PREFACE:
There are many tools designed for examining every detail of an individual’s personality. The personality is composed of many different pieces so any one tool will provide only one dimension of that personality. At Win the Bigger Game we utilize 3 assessments and numerous variations of those in order to acquire the best picture of every individual. We use an axiological or values assessment, a behavioral assessment, and a motivator assessment.
Every human being is a unique and complex individual. We cannot emphasize enough the danger that lies in making assumptions about other people based on our own personal filtering system. We are not saying that it is wrong to filter information. In fact, filtering information is so natural it would be nearly impossible to keep from filtering the inputs we receive. What we do with those inputs, however, is critical if we are to optimize our ability to communicate and interact with others. And it is even more important if we hope to be an effective leader.
Acquiring information about how another person is most likely to respond to what you say and do can allow a leader to anticipate how various followers will react to every message sent and action taken. If the goal of the leader is to produce results that make a difference it should always be in the front of the leader’s consciousness that for every action there will be a reaction and I have absolute control over my own actions so why not choose actions that will have the greatest likelihood of producing the outcomes I want. The reason for do these behavioral assessments is to increase the probability that you will get the outcomes you want and reduce the risk of disaster caused by reactions you did not anticipate.
The DISC tool helps us inform our clients about the most likely behaviors the can expect from their employees. By knowing what to expect they can adapt their actions so as to avoid the major difficulties that can arise from hitting the wrong buttons in their employees. If your employees or followers are valuable to the achievement of the organizational goals it will always be best to make sure the employees feel understood and appreciated. How you achieve that state will not be the same in every situation.
You know how you react to people who just don’t get you. The one assumption that is fair to make is the assumption that your followers will also not be thrilled with those who do not get them. And one of the worst assumptions that we can make is that other people like to be treated the same way we like to be treated. Sure there is that “Golden Rule” thing; do unto other as you would have them do unto you. But in today’s world we need to adopt Tony Alessandra’s “Platinum Rule; Do unto others as they would have you do unto them.” The only way you can do that is to actually know what they would like you to do unto them.
Tony Alessandra uses the DISC assessment tool to help his clients understand what their followers will most likely want. One of our strategic partners, Zeke Lopez, works with Tony to help with the interpretations of those assessments and to give more depth of understanding of what those trends and tendencies mean. In fact, it was Zeke Lopez who introduced us to the assessment package that we use with our clients. And behaviorally speaking, the DISC does a great job of helping both leaders and followers gain a better understanding of how they are most likely to react to a wide variety of situations and circumstances in their world. With that knowledge, each can make a conscious decision regarding how they will structure their responses before they respond. As Stephen Covey puts it between to Stimulus and the Response lays the ability to craft the response so as to produce a desired outcome. That is the core of Responsible Behavior; behaving in a way that has the highest probability of producing your most highly desired outcomes.
THE ARTICLE:
Behavioral Tendencies
At Win the Bigger Game, we use a well tested tool for determining an individual’s behavioral tendencies. We use the DISC assessment. DISC is an acronym for Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness or Compliance. From the reports that are generated, we are told the following with regards to each general behavioral preference.
Dominance: Dominance [D factor] measures and identifies how assertively and aggressively an individual prefers to deal with the PROBLEMS they encounter. Someone with a high (80-100) “D score” will actively pursue and attack problems, while someone with a low (0-20) “D score” will be more reserved and conservative in tackling difficult, problematic and confrontational issues. Individuals in the upper “D” dominant quadrant will typically exhibit a more assertive, guarded and direct results oriented behavioral style.
Influence/Extroversion: The Influence/Extroversion [I factor] measures and identifies how an individual prefers to deal with the OTHER PEOPLE they encounter. Someone with a high (80-100) “I score” will be outgoing, seek personal connections and enjoy frequent interactions with others while someone with a low (0-20) score will be more introverted, more reserved and less inclined to initiate new personal connections and interactions with others. Individuals whose integrated plot is in the lower right “I” Influence/Extroversion quadrant of the behavioral diamond will typically exhibit a more people oriented, direct but open behavioral style.
Steadiness/Patience: The Steadiness or Patience [S factor] measures and identifies how an individual prefers to deal with the ACTIVITY LEVEL or PACE of their daily agenda. Someone with a high (80-100) “S score” will exhibit a great deal of patience and prefers a stable, focused and consistent workload preferring not to frequently shift gears and alter direction mid-stream. Someone with a low (0-20) “S score” exhibits strong URGENCY or LOW PATIENCE and prefers a fast-paced, rapid fire, multi-tasked agenda that offers active, change-oriented and spontaneous options. Individuals whose integrated plot is in the lower left “S” steadiness/patient quadrant of the behavioral diamond will typically exhibit a more indirect but open patient and teaming behavioral style.
Compliance/Following the Rules: The Conscientious/Compliance [C factor] measures and identifies how an individual prefers to deal with the “rules”, attention to detail, accuracy and data. Someone with a high score (0-100) will insist on accuracy, reliable facts, precision and high standards. Someone with a low score (0-100) will tend to question the rules, can be quite independent, opinionated and may favor emotional persuasion over logical data. Individuals plotting in the upper left “C” Conscientious/Compliant quadrant will typically exhibit a more indirect and guarded, data focused detailed and analytical behavioral style. (© 2002-2011 Use by A & A, Inc. permitted under license agreement. All rights reserved.)
Recently each of these four factors has been subdivided into 3 additional contributing factors. Dominance is now described as having the three contributing factors of Directness, Self-Determination, and Individualism. The three factors contributing to Influence are Sociability, Vitality, and Self-Assuredness. Steadiness is composed of the factors Pace Accommodation, Reflectiveness, and Persistence. Finally, Conscientiousness stems from the need to Collaborate, the desire for Correctness, and one’s Perceptiveness. Next week we’ll look at examples of each of these.
SUMMATION:
Our experience has been that most people are somewhat moderated in their behavioral trends. Very few people possess the more extreme behavioral styles. There are some people, however, who are extremely dominant, extremely influencing, extremely steady, or extremely conscientious. When we find people who fit these specific categories it can be quite useful to accept that this is the way they are and then use that knowledge for the benefit of the entire team.
An individual with a powerful dominance character may always push to be the lead dog on the team. She may want to take charge in every situation. In some situations that may be appropriate but it will probably not be true in all situations and circumstances. When it is appropriate, that person should be given the reins and be allowed to move the team forward. By helping that person understand her own tendencies you can also help her understand that although she may want to always be in charge it is not in the organizations best interest for her to always be in charge.
If the entire team understands the traits of everyone else on the team, everyone will be aware of whom the best person to lead the team in each situation and circumstance will be. They will also understand that the more dominant person will always feel like she needs to be in charge and they can become a little more tolerant of her while still understanding that others need to step up when it is time them to do so. Teams can create signals and code words that allow them to communicate during difficult situations. If Ms. Dominant begins to overly exert her dominance when an Influencer is what is needed, the team can have a signal that lets Ms. D know she is appreciated but Mr. I needs to take the lead on this task.
It’s not just Ms. D that can upset a team. An overly Conscientious person can slow progress because he want to make sure all the I’s are dotted and the T’s are crossed before any action is taken. This might be just the person you want in charge when precision is the most important factor
in the outcomes you’re trying to attain. But if speed is needed, Mr. C could cost the organization a client. As is the case with all teams, balance is best. Having people who fill all the slots increases the probability of success and reduces the risk of unintended consequences. A Team composed of all highly dominant types runs the risk of shooting without aiming. A team composed of all high conscientious types runs the risk of aiming without ever shooting. A balanced team can aim and shoot and make sure we’re aiming at the right target and create certainty that we can duplicate our efforts in the future.
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