others, you can adapt to their style. Notice I said “adapt to their style,” not force them to adapt to yours.
