DISC Profiling - High s's

This is the 3rd of my postings about DISC Profiling and this week we are looking at High S's - the 'S' traits are all about the Steadiness/pace of work. As you know some people work faster than others and from this trait we can assess your work rate as well as lots of other things!

S's are Steady, Supportive and Stable and desire a great deal of Security. Routine may be boring to some, but not to S-types. It gives them security to know that things are not going to change for change sake. S-types are "nice" people to be around - they will always try to help you no-matter what, and for this reason are sometimes seen as a soft-touch and colleagues may put on them. They look for ways to cooperate and help and rarely say no. They quite like being given orders and like to do a good job.

At home they can be very sentimental and have favourite films, memories etc. S-types are ideally suited to the service industry as they are the cogs in the wheel. If you manage any S-types then you will be lucky enough to have a work-horse that doesn't mind repetitive jobs and will work their way steadily through any pile of paper. For those of you who are not S-types - don't even think about trying to liven up their workloads by throwing them into unknown situations or changing things for change sake. The S-types hate this! They like security and fear change.

The way to motivate S's is by showing them how much you appreciate them - smile and say 'thank you'! If you are a manager of this type of personality then please use a coaching style. Encourage, motivate, inspire and watch!

More next week on the C-types in DISC - Compliance. If you like to work by the rule book and strive to achieve quality then this could be you!

As always please feel free to contact me if I can help you further - christine@high10.co.uk

DISC Profiling - High I's

If you read my last blog you will know that I'm working my way through the various personality types in DISC profiling - Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Compliance. This week we are going to explore the Influence type.

I's are very people-orientated. Nothing matters more than people, people, people! They are Inspiring, Influential, Impressive, Interesting and Impulsive. They make inspiring leaders. When you are with them you will feel great - their cup is always half full! They make good sales people and make everything sound great. Optimism is their middle name!

They can influence you with their charming ways because they are good talkers. For this reason they make good 'front-line' people for any business. They also make good speakers, coaches, actors, comedians and teachers.

I's are not primarily interested in getting a job done - their primary interest is in how everyone gets along with each other during the job. Give them a project and they can visualise creative outcomes, endless possibilities and will be great at generating enthusiasm and getting a willing team together to do the work.

Relationships are paramount and they network very easily because they are naturally friendly. After you have been talking to them for a while you will feel like you have known them all your life. I's are compassionate people and would give you their last pound if they thought you needed it more than themselves. Be careful though - don't take advantage of their generous nature!

Next week we'll be looking at the 'S' in DISC, which stands for Steadiness. If you are steady, stable and dislike change then this would be you!

As always, if I can help you - don't hesitate to ask - christine@high10.co.uk

"Know Yourself....then Be Yourself"

For anyone who doesn't know me, I'd like to take this opportunity to let you know that I am a Certified DISC profiler and I use it extensively, not only in my career coaching work but also for personal development with my clients.

I noticed a quote from Ahmed Fawzi on LinkedIn this morning that caught my eye - his favourite piece of knowledge is "Be Yourself" which lead me on to think that today's blog should be based round that piece of wisdom. In fact I'm going to take it one stage further and say "Know Yourself then Be Yourself"!

But how can you know yourself inside out? You can of course take the time to write adjectives about yourself also ask others to describe you too. That's an interesting thing to do by the way as people invariably see things in you that you don't see yourself! You might get some nice surprises!

However, there is an easier way. DISC profiling looks at your behavioural style and the assessment can tell you how you behave and perform in the work environment. How fantastic to have such an insight into yourself so when you are at interview, you can talk confidently about yourself with the back up that the DISC profiling has confirmed these traits. And, its fabulous information that you add to your CV!

For instance it can reveal:

• how you prefer to communicate with others and what's the best method of communication for you



• what types of work environments you like and what you need to be motivated and productive



• how you go about achieving goals and what you need from others around you to support you to reach those goals



• how you react under stress

So, over the next 4 weeks I'm going to highlight the main behavioural traits of the four groups in D - I - S - C and I'm sure you'll soon be able to recognise your primary trait!

DISC stands for Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Compliance. Lets begin with 'D' (Dominance type) here. Is this you? Or do you know people around you that fit this description?

D's are very task-driven and outgoing. The are Dominant, Driving, Demanding, Determined, Decisive and Doers. They make dynamic leaders. They have masses of drive and seldom take "no" as an answer. They tend to take a position quickly and stick to it, unless they see a better idea or plan. If you work with a 'D' you may sometimes have a difficult time knowing what is going on in their minds. They are normally strong willed and independent. Because they are "bottom-line" orientated they can tend to be blunt and to the point in order to achieve their goal. They are not particularly into talking; more into doing. 'D' types make great leaders, but can have a short fuse and a hot temper. They can often explode over small things, but 10 minutes later have forgotten all about it, whilst the rest of you are still reeling from the outburst! They quite like conflict and can rise to any challenge. When two 'D's clash it can be a good spectator sport, waiting to see who will back down. If you have 'D's in your team remember that they need control - give them projects - but don't give them step by step instructions on how to carry it out. Give them freedom to make their own decisions - they work best when you don't tie them down. Just tell them what you want and let them get on with it. That way, you'll get a good job done well.

Recognise yourself? Or someone you work with?

Next week I'll describe the 'I' in DISC, which is the Influence type. If you like to talk and love people this could well be you!

As always, if I can help you in any way, or if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Christine

Are you in the wrong job?

My business is all around getting round pegs into round holes. Throughout my career I have seen many people put into positions which are totally unsuitable for them and they end up not performing, miserable and sometimes make themselves ill.

DISC Profiling is an excellent way of looking at yourself to see whether you are suited to a role or not. Once profiled, it gives you 3 graphs - you 'yourself' - you 'under pressure' - you 'at work'. If your 'work' graph looks nothing like your 'self' mask then you are probably in the wrong position! It doesn't take a rocket scientist to say that if you have to be 'someone you are not' for 8 hours a day then that at some point the breaking point will come!

See what benefits DISC can bring you by visiting: http://www.christineware.co.uk/personality-profiling.html