DiSC® - A Day in the Life of a TEAM

In today’s DiSC® lesson, we’ll share “A Day in the Life of a TEAM.  My goal here is to show you how to apply DiSC® wherever you are.  Use of DiSC® is about choice and intention.  For example, I can go around all day being a D, leaving other styles in my wake by not choosing to use DiSC® and not being intentional.  Once you make the choice, it implies an intention to prepare for mutual communication success.  Here is a quick review of a couple points before we start our “A Day in the Life of a TEAM.”

The first are the Cornerstone Principles that we have discussed before:

• All DiSC® styles are equally valuable
• Everyone is a unique blend of all DiSC® styles
• Your unique style is also influenced by other factors such as life experiences, education, and maturity

Second is the Basic DiSC® Styles Model.  A person’s DiSC® style is decided by the intersection of two dimensions of observable behaviors (body language, tone of voice and expression, and word choice).  The first dimension is known as outward activity level (or PACE) described as either “Fast-paced & Outspoken” OR “Cautious & Reflective.”

The second dimension is known as your agreeableness quotient.  This means those who are “less agreeable” place a lower PRIORITY on cooperation and social harmony and we refer to them as “Questioning & Skeptical” on the left end of this dimension.  Those who are “more agreeable” place a higher PRIORITY on cooperation and social harmony and we refer to them as “Accepting & Warm” on the right end of this dimension. 

**It is the interaction between these TWO continua which forms the 4 quadrants (or basic styles) of the DiSC® model and by which you identify a person’s DiSC® style.**

The information I’m about to present presumes that you have a team and each member has taken the DiSC® assessment.  As you know, there is a wealth of information made available to the individual that not only helps them understand themselves, but also helps them understand others and how they might interact with those respective styles.  However, there is much more information available for those looking to understand the team implications of what the combined, individual DiSC® results are showing.

I want to share the types of DiSC® team tools available, which provide increasingly more information as we go through them.  They include:

• Team Group Poster
• Team View Report
• Group Culture Report
• Facilitator Report

Let’s begin with the Group Poster.  This is included with the Group Culture Report which we’ll be discussing.

This can be used by whomever it is deemed appropriate to view, and may include:  Team members, supervisors, facilitators, leadership, and team leads.

I always get permission to hand out these tools in training once all have taken the assessment, however to date, I’ve not encountered any hesitation from leadership or the individual group members.  The members are always fascinated by the dispersion of the very group with whom they have been working.  The tools you’ll see today can also be run again if an existing member leaves the group or a new member is added to the group.

I want to remind you about our conversation regarding “inclination & proximity” in a previous vlog.  This poster helps point out inclination & proximity and demonstrates that just because a handful of team members are within a certain quadrant, they are still quite different from each other.  For example, if we look at our C quadrant, we see that

• one C is strongly inclined toward the outside edge of the quadrant, with roughly equal proximity to the D & S quadrants
• and another C is less inclined, residing more toward the center of the DiSC® model, AND more proximate to the D quadrant.

I use this in the training class for activities and discussion, and have the members print it out to put at their workspace for learning reinforcement and as a reminder of the team dynamic in place.

Next is the Team View Report which can also be used by whomever it is deemed appropriate to view, and may include:  Team members, supervisors, facilitators, leadership, and team leads.

The members are always fascinated when they “tie a style with a name” . . . Kind of like “tying a name with a face”.  Supervisors really appreciate this tool.  AND, it’s no charge.  Yep, you heard right.  It’s FREE.

Next is the 13-page Group Culture Report which is available for any of the Everything DiSC® profiles.

This can be used by whomever is deemed appropriate to view.  Some groups find that a blend of 2 DiSC®  styles describes their culture best.  Conversely, some groups may find that not any single DiSC® style fully describes their culture.  Further, some groups find important subgroups that each have their own DiSC® culture. 

The Group Culture report breaks out all 4 DiSC® styles:  (I’m using the C style as my example)

• The C Culture Rewards
• The C Culture Criticizes
• Advantages of the C culture
• Drawbacks of the C culture
• Issues to consider about a C culture

Then it continues by sharing benefits and challenges for people with each of the four DiSC styles working in the C culture.

The last item we have is the Facilitator Report.

As compared to the previous reports, this is intended for the facilitator (and perhaps direct supervisor).  This is basically a one-stop, everything combined into one . . . report with slightly deeper breakdown of types. 

This view shows an initial breakdown with percentages of the 4 quadrants of the DiSC® model and where the respective team members fall.

Here’s more about the Facilitator Report.  This shows how the report includes a detailed breakdown of each of the 12 types in the 4-quadrant model (listed along the bottom)

One last thing about the Facilitator Report. 

It combines the entire group’s PACE and Agreeableness and breaks it down by those 2 continua. 

This addresses 2 questions:

1. Is the group more fast-paced & outspoken, or Cautious & reflective, and
2. is the group more questioning & skeptical or accepting & warm

This is an interesting group look at the two most basic continua around which DiSC® styles are determined.

I hope this overview increased your awareness, knowledge, and familiarity of DiSC®.  Whether your needs include Employee Engagement, Conflict Management, Team Building, or simply Communication, DiSC® is the research-based, proven, leading training solution.

As ALWAYS, the key to effectiveness through DiSC® is understanding your and others’ styles and then using that knowledge for improved interactions.

If you would like a live, complimentary webinar (online) for your team or organization, please send an email to info@traininglocation.com.  If you’d like to purchase the DiSC®, visit  DiSC® Classic or Everything DiSC® at our website.  And, check out our products from The Ken Blanchard Companies as well.