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Submitted by sholden on
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I recently signed up for the Manager Tools' offered DISC Classic Profile 2.0 (English). It is an online questionnaire that you can sign up for from your Manager Tools membership account (http://www.manager-tools.com/amember/member.php). The cost is $29.95.

I got my access codes after the PayPal purchase in less than the 24 hours noted on the sign-up page. The sign-in process was painless. Answering the profile question via the online interface was very easy and took less than 20 minutes.

The output from the tool is a report that you can email, print, or turn into a PDF for saving for later. I picked the PDF option. The report is extremely well organized and complete. The format is the following (23 pages):

- Overview
- Your DISC Graph
- Stage I: Your Highest DISC Dimension
- Stage II: Your Intensity Index
- Stage III: Your Classical Profile Pattern (Motivation, Work Habits, Insights)
- The DISC Model
- The DISC Dimensions
- The Classical Profile Patterns
- Scoring and Data Analysis

I am very satisfied with the complete process. I highly recommend the tool to others if they are interested in learning more about their communication style.

I do have plans to offer this service to all my project members by introducing the topic via upcoming 1on1s. I'll keep the group posted on that effort.

Respectfully, Steve

rwwh's picture
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wendii hits it well, but I think I can summarize quickly: DISC is not about strengths and weaknesses, that is why it does not tell you how to handle your weaknesses.

Any of the 4x28 behavioural properties on the DISC list can have their positive aspects and their negative aspects. They can feel especially negative to someone who is opposite on that particular scale. So what DISC teaches you is: when someone you are talking to is opposite to you in one of the dimensions, pay special attention to those properties.

Mark's picture
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Well said Rob and Wendii.

The article is rubbish. RUBBISH. Having a psychiatrist sit with you all the time is like checking the commodities markets to validate your purchase price of a bag of sugar.

The point of "sizing people up" is NOT accuracy. It is the elimination of sustained and systemic INACCURACY. DISC helps... and so does 40 years of experience... which is why CEOs are often 60 or so.

Dang psychiatrists, looking to grow their product offerings. Of course they CAN do that, but CAN isn't the standard....ever.

PAY ATTENTION to people. Draw conclusions, and then test those conclusions against future behavior. No need for a degree or an hourly fee, mine included, which is higher than those folks with those degrees, anyway.

Sheesh! :wink:

Mark

quentindaniels's picture
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Thanks, Wendii, Rob and Mark. I believe you have addressed my concerns/misconceptions accurately.

oscarlozano15's picture

Is that profile test somehow alike to the StrengthsFinder? :?

mauzenne's picture
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I'm not familiar with StrengthsFinder ... do you have a link?

wendii's picture
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http://sf2.strengthsfinder.com/content/25186/about-the-book.aspx

http://www.gallupconsulting.com/content/?ci=61

It's very different to DISC, in that DISC is about communication style and strengths is about interest. For example one of my strengths is input:

[i]You are inquisitive. You collect things. You might collect information-words, facts, books, and quotations-or you might collect tangible objects such as butterflies, baseball cards, porcelain dolls, or sepia photographs. Whatever you collect, you collect it because it interests you. And yours is the kind of mind that finds so many things interesting. The world is exciting precisely because of its infinite variety and complexity. If you read a great deal, it is not necessarily to refine your theories but, rather, to add more information to your archives. If you like to travel, it is because each new location offers novel artifacts and facts. These can be acquired and then stored away. Why are they worth storing? At the time of storing it is often hard to say exactly when or why you might need them, but who knows when they might become useful? With all those possible uses in mind, you really don't feel comfortable throwing anything away. So you keep acquiring and compiling and filing stuff away. It's interesting. It keeps your mind fresh. And perhaps one day some of it will prove valuable.
[/i]

It is interesting, and describes me very well, but my view is that there isn't enough in the literature to tell you what to do with the information. It's all very well collecting all this stuff, but how does that help me work better apart from becoming a librarian! All of my strengths are equally useless which left me feeling a bit bereft.

However, of course, YMMV.

Wendii

juliahhavener's picture
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Wendii, you are a true fount of information.

Thank you for sharing it so freely, especially when it comes to hiring practices and many of the tests that have been used in so many way. I've found so many of your insights fascinating and extremely helpful (particularly as I am just starting to be the interviewER instead of the interviewEE).

wendii's picture
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Julia,

thank you for the compliment. I'm glad I'm able to help.

Wendii

cwatine's picture
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Hi,

I tried the DISC Profile French version.

Very good tool and the langage is perfect (no strange translations). I also like the way they describe the profile : very detailed and positive, but underlining the danger of some excesses.

Well : I now know I am a 7-4-1-4 or "personne tournée vers les résultats" which means "focused on results"...

This profile has some drawbacks like : "not paying enough attention to others' state of mind" and "lack of patience toward those people you find slow or not engaged".

So I think tools like O3 are perfect for me : they force me to consider EVERYONE of my direct and they FORCE me to listen to them !

Perfect combination :lol:

kklogic's picture

wendii,

We have done DISC and SF here at work. While having Gallup actually come in an do a seminar on it really helped, there is a book out that you may enjoy. Marcus Buckingham recently put out "Go Put Your Strengths to Work." It goes into the "now what" detail that you were looking for.

For what it's worth, our Gallup instructor explained it in this way -- "DISC and Myers-Briggs show you the house, SF shows you the rooms." I must be the same profile as Mark as I got the damning manipulation comment in my profile. Hard to feel good about that. SF really showed me how to feel good about my natural talents.

wendii's picture
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KK,

that is one of the many books I have been infatuated with in Borders and is waiting to be read on my bookshelves. Thanks for the tip, I'll move it to the read next shelf!!

Wendii

rthibode's picture

Hi everyone,

I finally tried the DISC profile. (Mark & Mike -- I wasn't comfortable with using PayPal, so thanks for adding other payment options.)

I'm probably in a tiny minority here, but I really am not sure about my results. When I was answering the DISC, I often felt that the choices were difficult and I didn't have a lot of confidence in my own answers.

My profile is 5-7-1-3 (Persuader). There's lots that's true, of course. There are also things that aren't true, even after I check with friends and colleagues. The "C" in particular is low compared to what I and others would have expected. In the context of my workplace, I am *the* data person, the "aim, aim, aim," objective, fact-finding person. My DISC profile suggests that I'm not like that.

When I was answering the DISC, I often felt that the choices were difficult and I didn't have a lot of confidence in my own answers. I also felt that if I had any delusions about my own traits (I probably do) that the results would reflect my misconceptions. (This is a problem will ALL self-report tests, not just the DISC.)

I am open to changing my point-of-view on DISC. One thing that might help me is understanding the methodology behind the test. I tried searching Google Scholar and psychology research databases, but couldn't find anything on DISC. What I most want to know is the logical/statistical connection between choosing adjectives and the resulting scores/profiles.

Sorry to be a downer, and looking forward to your ideas.

R.

cwatine's picture
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Hi R !

It is interesting to hear your point fo view and when you say this :
[quote]When I was answering the DISC, I often felt that the choices were difficult and I didn't have a lot of confidence in my own answers.[/quote]

It can make me think that this :
[quote]The "C" in particular is low compared to what I and others would have expected. In the context of my workplace, I am *the* data person, the "aim, aim, aim,"[/quote]
is true !

Your work place may also be full of very high D who see you as the "C" prototype because they compare you to themselves :wink:

I personnaly see DISC as a very usefull filter in communication with othersn not like a-tool-that-would-reveal-the-profound-nature-of people. It is usefull for understanding how you can be perceived by others and how to adapt to their mode of communication ...

I also found the way Mark described how he uses it (listen to the "pay attention pod cast and the podcasts about each profile) much more adapted to managing than the test itself.

I don't know if Mark would agree on that, but I feel he presented DISC to us to give us a "filter". A filter is usefull when you need to quiclky analyse a situation and find fast how to adapt. This is often what we need ni day to day interractions.

If I were you, I would not pay too much attention to the result. I would more be paying attention to how people see me, and how I can change little things to adapt to them. DISC is powerfull in that sense.

Cédric.

karaikudy's picture
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Mike, Mark
Any Idea by when the DISC purchase will be restored for MT community.

Karthik.

stephenbooth_uk's picture

[quote="rthibode"]I'm probably in a tiny minority here, but I really am not sure about my results. When I was answering the DISC, I often felt that the choices were difficult and I didn't have a lot of confidence in my own answers.[/quote]

I felt very much the same when I took a DISC test and when I've taken similar tests in the past. On the other hand when I got my results and analysis it was the first time I'd had a psychometric test where I actually recognised myself in the results and people I know (and who know me well) have said it fits in with their knowledge of me. I took the test at [url=http://www.onlinedisc.com/]OnlineDisc.com[/url].

I do like the way the DISC test is administered, choosing most like and least like, as I've often found in past psychometric tests that very often I might feel that all of the options for a particular question are a lot like me or that none are very much like me. At least with DISC I have the option of most/least best fit and least/most worst fit in each case for most like and least like.

Stephen

iandstanley's picture

Having been on the wrong end of one of the biggest handovers in government contracts in the UK for the last few years ... I've missed the boat on a number of things including the FREE Interviewing :cry: when you buy free premium content and now I find I've missed out on the DISC profile trough the Manager-tools site which I deferred to take whilst I was [i]buried alive[/i] :shock: in the transition.

M&M ... is there hope of a quick resolution to the licensing issues mentioned in [i]Purchase the DISC Profile[/i] or can you recommend any other sources :?:

WillDuke's picture
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Check out [url]http://onlinedisc.com/[/url] for DISC profiling tests.

mauzenne's picture
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Ian,

Yes, we're fairly close on the licensing issues .. in the meantime, I recommend going with Will's recommendation. It's the same instrument we use and the price is very reasonable.

best regards,
Mike

dfbfloyd's picture

We offer the same DISC resources as onlinediscprofile.com. Send me an email and I will be happy to walk you through the different options. If you want to purchase elsewhere that is fine. I am interested in getting the word out about the profile and the options you have. Most people don't have a clue how extensive this thing can be. The are individual reports, group reports, culture reports, additional sales and management reports. There is a ton to the DISC model. Email me at [email protected] or contact me over our web site www.corexcel.com

Seriously. I am not trying to sell anyone but I am happy to explain all the options that are available. That is just how we operate.

floho's picture
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Hi there,

After listening to many,many MT podcasts over the last months, I decided today to take a spare hour and get myself a DISC profile.
I knew I would be an I, but I was uncertain of the other traits... but wait, that cannot be! 6-7-1-1 ... so much "D" in me? The evaluation contained a lot of reference to force and control, which I would not have attributed to myself just so much.

BUT:
Thinking about it, it makes a lot of sense, and it is an incredible inspiration to think about how I work, how I am perceived, how I interact with others - and how I might want to work on that.

Thanks everybody for your reviews of the DISC profile, it helped me make this decision - and though the outcome was partly unexpected, it was well worth the money (I mean, I paid more money for books who did not contain as much food for thought than that profile did!)

Cheers
Florian

HMac's picture

Florian - great story. I find the "unexpected" learning to be what's [i]really [/i]worth the money.

PS - I'm 7-7-1-2, so we're kindred spirits.

-Hugh

edurbin's picture
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As I listened to the podcasts on DiSC, I was inspired to take the test. I found that I could identify pretty well with every category. I certainly am seated best as a C (as that is where my weaknesses lie), but I felt strongly suited to D, I, and S as well. Even after looking over the sample test to see where I would fall in more detail I was confused about myself. So I took the test and actually confirmed my suspicion.

[b]4,5,4,6[/b]

It listed me as an Appraiser, which is mostly accurate from reading the detailed description. What does this mean for me -- I don't who I am, or I naturally communicate well with all kinds of people? Any thoughts? Are there others like me? How do I communicate with those people?

I know I'm a bit behind the time of this topic, but I just discovered MT and am working my way through some highlights. It's nice that it's all archived, but I hope working from the bottom doesn't put me out of the loop too much on the forum.

Thanks for your help!

Eric

HMac's picture

[quote="edurbin"]It listed me as an Appraiser, which is mostly accurate from reading the detailed description. What does this mean for me -- I don't who I am, or I naturally communicate well with all kinds of people?[/quote]

eric: I wouldn't come to the conclusion that you "naturally communicate well with all kinds of people" (that sounds a bit too much like a fortune cookie!)

Rather, I'd take it to mean that you have to [i]alter your natural style less [/i]to communicate well with others. Think about those of us at the expremes: we REALLY have to alter our natural tendencies to make connections with some of the other groupings. Because you're not "extreme" on any of them, it just means that you're already closer to others' styles.

-Hugh

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