The DiSC assessment can help you increase self-awareness, communicate more effectively with others, and improve your decision-making skills. The information you receive from it can also help you improve your work performance.
What is the DiSC assessment?
The DiSC assessment looks at aspects of your personality. It doesn't measure intelligence or aptitude. Instead, it looks at indicators like how you respond to challenges and how well you work with others.
It does this by looking at four different aspects of your personality, specifically:
- Dominance: D styles are results-focused. They tend to be outspoken, confident, and are motivated by success. This personality type values action and personal freedom and dislikes being taken advantage of.
- Influence: I styles have a knack for influencing other people with their enthusiasm and energy. They probably enjoy coaching or mentoring others and dislike disapproval or rejection.
- Steadiness: S styles tend to have a calm and dependable disposition. This individual is motivated by cooperation and dislikes change or a lack of stability.
- Conscientiousness: C styles emphasize accuracy and expertise. These individuals enjoy gaining knowledge and producing high-quality work and dislike criticism.
According to the DiSC assessment, we all have traits from each quadrant and use them to different degrees. When you receive your results, you'll likely see some combination of the letters. For instance, if you receive a "Di," that means you lean toward dominance and influence.
How does the test work?
You'll start by filling out the DiSC questionnaire, which asks you to respond to different statements on a five-point scale. The assessment will present statements like, "I love meeting new people." From there, you can express how much you agree or disagree with the statement.
You'll take the assessment online, and it should take about 20 minutes to complete. Once you're finished, you'll receive your results and profile report.
Your profile will explain your behavioral style and strategies you can use to manage your DiSC personality type more effectively. You can use the DiSC assessment for your personal growth or to help you in your career development.
When you take the DiSC assessment on your own, it can help you understand yourself better. But by taking it as a team, you'll start to understand your co-workers and their motivations better.
Understanding the four DiSC personality types in business
Personality tests like the DiSC assessment are often used in the workplace to understand how different employees fit within the company. Here's how each of these personality types can show up in a business setting:
- Dominance: D styles like to challenge the status quo and aren't afraid to question other people's ideas to find the best possible outcome. As a leader, D styles excel in high-pressure environments where decisions must be made quickly. However, they tend to focus more on performance and less on the feelings of others.
- Influence: I styles are good at encouraging and motivating other people, so they excel in group settings. They are often approachable leaders who can motivate their teams with their enthusiasm. But because they prioritize relationships over tasks, I styles may have a hard time in high-pressure situations.
- Steadiness: S styles also prioritize relationships and are good at getting people to cooperate. They're even-tempered and accommodating but can easily burn out because they tend to value other people's needs over their own.
- Conscientiousness: C styles are analytical and are known for their attention to detail. They like to create systematic processes and create quality work. Like D styles, they're more focused on tasks and outcomes, so they have a harder time showing empathy for other team members.
How to apply the DiSC test results to your team dynamics
When you take the DiSC assessment on your own, it can help you understand yourself better. But by taking it as a team, you'll start to understand your co-workers and their motivations better.
It can also give you tools for communicating with different people on your team. For example, since D styles tend to be results-driven, you'll get the best results if you avoid small talk and get straight to the point when you're speaking to them. Whereas if you're communicating with an S style, you'll want to avoid being too abrupt or acting like you're pressuring them to make a decision.
The DiSC assessment can also help leaders understand what roles different individuals will thrive in and which groups of people might work well together. For example, I styles are enthusiastic and great at encouraging other people, but they also tend to be easily distracted and lose focus. They might benefit from working with a C style who can provide structure.
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