DISC – Positive Personality Profiles
(a quick guide)
It should be pointed out before we start, that the DISC personality profile is not designed to limit our views of people or to label them or to put them in boxes. It is simply a way by which we may better understand people. Also it is worth noting that our personalities do change as we go through life and we may be more D,I, S or C in certain situations. But the benefit of using this system is we can understand or rather have a better idea of how someone may view our actions and as such we can work better together.
The first thing to do is to ask our selves (or the person we are trying to understand) two questions;
Are you more outgoing or are you more reserved? (bear in mind that you can change your mind at a later date – you’re not locked in for life!)
And would you say that you are more task orientated or people orientated? (again you can change your mind later – you’re not locked in for life!)
Next you need to plot the two answers on the graph below to find out which segment you fall into;
(Out of interest - if you are not sure of your answers - put yourself in the C category, just for now)
The first thing to explain – before we talk about the strengths and occasional
downfalls of each of these personality types is that we are all a mixture of these.
The category that you have placed yourself in is the personality type you have most of in your mix and the one you understand the best in others – but you will find that you probably have quite a few of the traits of the personality types either side of you on the chart.
Now the personality type that is diagonally opposite you is an interesting one. It’s probably the one you have least of in your make up, the one you understand the least - and quite possibly the personality type you are married to or living with!!!!! (Well they say opposites attract – and in personality styles this seems to be true! Try this at home – it can be fun! You may also come away with a new understanding and/or appreciation for your partner!)
OK, so a little bit about these personality types;
D
D’s are driven, doing people – achievers and leaders, they tend to be very decisive. They are brilliant because without them we’d never get anything done on time – they will be the real drivers and leaders of a business or project.
Best thing about being a D: You get things done – you’re a real achiever. Once you get a goal in your sites there’s no stopping you. Your life is daring and adventurous!
Worst thing about being a D: Life can feel like one long battle. Because D’s tend to be a little blunt at times, they can find that they come across a lot of resistance to their ideas and can alienate people sometimes.
Tip: It’s good to grow your other personality types to give you different ways of communicating with people. P.S. There is a God – and it isn’t you! ☺ How they like to work: If they ask for information they like bullet points, not waffle - get to the facts. They like things done their way, and quickly at that.
Pet hates: Waffle and they do not suffer fools gladly. Why they need their opposite: You need D’s to get things done – but without S’s they’d have no friends – because they can be a little blunt and/or Dictatorial.
How to get them involved or on your side: D’s motto is ‘do it my way, now – and we’ll get along fine’ so either it’s got to be their idea (or they think it is!) or they need to be sold the idea as being something that agrees with what they are thinking or trying to do. Or put them in charge of your project!
I
I’s are the people who bring the fun into our lives. They are funny, inspirational, creative, ideas people. If there’s a party going on or something fun happening you’ll find them in the middle of it! They bring energy and enthusiasm to their projects / teams and can be relied upon for creative solutions or original ideas.
Best thing about being an I: Life is such fun!! People are great, life is full of opportunities – you can usually see the fun in anything!
Worst thing about being an I: You can get hung by your tongue! You are so
eager to get involved and come up with fantastic ideas that you can find yourself a little stressed when people ask you to deliver.
Tip: Learn to listen – I’s are the most likely to be guilty of ‘waiting to speak’ instead of actually listening! Also other people can get a little tired of your voice – be careful not to lose friends or the good will of colleagues in this way! They won’t die if they don’t hear your latest funny anecdote – honest! ☺
How they like to work: They work best around other people (but they may need managing to ensure that they’re not too disruptive to others). They may need reminding that they have agreed to do something as they are very forgetful – but don’t worry, you aren’t likely to offend them by doing so – they usually know they’re forgetful!
Pet hates: Detail and boring process stuff – if you lose their interest you won’t
get much out of them.
Why they need their opposite: You need I’s for fun and inspiration – but they need C’s to get them organised and help them with the details that they’ve totally overlooked!
How to get them involved or on your side: The standing joke is that you can get these people involved in your project by saying, “Do you want to go…” and by the time you’ve got to the word ‘go’ they’ll have said yes!! I’s love being involved with team stuff. If you need any further buy in – just tell them about all the fun stuff in your project.
S
S’s are the sweetest people you will ever meet. They are quiet, considerate, reliable people, happy to help and eager to keep the peace. They are often the unsung heroes – when you have no volunteers for a less than exciting element of your project, they are the ones who will volunteer – but they will do it quietly, later, as they don’t like being in the spotlight.
Best thing about being an S: Everyone loves you! Because of your skills as a
peacemaker and volunteer you are likely to be the most popular person around.
Worst thing about being a S: Because you are so willing to muck in you can become over worked and sometimes taken for a sucker.
Tip: Learn to develop your assertiveness. Assertiveness is about showing respect for other people’s opinions and your own opinions – you won’t offend anyone by being more assertive! ☺
How they like to work: They like to be part of a team and are happy to work for the good of all, with little recognition. They like thank you’s but don’t make too big a song and dance about it – it makes them uncomfortable.
Pet hates: Be gentle with these people – they are easily offended and will shrink away if you bark orders at them. Also they hate conflict.
Why they need their opposite: S’s are wonderfully reliable and supportive - but without D’s they’d have no-one to stand up for them.
How to get them involved or on your side: These people aren’t usually slow to
volunteer – in fact the danger with these people is that they can end up overworked
and taken advantage of – take care not to do this. However, if you need to get them on board you can appeal to their conscience since their focus tends to be on what’s for the common good – but ask them when they are not in the spotlight.
C
C’s are conscientious, detailed, sensitive people. They are the people who have the patience to deal with all of the long laborious processes that need to be correct in order for a project to succeed. They will do everything thoroughly (indeed they may check everything three times) and will not cut corners. They are the people who make sure that procedures are adhered to and that nothing’s left to chance.
Best thing about being a C: Your attention to detail pays dividends.
Worst thing about being a C: Life can feel quite painful sometimes, because
other people don’t think about what they are about to say nearly as much as you do. As a consequence an off hand comment from someone may cause more offence to you because you are likely to assume that person considered your feelings before they said it – the chances are they didn’t, and they probably didn’t mean to offend – or indeed may not realise that they have!
Tip: Remember that we are not all as thoughtful as you – and give yourself a break – we don’t need you to be perfect all the time – we like you as you are! ☺
How they like to work: C’s love detail. If you need and in-depth investigation or report they’re your people. If you need something concise – say so. Don’t ask C’s to cut corners – it’s not in their nature and they are unlikely to do so.
Pet hates: Asking a C to ‘wing’ something is likely to cause them a lot of stress, if a task requires steps 1-10 to be completed they will not be happy to skip out number 6 and come back to it later – they do things in order.
Why they need their opposite: You need C’s to ensure accuracy and that nothing gets forgotten – but without S’s they’d never have any fun – and because they spend so much time on details they may struggle to meet deadlines, and are likely to overwork themselves in the process!
How to get them involved or on your side: C’s like to be needed. Tell them why you need their attention to detail on your project.