3 Prerequisites to Learning DISC

Assessment Tool Helps Leaders Understand Workplace Satisfaction

Read the news lately? Americans are frequently discussing whether employers are looking out for their most important assets: their people.

Rather than accept that employees often leave jobs for greener pastures, leaders would be wise to understand why their people aren’t satisfied in the workplace.

But these actions go beyond surface-level, one-off conversations. Instead, deeper insights and more meaningful discussions can begin by looking to validated assessments that reveal a person’s unique talents and skills and help us understand other people’s actions and decisions.

Knowledge of self is the biggest catalyst of change, and we know by using a DISC (Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, Compliance) assessment (among others) we can measure human activity through the prism of observable behavior.

But there are prerequisites to learning DISC. Setting out these three qualifiers before you discuss DISC behavior styles with others or explore them individually will lead to richer conversations and more discoveries.

• Acknowledge the importance of identifying your strengths – Leaders who are able to identify where and how best they excel in the workplace and in their relationships with others will be better able to understand where their employees shine best in their roles. From there, you will also be able to offer suggestions for employees’ self-improvement.

• Be willing to look at any possible limitations – None of us have all the answers in work and in life. But by understanding our own shortcomings, we will have the information and ability to make improvements in how we achieve success in the workplace. Better yet, as leaders, we will be able to duplicate those efforts company-wide for the organization’s benefit.

• Have a desire to bring out the best in others – It’s not all about you in the workplace. As leaders, it’s your duty to ensure everyone is set up and has the tools to achieve meaningful success. Without these systems in place, you will likely not gain the commitment and cooperation from your employees, and won’t have the tools to resolve and prevent conflict.

As one of our longtime Value Added Associates, Judy Suiter, says, “If you want to change others, you first must change yourself.”