A strong leader knows that different team members often require different communication tactics, and the “DiSC” behaviour assessment system might help you speak everyone’s language and get through to them.
The DiSC behaviour assessment is based on the theories of psychologist William Moulton Marston, and it centres on four major behavioural traits that everyone has on some level in the workplace: dominance, influence, compliance, and steadiness. The graphic below from Eastern Nazarene College’s business management masters program explains how to determine what behavioural traits your team members have, how they prefer to work and communicate, and most importantly, how to provide feedback to each type of person. For example, if you’re dealing with someone that has a lot of dominance (they’re competitive, decisive, and independent), direct compliments are a great way to praise them and criticism needs to be very specific. Check it out below to learn more.
Using DiSC Assessments to Become a Better Leader [Eastern Nazarene College]
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3 responses to “Learn How To Lead Different Types Of Individuals With The “DiSC” System [Infographic]”
Based on the work of psychologist William Marston in the 1920s who was so good at it, he gave it up to write Wonder Woman comics under the name of Charles Moulton. Like all of the systems that try to classify people into neat boxes (MBTI anyone?) DiSC needs to be taken with a huge grain of salt and largely ignored.
While I’m sceptical of it’s usefulness when doing them for yourself (people will answer the questions to fit their own preconceptions), I think that the DISC principle is useful to help you deal with other people.
eg, if you know your boss is a high D, you know he’ll make quick decisions and it’s best not to sit around discussing details. On the other hand, if you know your boss is a high I, you’ll know to bring a laptop and a coffee to your meetings, coz it’ll be a while and you may as well use the time productively by doing other things.
Fine, except most people belong in two or more categories.