Everything DiSC® Agile EQ™ Profile

We all have certain skills or mindsets that are second nature or effortless.  For some, it’s comforting people.  For others, it’s keeping calm in a sea of upset.  These are just two kinds of emotional intelligence and handling social situations. So, what comes naturally to you?

• As a D, that is being Direct and Firm. You shine when you are confident and persuading others.
• As an i, that is being Outgoing and Enthusiastic. You shine at making connections and reading a room.
• As an S, that is being Even-tempered and Accommodating. You shine at “getting” where others are coming from and promoting harmony.
• As a C, that is being Analytical and Reserved. You shine at “stepping back” and separating facts from personal feelings.

 Most of us rely on familiar responses not because they’re the best choices, but because they’re what we know.  If there were only a way, we could navigate outside our comfort zone so that we could choose the most effective response every time.  Well, there IS a tool that helps you do that!

Introducing Everything DiSC® Agile EQ™.  As you guessed, it uses Everything DiSC® as the engine.  Agile EQ™ provides a simple way to understand yourself and the kinds of EQ that may come naturally to you.  Mind you, we talk about your DiSC® style in terms of “what comes naturally to you”, while illuminating “what comes as a stretch to you”.  That’s what we call Agility.

My goal here is to increase your understanding of the Agile EQ™ Profile using specific results from an actual assessment. 

The Everything DiSC® Agile EQ™ application is intended for a broad audience of adults and is designed to:

• Help people understand their responses in social & emotional situations
• Help people recognize when they have the opportunity to respond more productively to social or emotional situations
• Provide guidance how to handle emotionally-charged situations more effectively

The eight words around the Everything DiSC® Agile EQ™ map are what we call mindsets These mindsets are unique to the Agile EQ™ profile.  They are the instinctive mindset that people – given their DiSC® style – are likely to use when approaching a situation.

What is a mindset?  Mindsets represent patterns of responses that an individual is most likely to gravitate toward in social & emotional situations. 

For example, as we introduce our participant, Megan, we see that her D style has the following 3 mindsets of Resolute, Self-Assured, and Dynamic.  These are like 3 mindsets in Megan’s “comfort zone”.  They are the lenses through which she views various situations and interactions.  AND, they influence your automatic responses, without conscious thought.

As we can see from the results of Megan’s Agile EQ™ Profile, she is a D.  All the profiles begin with a very good summary of the DiSC and what the 4 quadrants mean in terms of basic styles.  Then the profile provides several paragraphs of helpful information and context unique to Megan.  They discuss inclination and proximity (which was covered in a previous lesson) to help Megan understand the unique nuances in her personal Agile EQ™ report.

Then, the report provides a detailed summary of each of Megan’s 3 mindsets.  Following is a focused look at Megan’s 3 EQ mindsets.  This is where Megan’s 3 mindsets are fully explained.  I’m choosing ONE to share an excerpt for your understanding:

Self-assured Mindset:  As someone who is self-assured, you probably confidently stand up for what you want.  Most likely, you state your opinions directly and forcefully, even when there’s risk of pushback or anger.  This assertiveness may be driven . . .

Referring to that particular “self-assured” mindset, the report lists the benefits as being able to:

• Ensure that others take what you say seriously and treat your ideas and rights with respect
• Inspire confidence in your ideas and abilities
• . . .

 If you get stuck in this mindset, you might:

• Intimidate or overpower more reserved colleagues, preventing them from speaking up about their ideas and needs
• Assume control over situations where power is meant to be shared
• . . .

Next, we see Agile Opportunities.   This begins step 2 of the 3-step process.  This step is referred to as “Recognize”. 

It begins with, “What mindsets might take more effort for you?”  We can see the “other FIVE” mindsets around the circle now bolded.  Over-relying on the mindsets that are comfortable for you can distort the way you look at the world and not get the results you want or need.

Let’s use “Outgoing” as our example OTHER mindset going forward.

Outgoing means:  Establishing and maintaining relationships and expressing your emotions and unfiltered thoughts to others

What continues are detailed explanations of those “other” mindsets and what you can do to be more agile.  I’ve shared an excerpt of just one of those mindsets here:

“The Outgoing mindset” includes a summary:

• Prioritizes putting time and energy into creating and maintain your connections with people
• Involves reaching out to others, expressing interest, and inviting them to open up in turn
• . . .

It then provides a summary of HOW “You might need to be Outgoing when”:

• Establishing new relationships
• Networking
• Generating enthusiasm or team spirit

Step 3 is ACT:  This where we learn HOW to stretch to those OTHER FIVE mindsets we identified.

• “Getting into the mindset” is about awareness and appreciation of your natural, historical style and being realistic about any inner voices you may need to battle.
• “Where should you start” depends on where you self-identify as a Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced and exploring the detailed suggested approach.

Using our D style Megan as the guide, lets continue with the report.  As before, I’ll share an excerpt of the other mindset of “Outgoing”:

Introduction:  (As a D style) You put a lot of energy into achieving concrete end goals.  Taking time to build and nurture relationships may feel like an unnecessary distraction from . . .

So, to be outgoing, you may need to battle inner voices telling you:

• I’ve got way more important things I need to be doing
• This is a workplace, not a social club
• There’s no way I’m letting them see this side of me
• These people aren’t going to respect me if I lower my guard

“Where should you start?” begins with Megan choosing from Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced.  I’ve shared excerpts from those summaries, which will lead you to much more detailed Action advice.

• Beginner: I understand which feelings are easy for me to share, and which take more effort
• Intermediate: I’m aware of the ways I might sometimes come across as closed off or impatient to others
• Advanced: I go out of my way to make it easy for others to approach me

Let’s assume Megan self identifies as a “Beginner”.  Here is an excerpt from that example:

Identify your emotions and communicate them to others.  People often assume that we go through our lives with perfect awareness of our own feelings, but in truth this isn’t usually the case.  Before we can start expressing ourselves honestly to others, we need to build that self-awareness . . .

Click here if you’d like a PDF sample of the Everything DiSC® Agile EQ™.  Or, just let me know your DiSC® style via email at info@traininglocation.com.

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.