Post By Anna Thiele, Deliberate Directions Leadership Strategist
Anna focuses on writing website content and hosting a “Leadership, No Homework” book club. Anna received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication, with a certificate in Leadership and Human Resources, from Boise State University. In her spare time, Anna enjoys rock climbing, traveling, music, and the Enneagram.
Life happens; how to stay on track in a world that doesn’t stop utilizing your DISC profile.
Do you ever have one bad day that seems to carry on for three weeks? What once was a pestering knot in your stomach is now a very big load full of feeling that you would rather crawl into a hole than deal with? Feelings that you are an imposter who is simply going through the motions? Do you perceive that every soul you encounter that day will somehow find fault in you, and then ask you about it? Or do you find your once ‘no big deal’ attention to detail now has huge negative implications? Does this sound oddly specific?
My life has turned on itself over the last week. That’s the honest truth. My mom said this about her own one bad day; “A day from Hell”. She had no idea how that resonated with me.
However, in every bad [insert relevancy] there is always a positive takeaway…
My life began to slow down and I began to show signs of normalcy, and my drive and motivation began to creep in again. Phew. I heard from Darren Hardy that morning, “how are you complicit in creating the condition you don’t want?”. This went straight to my heart.
That same morning Deliberate Directions had training for a client’s team on the DISC profiles. This got me curious about how my DISC profile played a part in my reaction to the added stress over the previous weeks. I found enough information through a Google search to know how each profile preferred task completion, but I needed more. I brought this to the attention of my Whetstone group and asked what they thought. That conversation bred this beautiful creation to follow.
To get started, DISC is a personality profile that many professional organizations use. There are many resources available to clear up the details, including on the Deliberate Directions website. This is the basics to know;
Dominant-impulsive, quick gratification
Influence-half-done tasks feel better than one finished task
Steadiness-methodical, committed
Conscientiousness-complete perfection or nothing gets done
To put that into action, let’s break it down further through different examples.
Task Lineup
In this example we look at how each DISC Profile works best when doing their tasks.
D – small task to large task. “D” prefers to do the smaller task before tackling the larger, more dedicated/complicated task.
I – organize then do the task. “I” prefers to do tasks after they have organized them into their categories.
S – line up to make completion smooth. “S” prefers to make sure there is enough time, resources, etc. in order to complete each of the tasks before committing to them.
C – big task to smaller task. “C” prefers to do the larger, more complex, task and feel accomplished before attempting to do minor tasks.
White Space as a buffer (calendar and environment)
In this example we consider each DISC profile’s buffer tolerance both in their calendars and environment.
D – no white space. “D” has no buffer. They run purely on the coffee from the night before. They allow no time between their tasks, often wearing themselves thin. In their environment, they enjoy similar chaos; no walls or separation. They want to see and hear everything.
I – white space in spots that create the best unison. “I” has a buffer in places that make sense but they thrive in the chaos. They are happy to adjust their buffers.
S – white space that optimizes efficiency. “S” create buffers that ensure that can do all the work they intended without being distracted by requests or noises that aren’t relevant.
C – all white space. “C” creates their space full of buffers. They will leave time between tasks in order to go back and check for mistakes or they will lock themselves in their office so that they can be sure their work will be completed.
Speed/Pace of Accomplishment
We have a game we play with our clients that really represents how each profile processes information. You can see how people think and when we have five or eight people playing, it becomes more obvious which DISC profile each of your teammates operates from. This game involves one member removing facial tissues from one box and another member putting them into an empty box; so that is the example I am using for this next round of examples.
D – finishes tasks quickly, not worried about who is in cross-fire. “D” rips the tissue from the box with exceptional pace, not cognizant if the tissues are placed in a way that makes it easier for their team member to effectively put the tissues in the empty box.
I – finishes tasks quickly, as it makes sense. “I” matches the pace of their team members and makes sure the tissues are relatively close to the empty box.
S – finishes tasks at a very consistent pace. “S” sets their own pace and will make sure each of the tissues are pulled at the same rate and placed in the same spot next to the empty box.
C – finishes tasks and then revisits the task to make sure everything is truly finished. “C” matches the pace and will make sure that every tissue is neatly placed in perfect proximity to the empty box to best help their team member.
Any chance this still hasn’t resonated with you; place yourself at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy.
Hogwart Houses and DISC Profiles
D – Gryffindor
I – Slitherine
S – Hufflepuff
C – Ravenclaw
Conclusion
Please let us know in the comments what works best for you how you can stay on track using your DISC profile. Don’t know your DISC profile? Order one here.