Who am I?

DISC Test

Dominance.Influence.Steadiness.Compliance

What is a DISC test?

• A DISC test measures four main traits, or 'factors', of behaviour

• Dominance.Influence.Steadiness.Compliance

The results

Dominance

• Dominance is the factor of control and power. A DISC graph that shows a high level of Dominance relates to a style of behaviour that is direct, demanding and competitive.

• Highly Dominant individuals need to feel in control of a situation

• People of this type value results and efficiency. They look to achieve their ends as quickly as possible,

• Tend to place less importance on others’ feelings.

Influence

• Influence is the DISC factor describing outgoing sociable behaviour.

• People with a high Influence score on their profile are open, friendly and gregarious. They enjoy the company of others and feel relaxed and confident in almost any social situation.

• Highly ‘Influential’ people are particularly motivated by the attention and appreciation of other people, and often go out of their way to make themselves the centre of attention.

• High-I’s (people with high Influence factors) tend to live by their feelings, and respond emotionally to situations. While this can lead to impulsive, and sometimes even erratic

Steadiness

• Steadiness is the third of the four DISC factors. It relates to qualities of patience, persistence and sympathy.

• Steady individuals are warm and personable, but lack the social confidence of the ‘I’ (Influence) factor. They enjoy the company of others, but are listeners rather than talkers.

• The most important element of high-Steadiness behaviour is the need for time, to patiently and thoughtfully plan their words and actions.

• When high Steadiness appears in a DISC graph, it suggests that the individual being analysed dislikes change, and prefers to maintain a predictable status quo than be subjected to interruptions or sudden change.

Compliance

• Compliance is the fourth and final DISC factor.• It relates to a rational, dispassionate approach to life. • Highly Compliant individuals are interested in fact and detail,

and tend to look at things in practical, long-term ways.• They rarely act emotionally or impulsively, and instead

prefer to plan their actions and take account of all known possibilities.

• High-C’s greatly dislike taking risks, and under pressure will tend to evade the issue or prevaricate.

• They are solid problem-solvers, however, and possess a natural ability to structure and interpret information.

Things that will irritate each style

Illogical thinking

Too creative

Loud opinionated people

No evidence

Mistakes

Delays

Lack of interest

Indecision

Disagreement

Time wasting

Uncooperative people

Hurt feelings

Aggressive behaviour

Reaction of the ‘team’

Conflict

Lack of enthusiasm or creativity

Pessimism

Harsh realities

Lack of open-ness

Sub-traits

Sub-traits

Communication

For Dominance People interacts with others

• Dominance: Direct to the point, take care not to get into conflict, move on at any sign of impatience, fast moving discussion

• Influence: be sociable, be open and enthusiatic• Steadiness: Talk more slowly, slow down and

show you really care!• Compliance: Formal and to the point, show the

facts, show financial benefits, detailed and accurate, systematic and organized

For Influence People interacts with others

• Dominance: watch for impatience, present options and leave it to them, be precise, efficient

• Influence: Exercise more discipline in establishing agenda! Make sure work is done

• Steadiness: slow down, show a caring attitudes• Compliance: support statement with proof, state

logical alternatives, don’t miss any details, facts, figures and prices

For Steadiness People interacts with others

• Dominance: be well organized, be direct, and don’t over-occupy their time

• Influence: be sociable and friendly, • Steadiness: allow plenty of time to explore

problems, a slow and informal meeting!• Compliance: be logical, be detailed and be

well prepared

For Compliance people interact with others

• Dominance: be direct and fast, focus on goals and objective and how to achieve them

• Influence: offer incentives, be clear and direct, be friendly

• Steadiness: be non-threatening sincere• Compliance: don’t get side-tracked onto

irrelevant details, a statistical and fact-based discussion!

Leadership STYLE with DISC

Leadership with DISC• The Director • Such a leader has a demanding and impatient leadership style. They rarely tolerate dissension,

and act quickly to quell any possible threats (as they will see them) to their leadership position.• The Persuader (a style related to profiles showing high Influence) • prefers to foster a friendly, open atmosphere, and to build strong relationships with the

members of their team. This approach often hides the fact, though, that this style is still an assertive and active one, and will react badly where they believe other members of the team are in some sense taking advantage of their informal style.

• The Supporter (a style based on high Steadiness) • tends to see themselves as providing a service for the team's members, rather than a source of

direction. While they understand their responsibilities as a leader, they will typically seek to establish rapport with the members of their team, providing support where circumstances require it, and looking for similar support from their members.

• The Thinker (which applies to styles showing high Compliance) represents a leader who works through planning and structure. We have already seen how highly Compliant types will attempt to impose authority through procedure and organisation. This is due largely to their desire for certainty - they will wish to know as much as possible about the operations of the team on a day-by-day level.

Team Building with DISC

• Direction indicates a driving, goal-oriented team, usually with strong leadership. Teams with low Direction are referred to as Participatory.

• Communication, as its name suggests, is found in teams that rely on strong communication and positive personal relations. Where Communication is low in a Team Profile, it is referred to as Applied.

• Stability describes a reliable and predictable team whose members prefer to avoid change. Teams without Stability are referred to as Flexible.

• Productivity is the term used to describe teams whose members concentrate on procedure and quality. Low Productivity results in an inverse factor known as Resourcefulness.

So why this session?