DiSC-o-Mania, or, Winning With the Letter-Perfect Staff

Do you know what letter of the alphabet you are? Actually, you only have four choices—D, i, S and C—at least according to Mary Reilly, who facilitated a continuing education course based on the DiSC Personal Profile System at the Houston Insurance Day, sponsored recently by the Independent Insurance Agents of Houston. The course and the system are designed to help companies identify personality traits of various group members and understand how each member enhances the overall effectiveness of the team.

Reilly’s class, entitled “Win-Win Skills for a Competitive Environment” was sponsored by A.I. Imperial Credit Companies and AIG. Reilly, a corporate trainer for A.I. Imperial Credit who certainly has some fun, influencing, “i” aspects to her personality, got the session off to a lively start—with participants laughing and snapping their fingers in response to her questions.

“What we’re going to do is personality profiles,” Reilly said. “We’re going to talk about people who may stress you and why. It may be because they have a different personality profile than you.”

So, amid warnings to follow instructions carefully, class members took a brief “scratch off exam” wherein they identified words that most described or least described their work personas, by scratching off in a booklet small, oval shapes corresponding to those words. The scratch off process, much like that of a lotto card, revealed a range of symbols whose related numbers were subsequently charted on a Personal Profile System graph, disclosing the participant’s behavioral patterns as they relate to the DiSC Dimensions of Behavior paradigm.

Then the fun really began. People were grouped according to whether they were “D” (Dominance), “i” (Influence), “S” (Steadiness), or “C” (Conscientiousness). Through the group responses to Reilly’s queries on how each letter-type reacts to things like leadership, change and stress, revelations on how different personalities affect team dynamics began to unfold.

“D”s found out they accept challenges readily and make decisions quickly, but are often impatient when it comes to analyzing situations and carefully weighing the pros and cons of their decision making. They learned that while they are comfortable with power and authority, greater understanding of the needs of others and the ability to verbalize the reasons for their conclusions would serve them well.

“C”s, on the other hand, discovered they are quite comfortable with in-depth analysis; in fact, it’s a critical ingredient in their decision making processes. They value accuracy and quality in their work and need to know why, especially when it comes to change. Developing tolerance for conflict and valuing people for their intrinsic self-worth as much as for their accomplishments would enhance a “C”s performance. As would a little more flexibility.

The fun guy in the group, the “i” team member, is a “people” person. Relationships are what it’s all about for the “i,” who is typically a motivator with creativity to spare. To be more effective, the enthusiastic “i” should pay more attention to setting priorities and timelines, and strive for increased objectivity when deciding on a course of action.

If “i” represents the icing on the cake—the ingredient that keeps the work environment from being a total bore—”S”s are the glue that keeps it all together. The reliable “S” creates a stable, harmonious workplace, and is able to diffuse volcanic situations by, among other things, demonstrating patience and being a careful listener. But “S”s could use a little more spontaneity, as well as confidence that their presence is a valuable addition to the group.

Reilly stressed that only cartoon characters exhibit one personality trait to the exclusion of others. Real people are not just a “D” or “i” or “S” or “C.” Real people are multi-faceted. Still, it’s common for individuals to be stronger in one letter than the others, and all of the individual “types” are important to the balance of the team.

“Each one of them brings something to the table,” Reilly said. “What if we had a group without any ‘D’s, what would that be like?” Consensus of the room: No one would take control. Without any “i”s? Work would be BORING. No “S”s? Everybody will be fighting. Lacking “C”s? Nothing will get done, or it won’t be accurate.

By the same token, too much of one thing is not a good thing. All “D”s? Imagine an office with all bosses and no workers. Too many “i”s translates to “too much fun.” Only “S”s results in lots of consistency, but little leadership. A concentration of “C”s leads to “analysis paralysis,” as Reilly put it.

It’s essential for groups and their leaders to be aware of the characteristics of the working styles of the different personality types. To keep the team in balance, Reilly said it’s good idea to use the “platinum rule,” which she described as: “Do unto others as they would want to be done unto.”

For instance:
If you’re a “C,” keep it short and sweet when talking to a “D.” Lengthy explanations and detailed rationale? They don’t want to hear it.

“D”s, give those “C”s a pat on the back for all their diligent research. Even if you only want the bullet points extracted from their lengthy treatise, be aware that their attention to detail may someday save your …, well, you know what.

You may be adorable “i”s, but the “S”s on your team—although they’ll follow you anywhere—sometimes need more than encouragement to get their work done. They need facts, direction and a sense of structure.

And “S”s, know that your steadfastness and stability are the backbone of your group, so go out on a limb—get creative. And, tell someone what you need. You might surprise an “i” or two.