The topic of DISC assessment is well worth looking at. In this article, we’ll explain why.

If you’re involved in leadership, you already know that one of the biggest challenges is working with a wide range of very different people. Everyone has their own unique skill sets, personalities, and preferred work environment. And because of this, it can be difficult to effectively communicate as a group when team members come together.

However, there are ways to manage it more effectively. One is to thoroughly understand your colleagues’ or employees’ unique make-up. And one of the best ways to get a good picture of that is through a DISC assessment.

So, if you want to raise self-awareness, improve teamwork, and promote more effective working relationships throughout your company, read on. You will uncover the fundamentals of the top-rated DISC assessment, and its benefits for your team.

What is DISC Assessment?

DISC, or DISC assessment, is a personal assessment tool used by hundreds of companies and corporations every year. They use it to help them with team building, communication, and productivity in the workplace.

DISC is an acronym for the four primary personality traits – Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness – and assessment is by way of a simple 15-20 minute test.

The results enable you to understand your employees better, and therefore build more strength and efficiency into your teams.

Let’s look at a slightly broader definition of the DISC acronym to give you an example of the kind of results you might be looking at.

The four primary personality traits mentioned above generally exhibit the following:

• D personalities tend to be more direct, and to focus on bottom-line results.
• I personalities tend to be more open-minded, with a focus on relationships and influencing or persuading others.
• S personalities tend to be dependable employees, with a focus on cooperation and sincerity.
• C personalities tend to focus on quality, accuracy, expertise, and competency in the workplace.

Simply put, DISC assessments help you dive deeper into your team members’ core values and individuality to explain how they can work best at your company. That’s why it’s such a valuable tool.

Who Created the DISC Assessment?

The DISC Model of Behavior was first proposed in 1928 by William Moulton Marston, a physiological psychologist. The model was featured in his book Emotions of Normal People. Now, nearly 100 years later, DISC is still considered a fundamental tool for identifying an individual’s key personality traits.

Are You Simply One Personality Type, or a Combination of All Four?

People very rarely fit into one major category of personality. So it’s likely that your team members will have elements of all four personality types. But some traits will probably dominate others.

For example, a person can be predominantly in the S or Steadiness category, but may also have traits that align with I or Influence, and C and Conscientiousness.

The aim of a DISC assessment is to show you which personality traits are most dominant in your individual make-up, but no one is just one type! As a team leader, you’ll make use of all the information when working with your team.

Can Your DISC Assessment Change?

The average person’s DISC profile tends to remain the same. Of course, your DISC assessment can certainly change somewhat throughout the years, as you choose to develop your less-dominant traits.

And because of that, the developers of the DISC assessment do recommend that a person takes the test every two years or so, just to ensure that you, as a leader, have the most accurate and up-to-date information.

What are the Benefits of DISC Assessment?

There’s a reason why Fortune 500 companies regularly rely on DISC assessments for both new and seasoned employees. That’s because a DISC assessment can provide a wealth of information that’s instrumental in formulating teams and job assignments, and for relating to your workforce.

Here are just a few of the more obvious benefits of a DISC assessment:

1 It improves teamwork.

DISC profiles help you communicate better with your team, and allow your team members to communicate more effectively with each other.

2 DISC encourages employees’ self-awareness.

Being able to grow, develop, and improve starts with understanding. A DISC assessment provides you and your team members with an in-depth look at strengths, as well as areas that may need some extra effort for constructive change.

3 It helps you find the right roles for the right team members.

You may have some team members who excel as leaders, or who thrive when they have a position that allows them to manage others or work well with certain other team members – perhaps as salespeople or group managers.

You may also have team members who prefer to work alone on long-term projects, and/or who work best with set guidelines on how the job should be performed. With a DISC assessment, you’ll be privy to all of this information and more. You can delegate tasks appropriately.

4 DISC assessment serves as a better tool for training.

Training new and existing employees, or providing constructive feedback, can be a challenge. This is because no one likes to be “judged.” However, the DISC assessment can be a helpful tool in this arena. It levels the playing field by giving trainers and trainees alike the non-judgmental information they need to both teach and learn more effectively.

The Bottom Line

If you want to be a better manager and team leader, then you need to have a better understanding of your employees. A DISC assessment can give you exactly that.

The information can lead to better productivity across the board, for everyone on your team – especially if you co-partner with an effective consultant or trainer.

I am a certified Human Behavior Consultant, with a long history of helping leaders and professionals have an impact on the world, using the strengths and talents they already have. While the DISC assessment is just one of the tools I employ to provide a more effective and powerful team, I can help you and your colleagues grow, succeed, and create an extraordinary life along the way.

Learn more about my training options at https://www.michelleprince.com/training/, and take the productive first steps to becoming a better and more effective manager through understanding the fundamental personality traits of your team.

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