Submitted by engineering_mgr on
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For those DISC experts out there, a fun puzzle. I have a coworker who is effective at getting results out of people, and I want to understand why. Can you tell me what DISC she might be?
- Warm, friendly, funny, un-offendable, humble, not concerned with status. Creates a personal connection quickly.
- Direct, decisive, solutions oriented. Great at "let's just try this". Not deterred by cold calling or jumping into something unfamiliar. No job is too low-level.
- Excellent follow up. Initiative on tasks without a lot of checkup required.
The rest of my coworkers are quiet, thoughtful introverts (engineers) and she is definitely bringing something we were missing before. I would say she is the best recent hire in terms of net improvement to task completion.
So what do you think?
More info required
Hi,
She's probably a mix, but hard to tell what's natural and what is learned behaviour to be effective.
Does she generally
- talk fast or slow
- talk loud or soft
- talk about people or about facts and figures
- use big gestures or small
- small a lot or a little
- interrupt or wait
- need proof or rely on other's opinions
These will help to nail down her DISC profile.
Thanks
Kev
For all these markers below
For all these markers below except smiling, the answers are in between which is why it's intereting to me - a decisive extrovert who works really well on her own and is able to get a lot out of people while keeping good track of deadlines/costs.
- talk fast or slow: Fast, but spends a lot of time listening
- talk loud or soft: More loud than soft but not abrasive
- talk about people or about facts and figures: People and figures, people somewhat more
- use big gestures or small: Big
- smile a lot or a little: A lot, laughs a lot
- interrupt or wait: Waits (good listener)
- need proof or rely on other's opinions: Not sure! Takes in a lot of opinions then suggest a thought-out solution
High-D High-I
The warm, friendly, able to build a fast connection is classic I. The ability to "just try things" without perfect information is classic D. The follow-up & initiative is classic D.
Quiet thoughtful engineers are normally High-C, High-S. The fact that she is able to keep good track of deadlines/costs is a High-C behavior.
The magic of DISC is not in knowing your type. It's not in knowing the other person's type. It's the ability to use the information to modify your behavior in a way that's most effective in the relationship between the two of you.
Dunno about the high D
I agree that there is a lot of high I in the description. The quick decision could also be high I. I see the ability to listen as more on the S or C side. I'd guess very low D (not abrasive was specified, and all of us with moderate to high Ds are somewhat abrasive). "Takes a lot of opinions" puts them onto the SC side, as well.
I'd say something along the lines of 2 - 7 - 2 - 5.
My profile is 4731, but anyone who met me would peg my C to be 6 or 7, because that's what I have to do in order to do my job. One doesn't have to behave/communicate according to one's style, so this could be a case of another high I who knows he has to get the job done correctly, so he listens, thinks, and considers before chasing the next squirrel.
The assessment of someone who
The assessment of someone who has learned behavior to increase effectiveness sounds right. I think it's rare to see this, which is why I was turning it over in mind (besides the fact that she's getting things done easily that were hard before, and getting results out of people who were considered hard to work with). Thanks all!