DISC, means dominance, influence, steadiness, and conscientiousness. Those are the qualities of personality employers are looking for when hiring their workforce. It has nothing to do with the human skeletal system even tough there’s only one letter difference. In short it’s a personality and potential work related guide used by employers to snag the best of the workforce.
It’s used by employers, managers, workers and anyone who wants to be the best, hire the best, or manage other workers to the best of their ability. There’s nothing complicated about it, it seeks only to get at the truth of who is the best man/woman for the job. It does so by a question and answer format of workers and others who want to know what their particular strengths are.
DISC is not new, it has been around since 1920 but has been improved and upgraded to meet the demands of the particular work areas in need of such helps. It was William Mouton Marston, a physiological psychologist, a Harvard graduate who first proposed the idea for this guide. In 1928, he published Emotions of Normal People. He explained how these might be measured and how they might become dominant, influential and helpful in the business world. Primarily, he wanted others to learn of better ways of having people interact and he especially wanted them to understand these four qualities necessary for productive relationships could be learned.
Dominance
Dominance in the workplace need not be pushy and domineering, it can be controlled behavior and used favorably with the right kind of guidance. In all kinds of relationships where varied personalities interact, there’s someone who usually must be the dominant force others look to for guidance. This is a valued trait in workers who know how to lead and it’s this type of personality that makes good managers. A manager can be dominant and know how to manage others without being domineering. The other qualities of this unique type of personality will balance out any negative feelings of a dominant personality.
Influence
Influential and dominant personalities are natural managers and workplace leaders. They have the natural ability to bring out the best in people and if carefully controlled, they can lead employees into becoming effective team members that work together, each lending their own talents to assist in the overall project. Like anything in life, influence can become tricky to deal with, but when put in place in a work room and used for the right reasons, being influential is a plus.
Steadiness
To become an effective leader and a person who can be counted on to do a job, one must be steady and not a part-time dominant and influential person. A Disc trained worker will be there working when they should be working and they will be on time. If not, their excuse will be valid. If they call in sick, they will be sick and will not be taking advantage of their employer. Steadiness means a worker with this quality can be trusted and a quality employers look for when hiring.
Conscientiousness
Dominance and influence turned loose without conscientiousness is likened to a car that runs in the direction it is pointed. It lacks the steadiness and conscientiousness of a driver who can steer it in the way it should go. What are the best uses for DISC? Team building, creating managers and supervisors among a work force, teaching people how to manage and to lead others, bring in customers, relieve tension among workers, make hiring and placement and promotion easier are only a few of the reasons businesses use Disc. All the necessary research and insight building questions and answers is there, it only need be implemented.
