What is your DiSC personality type? Part 1 of 4

I believe that most of us are curious about our own personalities. How do others perceive us? Are our particular traits a help or hindrance to our goals? Do we have a bias that holds us back from achieving success?

Any mature person has introspective moments. We wonder if somehow, we could be better. There’s no shortage of advice about how to act. The biographies and self-help literature of just the past decade could fill vast libraries. The first step to self-improvement is self-knowledge. If we can learn from an unbiased source a little bit about who we are at this moment, we can then look at who we can become. The DiSC assessment plays a vital role in this. Over the next several weeks, I am going to examine each of the four major divisions of personality in the DiSC system, one at a time. Each week, you may recognize a little bit of yourself or others in these descriptions. If you look closely, you will also find clues to your personal preferences, your strengths and even your weaknesses. Most likely, you will also find that one of these descriptions over the coming weeks fits a person who has always “set your teeth on edge.” Hopefully, I’ll be able to help explain why this is. The descriptions here will be broad sweeps and highlights. For a complete personalized rundown of your own DiSC personality, I invite you to take your own DiSC assessment.

The first major personality division – Dominance

Those whose DiSC personality style is best described by dominance have a high natural ambition to blaze a trail towards their goals. The promise of victory compels them to move quickly and to set high expectations for themselves and others. If you are motivated by thoughts of winning, achieving success, overcoming obstacles and competition, this may be you. When working on a project or with a group, your priorities will be getting immediate results, taking action and challenging yourself and others. However, others may have difficulty working with you because of your impatience and a lack of empathy.

In a leadership position, such a person will prioritize:

• Being commanding

• Being resolute

• Being pioneering

Generally speaking, a “D” will initiate action with a group and is comfortable with rapid change and on-the-fly decisions – a trait which has the potential to rankle the more deliberate-minded in a group. A “D” has a very high tolerance for conflict and will go toe-to-toe to win a “battle of ideas,” and with a high self-confidence, has a difficult time backing down from opinions that they view as correct.

There is no perfect personality

No individual personality is better than any other. Each has its strengths and its weaknesses. Once we understand how our personality style impacts our worldview and our interactions with others, we can compensate for our known weaknesses. This allows us to step back from what would normally be frustrating people or experiences and find ways to navigate these circumstances to achieve a positive resolution. Next week, I will be exploring “i,” the “Influence” personality trait. I invite you to get a complete DiSC assessment. 40 million people have taken one and have learned from the experience.