DiSC: It’s What I Use
In my last few posts, I’ve spoken quite a bit about behavior—identifying it, understanding it, changing it. I’ve alluded to the Everything DiSC® Behavioral Assessment* a number of times and have made no secret of my preference for it and use of it with my leadership and behavior coaching clients. But there are other tools out there, and I thought you might appreciate learning more about why I choose DiSC.
The Others
The other “big name” in the behavioral assessment market is the Myers Briggs Personality Test (MBTI® Step I). This tool, developed by Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers based on the typological theories proposed by Carl Gustav Jung, gauges your mental processes and orientation and categorizes you into one of 16 personality types. (There’s plenty of information online about the MBTI, if you’d like to learn more about what it is and how it works.)
Who You Are (personality) vs How You Interact (behaviors)
I don’t question the validity of the Myers Briggs tool, but for the purpose of understanding one‘s behavior in order to change it for greater satisfaction, I choose DiSC. The MBTI is designed to identify who you are—what you are instinctually driven to do. The MBTI is used by a lot of employers to determine if a candidate is a good “fit” for their organization. DiSC, on the other hand, categorizes and defines your behavioral style and then goes one step further: it gives you tips and strategies for creating more positive interactions and relationships. Yes, you can change!
Benefits and Opportunities
And there are other reasons I prefer DiSC over MBTI. DiSC is easier to use and interpret, it takes less time to take, and the results are intuitive. Another significant advantage of DiSC is the unlimited access to comparison reports you are granted once you’ve taken the test. You can compare your results with anyone who has taken the assessment anonymously, or within your organization to use as a tool to best benefit communication between two individuals. And you can take the test again and compare your own results to see how you’ve changed, perhaps after personal coaching.
There are several versions of DiSC available, each customized to give you the most insight into your current behavior and how it impacts your ability to be successful in different roles, such as sales or leadership.
Popular Everything DiSC® Profiles:
– DiSC Classic 2.0
– Everything DiSC Workplace
– Everything DiSC Work of Leaders
– Everything DiSC 363 for Leaders
– Everything DiSC Management
– Everything DiSC Sales
All the DiSC Profiles are powerful and easy to use, but to really get the most out of the tools I recommend working with a behavioral coach to help you develop strategies for developing more positive interactions and to hold you accountable to make the changes. I utilize DiSC in my work with individuals, teams and organizations, and I also incorporate other extremely valuable concepts/models in my coaching, such as The Five Behaviors of a Cohesive TeamTM by Patrick Lencioni, Personal Listening Skills and Time Mastery. This approach has proven profoundly successful for me and for my clients.
*Everything DiSC® is a Wiley Brand.