5 ways businesses use DISC
As a species, we are social creatures. The level of harmony amongst us is based entirely on how we interact with one another. DISC analyses our individual behaviours and communication preferences and quantifies this into data. This allows us to review and compare one person to another, identifying similarities and differences.
This is particularly useful for businesses that are wanting to increase the performance of their teams by ensuring they select the right person, for the right role and provide developmental feedback specific to individuals. Here are five ways that businesses have utilised the DISC assessment:
Recruitment & Selection
One way businesses utilise DISC is by profiling their high performers, giving them a ‘template’ of what behaviours they should look for in their ideal candidates for specific roles. This allows them to streamline the recruitment process whether this be internal or external.
Sales Development
Every now and then, we have a team member that seems incapable of making sales or converting leads. More often than not, it isn’t because they lack ability, it’s because they may be using only one style – their preferred style – to communicate to customers.
With knowledge of their own communication style and being able to recognise behaviours in others, your sales reps can adapt their communication to each customer to allow for better conversations and a higher conversion rate.
Team Effectiveness
The productivity and output of your teams is heavily dependent on how well they communicate with one another and the level of harmony amongst them. DISC profiles our behaviours both at home and in work and the ways that we prefer to communicate and be communicated with.
With this knowledge, teams can adapt their behaviours to one another for better conversations and reduce friction when working together.
Coaching & Mentoring
When it comes to coaching and mentoring others, it’s important to know the coachee’s behaviours and preferred communication preferences, as well as your own.
This will enable you to adapt your behaviours when coaching or mentoring others to ensure that feedback, praise, goals etc. are communicated and received well and understood by the coachee. This will also ensure you are providing the correct level of support that the coachee needs e.g. a High D will want short, to the point discussions, whereas a High C, may want to discuss in depth their needs on a particular project, challenges they’re facing, why this is etc.
Career Planning
Similar to recruitment, companies and individuals can analyse their own DISC profiles to see if they have the ideal behaviours for their current role or a role they are looking to move into.
As an example, a public speaker, you would expect to be very people focused, having a dominant “influence” behaviour. However, if you are a low ‘influence’ behaviour, this doesn’t necessarily mean you cannot do the job. It does however, mean that you will have to adapt your behaviour when required to fulfil your role but this is not sustainable for long periods of time. Having insight into your behaviours will allow you to be more selective when developing your career.
For more information regarding DISC, please view TTI Success Insights article “DISC: What you need to know”
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