A Practical Guide to Using D.I.S.C. in the Workplace<\/a> for more tips from Lyndon Friesen, including step-by-step advice on introducing D.I.S.C. within your organization. Simply click the button below for access to your free copy of this all-in-one PDF document.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Don\u2019t forget, you can also tune into Lyndon\u2019s interview above, or download the episode by subscribing to our podcast, Outback Talks: The Employee Engagement Podcast, on iTunes, Google Play, SoundCloud, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
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If you\u2019d prefer to read Lyndon\u2019s interview, see below for the full transcription of the podcast episode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kara Sy (KS):<\/em><\/strong> Hi everyone, and welcome to \u201cOutback Team Building & Training Tips,\u201d a monthly audio resource for HR and business professionals. This podcast is produced by Outback Team Building & Training, a leading team building, training, and consulting provider for organizations across North America. I\u2019m your host, Kara Sy, and this month I\u2019m joined by special guest Lyndon Friesen, Lead Facilitator of Outback Team Building & Training\u2019s skill development programs. Thanks so much for joining me today, Lyndon!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nLyndon Friesen (LF):<\/em><\/strong> Thank you for having me.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nKS:<\/em><\/strong> Our topic this month is how to practically use D.I.S.C. assessments in the workplace, and Lyndon will be sharing his insight and experience on the topic. But, before we begin, let\u2019s start out with our quick tip of the month. Each month we begin the episode with a quick tip for our listeners. Lyndon, what\u2019s the number one benefit of doing D.I.S.C. assessments with your team?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nLF:<\/em><\/strong> One of the biggest things that companies are looking for is how their teams are going to work more effectively together, and a tool like D.I.S.C. gives people the opportunity to become more self-aware of who they are within a team dynamic, thereby allowing themselves to work more effectively together.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nKS:<\/em><\/strong> Great! Okay, so with that, let\u2019s get to our main interview. Alright Lyndon, so, for people who may not know, what does D.I.S.C. stand for?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nLF:<\/em><\/strong> D.I.S.C. stands for four things. One is Dominance, two is Influence, three is Steadiness, and four is Conscientiousness.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nKS:<\/em><\/strong> Okay, and so, why do you think they put it into an abbreviation like that? Is it just easier for people to remember in the acronym?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nLF:<\/em><\/strong> I think that\u2019s all it is. Acronyms have a way of being \u2013 becoming more sticky for people, and these four words are kind of their core quadrants that they use on their assessment tool.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nKS:<\/em><\/strong> Okay, so, can you explain each of those four for us?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nLF:<\/em><\/strong> Dominance is how much emphasis one places on results and the bottom line, and it\u2019s an outward reflection of someone\u2019s confidence.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nKS:<\/em><\/strong> Okay, so maybe a bit more, to someone who isn\u2019t a \u201cD,\u201d maybe comes across a bit more aggressive?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nLF:<\/em><\/strong> They would be viewed as either aggressive or very assertive.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nKS:<\/em><\/strong> Okay, what about \u201cI\u201d?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nLF:<\/em><\/strong> \u201cI\u201d references a person\u2019s emphasis on influencing or persuading other people and relationships.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nKS:<\/em><\/strong> Okay, and \u201cS\u201d?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nLF:<\/em><\/strong> \u201cS\u201d is reference to steadiness, and it\u2019s emphasis on cooperation, sincerity, and dependability.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nKS:<\/em><\/strong> And \u201cC\u201d?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nLF:<\/em><\/strong> \u201cC\u201d is conscientiousness, and it\u2019s a person\u2019s emphasis on quality, accuracy, expertise, and competency.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nKS:<\/em><\/strong> And so, these are the main qualities that someone would exhibit in a workplace?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nLF:<\/em><\/strong> There are four quadrants that they\u2019ve identified, and within each quadrant there are some aspects to a person\u2019s personality\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nKS:<\/em><\/strong> Right.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nLF:<\/em><\/strong> \u2026that deals a little deeper beyond just dominance.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nKS:<\/em><\/strong> Right, and so how is one assessed in these four quadrants? How do you figure out if you\u2019re a \u201cD\u201d versus a \u201cC\u201d?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nLF:<\/em><\/strong> Yes, you see, you complete an online assessment form and you get a report back that assigns a dot within a circle that would fall somewhere within the four quadrants. Either Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, or Conscientiousness.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nKS:<\/em><\/strong> And so, technically, you can be a combination of all four, or you are a combination of all four.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nLF:<\/em><\/strong> I think that\u2019s what it is \u2013 you\u2019re correct, Kara \u2013 that most people think that if they fall under, you know, Steadiness, that they have nothing as to a place on Conscientiousness or Dominance, and that\u2019s not true. It just means that there\u2019s a gravitational pull that you have to operate within that quadrant.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nKS:<\/em><\/strong> Right, and so, are you\u2019re kind of looking at it, like, where you would be plotted on a graph. Say, so, you\u2019re more towards being an \u201cI\u201d but you\u2019re a little bit close to the \u201cC.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nLF:<\/em><\/strong> Absolutely, yes, and it\u2019s your comfort level in working with people who are more similar to you. So, for example, somebody who\u2019s high in Conscientiousness, which is quality and accuracy, might have conflict with somebody who is high in Dominance, because somebody who is high in quality places a preference on getting it right, and someone who is high in Dominance has a preference for getting the result. And often, those two, for example, could be in conflict with each other.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nKS:<\/em><\/strong> Sure, and so the person who is seen as a \u201cD\u201d might think of a person who\u2019s seeing as an \u201cS\u201d as not caring about reaching those goals, where in reality, they just care about reaching that goal in a manner that has quality.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nLF:<\/em><\/strong> Absolutely. I think they\u2019re both after the same thing, but they\u2019re coming at it in <\/em>two different ways.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nKS:<\/em><\/strong> Right, and so, you mentioned the online quiz, the assessment. Is that the best way for someone to figure out where they land on the D.I.S.C. profiles?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nLF:<\/em><\/strong> Yes, it is. It\u2019s the starting point.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nKS:<\/em><\/strong> Okay.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nLF:<\/em><\/strong> And so, if you get the assessment form and you look at where you\u2019re at, and you kind of keep that information to yourself, meaning, you\u2019ve taken the assessment online in isolation of other people, you\u2019re probably not going to, you know, get a lot of benefit from it. So, the benefit comes when you do it with other people who are within the team dynamic at work.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nKS:<\/em><\/strong> Right, and so, how do you recommend doing that? What\u2019s the next step after taking the online quiz?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nLF:<\/em><\/strong> The next step after that would be \u2013 so, one would be to do it within the context of the team that you\u2019re in, and then two would be to actually have somebody help you unpack the learning.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nKS:<\/em><\/strong> Someone like yourself?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nLF:<\/em><\/strong> Someone like myself. And then, really, the biggest benefit is when you start to come up with practical ideas to breathe life into the different assessment profiles that different people have.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nKS:<\/em><\/strong> Right. And so, as a third-party facilitator, how important do you think it is that the person leading the session with the team who\u2019s done their assessments is not part of that team? Do you think it\u2019s important to open up someone\u2019s perspective on what it could be like to work well with other D.I.S.C. profiles?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nLF:<\/em><\/strong> I think, anytime you get an outside perspective, it could really help. Somebody who\u2019s knowledgeable in the field, somebody who understands what the actual dot means within the graph or chart, and then allows you to begin to see how \u2013 where your teammates are, and gives understanding as to why somebody might react one way to situation and you might react very differently. Though, it\u2019s actually not a conflict, but we perceive it to be a conflict.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nKS:<\/em><\/strong> Right, so, using your further understanding of where someone falls on the D.I.S.C. profile to help you have a better working relationship.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nLF:<\/em><\/strong> Absolutely. So, step one is be aware that if you\u2019re highly dominant, that there\u2019s a real plus to that, but there can be a downside to it too. Or, if you\u2019re a, you know, high on conscientiousness, that there\u2019s a real plus to that, but there\u2019s a downside to it too. So, to become a better team member, we have to first become more aware of who we are and the plus of the strength, but there\u2019s also often a downside to that strength, and then be aware of our teammates and where are they on the D.I.S.C. assessment\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nKS:<\/em><\/strong> \u2026where they fall.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nLF:<\/em><\/strong> Where they fall.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nKS:<\/em><\/strong> Yeah, and then, understanding how someone that you saw as being aggressive before then discovering that they\u2019re \u2013 they have this dominate profile can actually help you see the benefits to that. You might then be able to work around previous conflicts because now you better understand where they\u2019re coming from.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nLF:<\/em><\/strong> If we fast forward \u2013 I think you\u2019re absolutely right, Kara. If we fast forward to three months later, in a perfect world, within a team, somebody who is high on conscientiousness, when they\u2019re assembling their own mini team to work on a project, they would actually go after somebody who is high in \u201cD\u201d\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nKS:<\/em><\/strong> Right.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nLF:<\/em><\/strong> \u2026who is very different than them because they would go, \u201cThank goodness I have somebody who is results-orientated on my team to compliment me.\u201d So, instead of that being, you know, friction-driven differences, were actually embracing the differences together.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nKS:<\/em><\/strong> Yeah, so my next question was actually going to be about how understanding colleagues\u2019 D.I.S.C. profiles can help you work better together, but I think we\u2019ve just covered that. I think, just understanding how their strengths can help you in your weaknesses, can help you work better together as a team. And seeing that as a plus, rather than a negative, rather than a reason for conflict, a reason to move forward together and collaborate.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nLF:<\/em><\/strong> Yeah. I think when you see a team not avoiding each other and working with each other, they\u2019re actually embracing it because we are different, we\u2019re bringing different things to the table. That\u2019s exciting!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nKS:<\/em><\/strong> Yeah. And do you have any examples, having worked with companies and helped them better understand D.I.S.C. profiles, are there some examples that you can give us that you\u2019ve seen them take away?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nLF:<\/em><\/strong> In terms of \u2013 I often will say, after the work that I do with the client, the real work begins, which is bringing it to life. And so, a lot of these different assessment programs, people leave and they feel great, but you ask them three months later, did it make a difference? And a lot of them say no, and it\u2019s because they haven\u2019t come up with a plan to bring life into it after the session\u2019s done. And so, there\u2019s a lot of different ideas that I work with clients on that help do that, and here is a couple of them: one is, some companies create a coffee date concept where they have to take somebody out for coffee that\u2019s in a very different profile than they\u2019re in.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nKS:<\/em><\/strong> Oh, that\u2019s really interesting.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nLF:<\/em><\/strong> And they\u2019re going to record it, and part of that time that they\u2019re having coffee with this other person is to get to know them a bit better and understand why they\u2019re driven in certain way, what motivates them, and learn to embrace each other versus fight each other.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nKS:<\/em><\/strong> Yeah.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nLF:<\/em><\/strong> Another one is an organization that painted a huge wall with the D.I.S.C. quadrants on it, and with an erasable marker people would actually put their dot on the wall as a visible reminder every day that we\u2019re different and we\u2019re to embrace our differences, not fight our differences, and to be public about it. There are lots of people who take this assessment and believe that there\u2019s this ideal profile to have, ideal placement of the dot, somewhere in the quadrants \u2013 and there is no ideal place.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nKS:<\/em><\/strong> No, of course not.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nLF:<\/em><\/strong> There is your place and that\u2019s the right place. And it\u2019s more awareness of where that dot is in relationship to your teammates.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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