A few months ago, I received a request for DiSC® assessments for a small leadership team of four within a small organization of only 15. The inquiry came from a new leader on this team, “Barry”, who shared that he was versed in the concepts of the DiSC® behavioral theory. During our consultation call, I offered my usual support of the purchase of these assessments with a brief virtual training (two hours). During this training, we would explore the basic concepts of DiSC and allow for discussion on how these leaders could work together most effectively. In the end, they chose to only purchase the assessments without supportive learning which concerned me. Since Barry stated that he had experienced DiSC with previous employers, I was hopeful that he could facilitate a proper orientation.
Barry wanted to introduce DiSC to his colleagues in leadership and perhaps then obtain assessments for the rest of the staff who report to them. It was a bit of a sell to their CEO but in the end, they purchased those first few assessments. We traditionally provide a Team View showing all their styles as well as a Group View of how their various styles fit together within the main four quadrants of D, I, S, and C. This small group of four all appeared in the “D” quadrant, with some additional secondary dimensions in blended styles. This was a concern to the CEO once he saw this data and was second guessing his recent hiring of Barry to his leadership team.
Without training, the CEO wasn’t able to learn how Barry could fill his new position effectively The assessments alone provide data about one’s natural style. But having any type of assessment is just the first step, awareness. From this awareness, one can learn to understand how to stretch to areas where they are not as strong and adapt in different situations as necessary. This is the foundation of all my coaching clients’ programs. Being able to modify one’s behavior to achieve greater results takes awareness, understanding and then strategies for shifting as needed and it takes work.
“An assessment at one point in time has little value for understanding someone’s ability, let alone their potential to succeed in the future.” - Carol S. Dweck