DISC
I am delighted to be able to share some information about the DISC profiling tool, which can literally
transform the way you interact with people by helping you appreciate your personal characteristics and
enabling you to manage yourself, others and situations in a more positive and empowering way.
The Origin of DISC
The origin of DISC dates back to 444BC when Greek philosopher Empedocies suggested that everything
was made up of 4 root elements: earth, air, fire & water. This theory was refined and applied to
personality by Hippocrates in 400BC, when he stated that personality and behaviour was derived from
within each person's character and could be categorised in the following ways:
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If a person had a cold, fast moving fluid causes a person to be very direct, decisive and
dominant. This he termed "choleric" behaviour
A warm or hot, fast moving fluid causes a person to be bubbly, inspiring, and influential. This is
"sanguine" behaviour
A warm, slow moving fluid causes one to be steady, predictable, and stable. This is "phlegmatic"
behaviour
A cold, slow moving fluid causes meticulous, careful and perfectionist actions. This is
"melancholy" behaviour
Things have moved on since then, but this view certainly shows that even in early cultures it was
recognised that people were different and that these differences were demonstrated by certain
consistent characteristics that could be observed through their actions, words and behaviour.
In modern times…
Dr William M. Marston, an expert in behavioural understanding, first identified the concept of the
modern DISC behavioural system. In 1926 he published "The Emotions of Normal People" in which he
outlined the current language of DISC. He grouped people along two axes: either active or passive
tendencies dependent upon their either antagonistic or favourable view of the environment.
From this, the four styles were formed:
D (Drive)
I (Influence)
S (Steadiness)
C (Compliance)
Most people are a combination of two styles for example you may be an IS or DI profile - there are
actually over 40 different combinations of the D I S & C styles.
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What DISC can reveal
DISC profiling is a universal language i.e. it can apply to anyone, anywhere, and it is easily observable
when you have a thorough and in-depth understanding of it. This means if you know what to look for
you can assess the profile of those around you fairly quickly and reasonably accurately. However, these
initial face to face assessments cannot give the complete picture as comprehensively as a full DISC
profile report.
DISC can reveal the following key factors about yourself and those around you:
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Core personality traits
Personal motivation
Preferred environment
Method of communication
Likely responses
Goal setting and achievement methodology
This can help you to understand how to interact, communicate and respond to different personality
traits in practically any situation or circumstance.
The profiling works more effectively for you if you decide the context for completion i.e. professional or
personal. And it takes around 10minutes to complete!
The fact is if you avoid procrastinating about your answers and just circle your immediate response to
each statement you’ll get a more accurate result.
Complete the questionnaire now to reveal your personality type.
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Your Personality System Analysis
Outgoing
D
I
3% of
12 % of
population
population
Your Personality results are generated from the specific
combination of answers you gave.
The DISC Personality System is the universal language of
Task
People
16% of
69% of
population
population
C
S
behaviour. Research has shown that behavioural
characteristics can be grouped together in four major
groups called “personality styles”. People with similar
styles tend to exhibit specific behavioural characteristics
common to that style. All people share these four styles
in varying degrees of intensity.
Reserved
Outgoing
Knowledge of the DISC System empowers
you to understand yourself as well as family
members, friends, colleagues and team
members in a profound way.
Fast paced
Optimistic
Slower
paced
Task
People
Procedure
Relational
Plans
Caring
Projects
Sharing
Process
Emotional
Strategies
Verbal
Formulas
Interactive
Cautious
Positive
Understanding personality styles helps you
Enthusiastic
become a better communicator, minimise
Involved
or prevent conflicts, appreciate the
Reserved
Critical
Creative
Reluctant
Energetic
differences in others, gain credibility and
Concerned
positively influence others.
The DISC graph helps make the personality style more visual as it plots the intensity of each of the four
styles. All points above the midline are stronger intensities, while points below the midline are lesser
intensities of DISC characteristics. It is possible to look at a DISC graph and instantly know the
personality and behavioural characteristics of an individual.
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Here are explanations of the three DISC graphs
D I
S C
D.I.S.C. graph 1 represents your “public self” (the mask)
This graph displays the “you” others see. It reflects how you perceive the
demands of your environment, and your perception of how you believe others
expect you to behave.
D.I.S.C. graph 2 represents your “private self” (the core)
This graph displays your instinctive response to pressure, and identifies how you
are most likely to respond when stress or tension are present. This would be your
instinctive reaction.
D.I.S.C. graph 3 represents your “perceived self” (the mirror)
This graph displays the manner in which you perceive your typical behaviour. It
could be referred to as your self-perception. Although at times you may be
unaware of the behaviour you use with other people, this graph shows your
typical approach.
The following charts will help put the four dimensions of the personality into perspective
High
D
I
S
C
Fears
Failure
Rejection
Insecurity
Conflict
Motivators
Power
Recognition
Security
Procedures
Management Style
Directing
Leading
Procedural
Rules
Communication Style
Tells
Sells
Listens
Writes
POWER
PEOPLE
PACE
POLICY
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Low
D
I
S
C
Avoids
Taking Control
People
Involvement
Inactivity
Restriction
Seeks
Direction
Reality
Variety
Autonomy
PASSIVE
D = Dominant
PASSIVE
I = Influencing
ACTIVITY
S = Steady
ACTIVITY
C = Compliant
Seeks
Control
Recognition
Acceptance
Accuracy
Strengths
Administration
Persuading
Listening
Planning
Leadership
Enthusiasm
Teamwork
Systems
Determination
Entertaining
Follow-through
Orchestration
Impatient
Lack of detail
Oversensitive
Perfectionist
Insensitive
Short attention
Slow to begin
Critical
Poor listener
Low followthrough
Dislikes change
Unresponsive
Inefficiency
Routines
Insensitivity
Disorganization
Indecision
Complexity
Impatience
Impropriety
Challenges
Dislikes
Decisive
Spontaneous
Conferring
Methodical
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The D Style
A D Style person is someone who is generally outgoing and task oriented and who is motivated by power
and authority. The key word when thinking of the D category is DOMINANT.
D styles are visionary, big picture people; they like detail, but won’t want to fetch it! They hate being
told what to do and like to be in control of their environment. D styles have a short attention span and
can get bored easily. They are likely to set goals in the panic zone and will get things done through the
sheer force of their character.
The D element of someone's DISC profile measures how they solve problems and respond to challenges.
The higher the D value the more active and aggressive an individual will be in trying to overcome
problems and obstacles. D styles are decisive, demanding of themselves and others and can be
impatient. They will question and challenge and test the boundaries, so can be difficult to manage.
Descriptors
 Dominant
 Direct
 Demanding
 Decisive
 Determined
 Doer
Challenges
 Can be impatient and impulsive
 Short attention span so can get bored easily
 Developing personal relationships
 Supporting team members
 Active listening
Communication - DO
 Be brief, direct and to the poing
 Give them an element of control through choice
 Suggest ways for them to achieve results, be in
charge and solve problems
 Ask what and how questions
 Focus on business and results
 Highlight logical benefits of ideas and approaches
 When in agreement, agree with facts and ideas
rather than the person
 When problems exist, discuss them in light of how
they will hamper accomplishment
Greatest Fears
 Being taken advantage of
 Failure
Strengths/advantages
 Visionary
 Drive for results
 Competitive
 Decisive
 Will get the job done quickly
 Optimistic
 Purposeful
 Self reliant
 Action oriented
Communication – DON’T
 Ramble
 Be too sociable
 Repeat yourself
 Make generalizations
 Focus on problems
 Make statements without support
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The I style
An I Style person is someone who is generally outgoing and people oriented and who is motivated by
praise and recognition. The key word when thinking of the I category is INFLUENCE.
I styles are very people-oriented and sociable. They are great encouragers who are able to inspire and
motivate others with their optimism and enthusiasm. I styles enjoy flexibility and a change of pace as
opposed to ridged structure and routine. They tend to be expressive, outgoing, talkative, charismatic,
enthusiastic, warm, friendly and spontaneous.
The I element of someone's DISC profile measures how they try to influence or persuade others.
High I styles strive to quickly break down formal barriers and like to be on first name terms. They are
always willing to share their personal stories and experiences and like be around enthusiastic, positive
people. I styles like things to be fun and can quickly lose interest if situations become routine, ridged and
overly structured.
Descriptors
 Inspirational
 Influential
 Interactive
 Impressive
 Interested in people
Challenges
 May be overly talkative
 Could get distracted and not follow through on
tasks
 May find it difficult to make unpopular decisions
 Will often skip operation manuals for new
technology and become frustrated when it doesn't
work
Communication - DO
 Build a favourable, friendly environment
 Give them the opportunity to express their ideas,
people and their intuition
 Assist them in developing ways to transfer talk
into action
 Allow time for stimulating, sociable activities
 Develop a participative relationship
 Submit details in writing but don’t dwell on them
 Create incentives for following through on tasks
Greatest Fears
 Rejection
 Loss of Popularity
Strengths/advantages
 Persuasive
 Active
 Motivated to overcome problems and obstacles
 Enthusiastic
 Sociable
 Trusting
 Generous
 Charming
 Confident
Communication – DON’T
 Eliminate social time
 Do all the talking
 Interrupt
 Tell them what to do
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The S style
An S Style person is someone who is generally reserved and people oriented and who is motivated by
security. The key word when thinking of the S category is STEADINESS.
S styles are very people-orientated and are very good listeners. They prefer to be communicated to in a
friendly supportive manner. They are comfortable with routine and generally dislike sudden change. S
styles tend to be sincere, family-orientated, team players, warm, diplomatic, dedicated, easy-going and
kind.
Because of their amiable nature S styles can find it difficult to say no and often put the needs of others
before their own. They like to live and work in a harmonious environment free from conflict and
arguments. S styles tend to prefer to have a few close friends some of which they may have stayed in
touch with since school.
The S element of someone's DISC profile measures the pace at which they undertake activities.
Descriptors
 Steady
 Stable
 Supportive
 Sensitive
 Status Quo
Challenges
 Possessive
 Slow to complete tasks
 Resistant to change
 Saying no especially to more dominant styles
Communication - DO
 Create a favourable environment: personal and
agreeable
 Express a genuine interest in them as a person
 Present ideas in a non-threatening manner; give
them time to adjust
 Clearly define goals and procedures and role
 Assure them of personal follow-up support
 Explain how they will improve and enhance the
existing situation
Greatest Fears
 Loss of security
 Change
Strengths/advantages
 Patient
 Loyal
 Reliable
 Team-player
 Relaxed
 Deliberate
 Amiable
 Stable
Communication – DON’T
 Be pushy, demanding or overly aggressive
 Be too confrontational
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The C style
A C Style person is someone who is generally reserved and task oriented and who is motivated by
systems and procedures. The key word when thinking of the C category is: COMPLIANCE.
C styles are logical thinkers and are usually capable of understanding technical detail. They are blessed
with an analytical and enquiring mind and are generally organised, preferring structure and routine. C
styles are also detail-oriented, analytical, perfectionist, systematic.
High Cs can have a tendency to be perfectionists and will often set very high standards for themselves
and others. They can be critical if things do not match their expectations. They are private people who
are comfortable with formality and like to follow protocol.
The C element of someone's DISC profile measures how they respond to rules and regulations set by
others.
Descriptors
 Cautious
 Calculating
 Competent
 Compliant
 Contemplative
 Careful
Challenges
 May get paralysis of analysis
 Can get too bogged down in detail and not see the
big picture
 Slow to accept change
 Can become overly critical
Communication - DO
 Prepare your case in advance
 Identify the pros and cons of proposed ideas
 Support ideas and statements with accurate data
 When agreeing, be specific
 When disagreeing, disagree with the facts not the
person
 Be patient, persistent and diplomatic
Greatest Fears
 Criticism
 Conflict
Strengths/advantages
 Accuracy
 Diplomatic
 Systematic
 Courteous
 Conscientious
 High Standards
 Mature
 Analytical
Communication – DON’T
 Refuse to explain details
 Answer questions vaguely or casually
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DISC - Possible Growth Areas
Venture from your comfort to your growth zones!
Effective team work requires each team member to modify his/her behaviour style to some degree.
Openness and adaptability will reduce conflict and stress as well as enhance communication.
If you are a D
If you are an I
 Strive to be an ‘active’ listener
 Be attentive to other team members’ ideas
until everyone reaches a consensus
 Be less controlling and domineering
 Develop a greater appreciation for the
opinions, feelings and desires of others
 Put more energy into personal relationships
and courtesy
 Show your support for other team members
 Take time to explain the ‘whys’ of your
statements and proposals
 Be friendlier and more approachable
 Weigh the pros and cons before making a
decision; be less impulsive
 Be more results oriented
 Exercise control over your actions, words and
emotions
 Focus more on details and facts
 Remembers to slow down your pace for other
team members
 Talk less; listen more
 Consider and evaluate ideas from other team
members
 Concentrate on following through with tasks
If you are an S
If you are a C
 Be more open to change
 Be more direct in you interactions
 Focus on overall goals of the team rather than
specific procedures
 Deal with confrontation constructively
 Develop more flexibility
 Increase pace to accomplish goals
 Show more initiative
 Work at expressing your thoughts, opinions
and feelings
 Concentrate on doing the right thing and not
just doing things right
 Be less critical of others’ approaches and
methods
 Respond more quickly to team goals
 Strive to build relationships with team
members
 Be more decisive
 Focus less on facts and more on people
 Take risks along with other members
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