Improve Workplace Productivity and Employee Teamwork With DISC Training

It's become common knowledge that self-awareness is essential to your success as a business leader. Yet, studies prove that while most people believe they are self-aware, only 10-15% of the people actually fit the criteria. ^[1]

This ability to look inward, understand one’s motivations, preferred communication styles, comfort zones, and flaws is essential to success in every aspect of life- especially in business.

Business leaders are always on the hunt for new tools & techniques to help their organization (and themselves) improve. The DISC assessment is an extremely powerful, yet overlooked tool that can help maximize productivity in your workplace. 

Whether you're filling a leadership role or working on improving your own communications with staff, you and your employees can benefit from the self-awareness the DISC analysis can bring. 

Becoming familiar with your personality, through a process like the DISC assessment, can reveal the ways you function in the world, interact with others, and navigate all of the decisions you make. It can help everyone be more successful in both their personal and professional lives by improving communication, teamwork abilities, self-motivation, and productivity. 

Let’s dive into DISC training, and how it can help improve your organization’s productivity…

What Is the DISC Assessment?

We’ll start with the basics.

The DISC Assessment is a personality test that uses a standardized format to assess an individual's personality traits, ranking them within four DISC styles. ^[2] 

The DISC Assessment is based on Dr. William Moulton Marston's DISC theory and research developed at Harvard University in the 1920s, and the modern test is provided by Everything DISC of John Wiley & Sons. ^[3]

The Four Leading DISC Personalities

DISC is an acronym for four leading personality styles the test describes. Each of the personality styles is defined by a different preferred method of communication, various reactions to change, and distinct challenges when it comes to working with others. ^[4]

Most people's personalities actually include a blend of these styles. However, everyone usually favors one or two dominant styles. 

https://united-partners.com/how-disc-personality-assessment-can-make-our-life-at-work-better/  

The four basic styles include:

Dominance

People who are High D orient themselves around goals and results. They can be appealed to and motivated by things that build their egos. 

Influence

An individual who is High I can usually be described as a people-person. These individuals are highly motivated by partnerships, and teamwork appeals greatly to them. 

Steadiness

High S people are highly reliable. They are steadfast and like to meet the status quo. You can appeal to a High S person by showing them a flawless, proven track record. 

Conscientiousness

Conscientiousness is also sometimes referred to as compliance. People with High C personality styles are process-oriented and like to have all the facts. 

How the DISC Personality Test Can Improve Employee Productivity and Teamwork

DISC assessment and DISC training are highly useful in the workplace. They offer a variety of benefits that work together to help your team improve both their ability to work together and their productivity.

Some benefits of DISC assessment and training improve teamwork and productivity include:^[5]

Improved Self-Awareness

Understanding our own behaviors helps us better function in a group and understand the strengths and weaknesses we bring to teamwork.

Although many of us assume that teamwork comes naturally, it simply doesn't. Plus, every team is different which means that as our workgroups shift and change, each individual in that group also needs to adjust their behaviors, expectations, and interactions with other group members to maximize productivity and to get the most out of the teamwork dynamic. 

When you're aware of what it is that your personality style brings to the table, you can better pair yourself with the tasks that are suited to your strengths while also learning how to better communicate with your partners. 

Read More: Successful CEOs Never Stop Learning

Learning How to Motivate Yourself and Other Team Members

An essential ingredient to high productivity is motivation. 

Your DISC style helps you understand what motivates you and everyone else working on your team. If you and your team members know what you need to get going on a project, you'll be more likely to find your motivation and help provide it to others, as well. 

Additionally, knowing what motivates your team members can help you overcome personality obstacles in committee settings. For example, when everyone's on board with an idea, except for one person, you'll be less likely to see their reluctance as a difficulty because you'll have a more transparent understanding of why they might not be sold on the idea.

Knowing their DISC style can help you become a better negotiator in these kinds of situations. If you're dealing with someone who is high in steadiness, you might need to demonstrate how an idea will helps stay aligned with expectations or the status quo to help return your coworker to their comfort zone. 

Improving Your Approach to Communicating

When you know your coworkers' DISC styles, you can improve your communications by approaching your conversations from angles that are tailored specifically to appeal to them. When you do this, you have a better chance of actually being heard and a much smaller chance of eliciting a negative response. 

Adjusting your communication style is not only useful when interacting with your coworkers or employees, but it is also highly useful when speaking with your customers. The magic of most naturally talented salespeople typically lies in their ability to read other people's personality styles. These types of sales representatives can immediately hone in on the potential customer's personality and adjust their own communication style to better sell your business.

For example, they might focus on just the facts if they're dealing with a High C personality, cut to the chase by explaining how your services will help a High D personality type crush their competition, or discuss how your company's service model works more like a B2B partnership with a customer who is a High I style. 

Conflict Management

Typically, interpersonal conflict within a team arises as a result of the conflicting needs of the different DISC styles. 

Some styles favor action over stability or vice-versa, for others. So, while some might want to proceed slowly and test the waters before fully implementing a new idea, others will view this approach as a waste of time, preferring to dive in head first. Understanding the things your team members most value and what makes them feel comfortable will help you all better negotiate and navigate these situations. 

What Is DISC Training Certification? DISC Training vs. DISC Certification

With respect to DISC, the terms training and certification are often used interchangeably, but they do actually refer to two different processes.

DISC Certification

DISC certification differs from training in that it is an official, in-depth certification program designed to teach an individual the ins and outs of DISC assessment and training so that they can become a certified DISC facilitator. After successfully completing this training, an individual can become a PeopleKeys Certified Behavioral Consultant. 

DISC Training

DISC training is how you understand what your DISC assessment results mean. Training provides the information and education that helps you and your employees understand your DISC assessment results and what they mean in terms of what you value and fear, what motivates you, and how you respond under pressure.

DISC training can be performed using either a self-implemented training process and DISC training materials or with the assistance of a business consultant who is certified as a DISC training facilitator. 

Read More: The Cost of Bad Leadership: How to Choose the Right Leaders for Your Business

Improve Your Own Business Leadership With DISC

A self-aware leader who also has the ability to understand the needs, fears, reactions, and motivations of their employees has a notable edge over a business leader who does not understand his or her own personality nor that of their employees. 

As a business leader, implementing and using the DISC assessment and DISC training in your business, you can clear away conflict, clarify communication, super-charge employee motivation, and watch productivity skyrocket.