What exactly is DISC?

It’s a way of describing the patterns in a

person’s behavior, and using that
knowledge to predict how they are likely to act in the
future.

DISC is the universal language of observable human

behavior or the language of “how we act.”

DISC measures behavior and emotions.

• Not a measure of intelligence

• Not an indicator of values
• Not a measurement of skills and experience
• Not a measurement of education and training
It isn’t a ‘personality test’ as such, and it doesn’t
attempt to build a complete picture of a person’s
psychology.

It just concentrates on describing how different

individuals behave in a work setting.

This simpler, but more concrete,

approach means that a DISC assessment
is easy to create, and straightforward to
understand, while still providing powerful
insights.
Origins and Development

• Hippocrates taught that the ways in which a person behaved were

directly related to the balance of four ‘humours’ – like blood or phlegm –
within their bodies.

• It was the Greeks who first attempted to describe human behaviour in

any kind of scientific way.

• Each of these humours was connected with one of the four Greek
elements – air for blood, for instance, or water for phlegm.

• 4 styles described as early as 400 BC by Hippocrates

Character Humor Fluid Corresponding Trait in the Big 5
Irritable Choleric yellow bile Agreeableness
Depressed Melancholic black bile Neuroticism
Optimistic Sanguine blood Openness to experience
Calm Phlegmatic phlegm Neuroticism

• Key research at Harvard by Marsten in the 20’s and 30’s

• DISC assessment developed in the 50’s by Walter Clark

But what’s interesting about the Greeks’ approach was how they
understood the connections between their four elements.

Each of the four had some quality in common with another:

water and air were both ‘wet’,
water and earth were both ‘cold’.

we can map out these relations using two axes – one between wet
and dry, and the other between cold and hot. Where each set of axes
meet, we find one of the four elements
the American thinker William Moulton
Marston, who laid out his own ideas in his
1928 book, The Emotions of Normal People.

Marston used to describe the reactions of

ordinary people in everyday situations.

That biaxial model forms the ultimate basis

of DISC.
 Underlying Theory

The success of Marston’s model

lies in the nature of the axes he
selected, and how they combine
together. In a modern system,
these axes are typically referred
to as Assertiveness and
Openness.
Assertive people are pro-active and direct.

They lead rather than follow, and like to take

immediate action whenever they can.

They believe in grasping opportunities and

making their own way.
Often independent and commanding

they prefer to give orders rather than take them,

And they will issue instructions rather than ask

for cooperation.
At the opposite end of this first axis, we have
people with very low Assertiveness,

whom we describe as Receptive.

That term describes people who are patient
and cautious.
.

They prefer to avoid taking risks, and will

rarely take decisive action, unless the
pressure to do so is unavoidable.

They dislike change or surprise, and will seek

calm, predictable situations
the Assertiveness axis deals
with how ready a person is
to take direct action.

At one end, we have people

who tend to act, and at the
other, people who tend to
react.
The second axis,
crossing the first at right
angles, measures the
concept of Openness.
Extremely Open people are friendly,
trusting and ingenuous.

They express themselves easily, and value

strong relationships with other people.

Open individuals tend to work on an

emotional level, revealing their feelings to
others

And being ready to sympathize with those

around them.
People who fall at the low end of the Openness axis
are referred to as Controlled.

Controlled individuals are practical and somewhat

skeptical in style. They value hard facts and rational
argument above emotional considerations, and prefer
to follow their own ideas, rather than rely on other
people.

A defining characteristic of this type of person is that

they will rarely volunteer information about themselves
to other people.
The Openness axis describes how
ready a person is to communicate
with others.

At a basic level, more Open

people tend to behave more
socially, while Controlled people
tend to work individually.
DISC measures measures

• How you approach problems D

• How you approach other people I

• How you approach pace S

• How you approach procedures C

Why should I learn DISC?
• To increase self-awareness

• To learn to relate to others in ways

they understand and appreciate

• To improve communication skills

• To improve key relationships

The DISC Factors

 The four quadrants of the biaxial model each

relate to a particular type of behaviour.
 In DISC, we refer to these as Dominance,
Influence, Steadiness and Compliance
D is for Dominance D
Dominance
 People measuring high on the Assertive scale,
and low on the Openness scale (Controlled).
 They are active
 assertiveness makes them impatient to see
results, and this sense of urgency makes them
Direct and Efficient.
 Control brings a sense of individuality, so that
people of this kind are actively Self-
motivated, and prefer to work Independently.
 Because of their direct independence, others
can often see them as Demanding in nature
 their sense of self-reliance makes them
Competitive and often Ambitious.
High D
• Task Oriented
• Fast Paced
• Ambitious
• Forceful
• Decisive
• Direct
• Independent
• Challenging
• Competitive
Low D
• People Oriented
• Slow Paced
• Slow to anger
• Mild
• Modest
• Agreeable
• Peaceful
 High D

• Dominant Emotion - Anger

• Desire – Control
• Fear - Being Taken Advantage Of
• Stress Relief - Physical Activity
How to ID a High D

 Energy
 Talks and walks with a purpose
 Fashion – functional
 Expression – focused, scowl
 Gestures - hands on hips, pointing
 Impatient, unsympathetic
 Short fuse
 Famous Examples: Hillary Clinton,
Michael Jordan, Barbara Walters
People in my life with a High D style are

 __________________________________
 __________________________________
 __________________________________
 __________________________________
 __________________________________
How to love High D

 Put him in charge and give her a challenge

 Enjoy him leadership
 Give him choices and options
 Give him credit and appreciation
 Let him work quickly and efficiently
 Turn to him in a crisis
 Trust him instincts, he is usually right
 Encourage him to rest and be healthy
 If you disagree, take issue with facts
 Be direct and to the point
 Be persistent in friendship
HIGH DOMINANCE – what
motivates
 1. Power - authority
 2. Tangible, measurable, achievable results
 3. Money and material things
 4. Challenging assignments
 5. Opportunity for advancement
 6. Accomplishments - results
 7. Knowing "why"
 8. Wide scope operation
 9. Direct answers
 10. Freedom from controls, supervision and detail
 11. Efficiency of operation
 12. New and varied activities
HIGH "D“ – Value to organization
 drive to accomplish results in spite of opposition or
antagonistic stances.
 Getting results
 Expediting action
 Accepting challenge
 Venturing into the unknown
 Making decisions
 Questioning status quo
 Taking authority
 Trouble-shooting
 Reducing costs Solving problems
DOMINANCE – Leadership style

 strengths
 They have a direct, no nonsense, goal-orientated,
dynamic style. Their dynamism can be infectious; they
cut comers in order to achieve quick results.
 Leadership and motivation limitations
 Dominant people emphasize the task rather than the
group or individual. They do not give adequately
detailed briefings. They can be too demanding and
challenging. They tend to see others as merely being
there to support them in their aim. They are inclined to
tell others what to do.
DOMINANCE

 Communication strengths
 These people communicate in ways which are direct and
to the point, without waffle.
 Because they have a fear of failure, they say what they
mean without holding back.
 Such individuals avoid the use of hints and innuendo
which can easily lead to misunderstandings.
 Since they respond very positively to challenges they are
frequent transmitters of ideas, opinions and instructions.
 In general dominant people skim-read to check for
relevance, then will read again carefully if they perceive a
benefit.
DOMINANCE
 Communication limitations
 Individuals with dominance tend to discount feelings in
communication, whether their own or the other person's.
 Usually such people are poor listeners unless they see a
benefit in a particular situation. Furthermore, they make
little effort to send positive signals to the speaker to
indicate that listening is taking place. They may even
send non-listening signals when they are actually
listening.
 In oral communications, they have a tendency to tell
people once only (with insufficient information) and then
to assume that their message has been received.
 Their writing style tends to be terse and abrupt and their
body language is aggressive and overbearing.
HIGH "D" WILL APPEAR

 Probably running late, in a hurry.

 Impatient and impulsive.
 Tries to dominate, or take over, direct.
 Uses challenging questions related to his/her objectives, rather than about technicalities.
 Strong, assertive handshake (brief strong grip).
 Office and desk are probably disorganised.
 Office is functional, rather than comfortable or stylish.
 Often dislikes filing (except in the dustbin) and uses the "heap" system to save time.
 High "D" with a high "I" will generally be well dressed. High "D" with a low "I" is generally not
bothered about outward appearance but will dress appropriately, e.g. a conservatively styled
business suit, and particularly with a man it may be drab, rumpled or marked.
 Can be or appears to be rude or blunt - will interrupt you, make phone calls or read a letter while
you are talking.
 Direct, steady eye contact, can be challenging or threatening.
 Restless and fidgety, usually looks directly at the speaker and leans forward when interested; may
lean back or look away when waiting or when bored. Uses finger pointing and other hand gestures
to emphasise or take control.
 Forceful and direct.
 Will not flinch from conflict, may even welcome it. "Let's get this sorted out now."
 Relating to Others
 The emphasis that this type of person places on achievement and
success significantly affects their relations with other people. In
extreme cases, a High-D can come to treat other people simply as a
means to an end, or a way of achieving their personal goals.
Dominance is not an emotional factor, and individuals with this type
of profile will tend not to place great importance on feelings, either
their own or others'. The competitive side of Dominance can lead
this type of person to see challenges and opposition everywhere,
and others sometimes find it difficult to break through this naturally
suspicious, sceptical shell.
Combinations

High D
High D with I
High D with I and C
High D with I and S
High D with S
High D with S and C
High D with C
Influence
 People measuring high in Assertiveness, but
here it mixes with Openness instead of Control,
and the result is a quite different personal
approach.
 The Open element in their behaviour makes
themmuch more Sociable than the
independently-minded Dominant types.
 They’re more accepting of others, making them
Friendly and Gregarious – in fact, people of this
kind place great importance on positive
relations with others.
 For all their friendliness and sociability, they still
have the directness and energy associated with
Assertive types, and that makes them
Outgoing and Enthusiastic.
 In Dominant types, this pro-active nature tends
to appear as self-reliance, but in this case we
see it as Expressive Self-confidence, instead.
 High I
 • People Oriented
 • Fast Paced
 • Expressive
 Low I
 • Enthusiastic
 • Task Oriented
 • Friendly
 • Slow Paced
 • Demonstrative
 • Critical
 • Talkative
 • Moody
 • Stimulating
 • Pessimistic
 • Incisive
 • Matter-of-fact
 High I

• Dominant Emotion – Optimism

• Desire – Fun

• Fear - Social Rejection

• Stress Relief – Interacting With People

She might be be a High I High I if .
 Her voice is loud
 Her clothes are loud
 She TELLS you everything
 She is easily distracted from work
 She is excited about something
 She hugs you the first time she meets you
 She trusts you immediately
 She forgets something
 She seems a little too happy to be sincere
 She wants your approval
 She considers you a dear friend after one meeting
 Famous Examples – Oprah, Bill Clinton,
Bette Midler, Arnold Schwarzenegger
People in my life with a High I style are

 __________________________________
 __________________________________
 __________________________________
 __________________________________
 __________________________________
How to love “High I”
 Praise her!
 Make it fun!
 Be warm and friendly
 Allow her to express ideas and opinions
 Get excited with her and be realistic
 Allow frequent interaction with people
 Make use of her verbal skills
 Realize her “out of sight, out of mind” tendency
 Write the details down
 Give her structure and a support system
 Show affection
 People like this can be expected to show a
persuasive and even charming nature. Where
a Dominant person might be bluntly
demanding, an Influential person will prefer
to use strong communication to achieve their
aims.
HIGH INFLUENCE – what
motivates
 1. Popularity - social recognition
 2. Monetary rewards to cover expensive living
 3. Public recognition to indicate bis/her ability
 4. Freedom of speech - people to talk to
 5. Favourable working conditions
 6. Group activities outside of job
 7. Democratic relationships
 8. Freedom from control and detail
 9. To feel good about the job
HIGH'I‘- value to the
organization
 INFLUENCING of people to act positively and
favourably.
 Contacting people
 Making favourable impressions
 Verbalisation
 Exhibiting poise
 Motivating people to act
 Desiring to help others
 Generating enthusiasm
 Entertaining people
 Participating in the community
 Radiating optimism
INFLUENCE - Leadership

 strengths
 Positive, persuasive and enthusiastic in getting people
to follow then- lead. Adopt a demonstrative style to
encourage everyone to participate.
 Leadership and motivation limitations
 Can be too optimistic and are sometimes carried away
with their own optimism and hyperbole, which can
lead to them being unrealistic. Imluencers may place
too much emphasis on the individual at the expense of
the group and particularly the task.
INFLUENCE

 Communication, strengths
 High influencers tend to be verbally assertive and
articulate, with good use of words and effective delivery.
 They communicate with enthusiasm and/or humour and
usually therefore hook the interest of the listener(s).
 Invariably they will use body language to emphasise a
particular point they are trying to make.
 Because they fear rejection, they give the impression of
listening intently when another person is speaking. They
send regular listening signals to reassure the speaker
that the message is being received
INFLUENCE
 Communication limitations
 Wherever possible, high influencers avoid writing because they are
more comfortable with concepts and emotions than with facts. Their
writing style tends to be informal and quirky.
 In reality, their listening is selective and opportunistic, waiting for a
hook to latch on to. They may even mentally rehearse their own next
sentence whilst someone else is speaking.
 They tend to skim-read to pick up the gist of a document and then to
feign
 knowledge of the subject matter.
 When speaking, they have a tendency to waffle without focus or
direction. Their body language is excessive and may be distracting.
HOW THE HIGH "I" WILL APPEAR

 Very enthusiastic and friendly.

 Often inattentive to details, such as keeping appointments and double booking, so may not give
you much time.
 Positive and verbal, tells stories and anecdotes.
 Could appear superficial and impulsive.
 Happy to share their feelings.
 Very friendly handshake - may pump or hold.
 Office may well be untidy and disorganised.
 May have pictures of self or awards for performance.
 Stylish, fashionable, casual furnishings, gimmicks, executive toys, the latest electronic gadget or
computer.
 Likely to dress stylishly, fashionably or even flamboyantly. Good colour coordination.
 Generally looks professional but often ends the day untidy or even dishevelled.
 Friendly, sociable and courteous - hospitality is important to them. Friendly, steady eye contact -
usually smile with their eyes.
 Much hand and body movement - will even use hand movements to describe something over the
telephone.
 Generally open and relaxed style. Will touch or hold others as a sign of friendship or sincerity.
 While seeming very interested or concerned, may delay a decision. Prefers to persuade or coach
rather than confront aggressively or demand.
 Relating to Others
 Relating to others is what a High-I (highly
Influential person) does best. They are open to
others and confident in their own social abilities,
allowing them to interact positively in almost
any situation. Their strong and evident
confidence, coupled with their genuine interest
in the ideas and especially feelings of other
people, are often found charming by those
around them.
Combinations

High I Only
High I with D
High I with D and C
High I with D and S
High I with S
High I with S and C
High I with C
S is for Steady S
Steadiness

 In the third
quadrant, we stay
with Open
behaviour, but
more Receptive.
 High S
 • People Oriented
 • Slow Paced
 • Methodical
 • Systematic  Low S
 • Reliable  • Task Oriented
 • Steady  • Fast Paced
 • Relaxed  • Impetuous
 • Modest  • Impulsive
 • Flexible
 • Eager
 • Impatient
High S
• Dominant Emotion – No Emotion

• Desire – Peace

• Fear – Change

• Stress Relief – Sleep

How to recognize recognize a High S

• She is calm, cool, collected

• She’s a people watcher
• She’s a great listener
• She ASKS questions and waits to be asked
• Her clothes are comfortable and casual
• She’d rather sit than stand
• She has a dry sense of humor
• She doesn’t waste energy
• She’ll let you make the plans

• Famous examples: Mother Theresa, Gandhi,

Magic Johnson
People in my life with a “High S” style are

 __________________________________
 __________________________________
 __________________________________
 __________________________________
 __________________________________
How to love “High S”
• Begin with a personal comment
• Ask HOW questions
• Give her time to prepare for change
• Create a peaceful environment
• Allow her to work with a few close associates
• Look for hidden emotion
• Get her involved
• Make use of her relational savvy
• Let her know how valuable she is to you
• Allow adequate time for family and friends
• Enjoy her sense of humor
Steadiness
 Receptive people don’t show the same levels of energy and
drive as those on the Assertive side of the model.
 Instead, we expect to see more Patient, Even and Calm
characters in this area.
 People with this type of behaviour tend to dislike change or
uncertainty, so they plan their actions Thoughtfully, and
tend to work Persistently once they’ve set out on a task.
 Though they’re generally less confident or outgoing than
Influential types, people of this kind are still Open,
 but that Openness to others tends to be shown in an
Amiable and Generous nature.
Steadiness

 Steady people combine the undemanding

nature associated with Receptiveness, with a
positive approach to others, a combination
which makes them generally patient and
accepting in style.
HIGH STEADINESS – what
motivates
 1. Status quo
 2. Security of situation
 3. Covering references
 4. Historical procedures
 5. A happy home life
 6. Sincerity
 7. Known territory
 8. Time to adjust to change
 9. Constant appreciation
 10. Identification with the company
 11. Recognition for long service
HIGH "S“ – value to
organization
 STEADINESS in performing work to consistently produce
in a predictable manner.
 Performing accepted work pattern
 Sitting or staying at one place
 Exhibiting patience
 Developing special skills
 Concentrating on work
 Satisfaction with job
 Demonstrating loyalty
 Reflecting composure
 Being a good listener
 Stabilising excited people
STEADINESS - leadership

 strengths
 They listen carefully, coach and counsel and generally
adopt a caring approach. They are often perceived as
genuine and approachable.
 Leadership and motivation limitations
 May move at the pace of the slowest in order to keep
the team together, which can frustrate those who are
more dynamic. This may lead to them over-
emphasising the group and the individual at the
expense of the task. May appear to lack a sense of
urgency (but remember the tortoise and the hare).
STEADINESS

 Communication strengths
 Individuals with steadiness characteristics are good
listeners. They have the patience to wait until the
speaker has finished articulating a point before they
formulate their reply. They also have the thoroughness to
check out then-understanding.
 They are equally comfortable communicating in the
areas of facts and feelings.
 Their writing style is comprehensive as they aim to cover
all angles.
 Because they fear insecurity they read every page
thoroughly from cover to cover, missing nothing.
STEADINESS

 Communication limitations
 Those with high steadiness tend to lack
confidence as verbal communicators outside
defined and secure areas.
 Their single paced, measured delivery can be
boring to other styles, who tend to lose interest.
 The quantity of peripheral written
communication that they generate tends to
detract from the central message.
 Their body language is restrained.
HOW THE HIGH -S- WILL APPEAR

 Methodical, organized and thorough, but relaxed and often apparently contented.
 Security conscious and often reluctant to change the status quo rapidly -
 Tends to question in order to clarify and verify and, although apparently convinced, will also make
tentative statements.
 . May have a slow pace or response, particularly when presented with a problem or question they
have not experienced before.
 Often a good listener, but may appear lacking in imagination because of a thorough but cautious
approach/response to a problem.
 Friendly, firm, sincere but not a flamboyant or aggressive handshake.
 A secure, comfortable environment. Often there is a name plate on the door. plus one on the desk.
 Pictures of possessions and/or family, certificates of competence.
 Desk well organized, often with neat piles of papers, books and magazines. Furnishings are usually
comfortable and may also be old fashioned or worn.
 Tends to dress appropriately but for comfort rather than fashion. May lack color co-ordination.
Men in particular will tend to dress for utility and comfort, m clothes they have become familiar
with over a long period of time.
 Generally very courteous and welcoming. Warm, friendly, sincere eye contact, often used as an aid
to their willingness to listen carefully and considerately.
 Relaxed but not demonstrative. Often displays defensive posture and gestures with people they
do not trust, or in a competitive/aggressive situation.
 Prefers to manage or smooth the situation, rather than rush in with an aggressive decision
 Relating to Others
 As in their general lifestyle, this type of person
will look to more socially assertive people to
initiate relationships of any kind - their solid,
dependable outlook makes them far more suited
to the maintenance of interpersonal relations
than making initial contact. For this reason, their
circle of friends and close acquaintances is often
small but tightly-knit.
Combinations

High S only
High S with D
High S with D and I
High S with D and C
High S with I
High S with I and C
High S with C
C is for Compliance
Compliance
 The Receptive element meets
Control.
 people in this area are also
generally undemonstrative and
undemanding
 but their Controlled element
means that they have a more
individualistic approach
 They tend to see life in terms of
structure and rules, and they’re
concerned with being as
Accurate and Precise as
possible.
 High C
 • Task Oriented
 • Slow Paced
 • Analytical  Low C
 • Contemplative  • People Oriented
 • Conservative  • Fast Paced
 • Exacting  • Careless with details
 • Careful  • Unbending
 • Deliberate  • Arbitrary
 • Uninhibited
 • Self-righteous
 High C
• Emotion – Fear

• Fear - Criticism of Performance

• Desire – Perfection

• Stress Relief – Solitude

Hallmarks of a “High C”
• Quiet
• Private
• Neat
• Fashion – Classic
• Listens well and ASKS clarifying questions
• Content to be in the background
• High standards
• Detail-conscious
• Sees the problems
• Deep concern for others
• Cautious

• Famous Examples: Diane Sawyer, Spike Lee, Al

Gore
People in my life with a High C style are

• __________________________________
• __________________________________
• __________________________________
• __________________________________
• __________________________________
How to love “High C”
• Respect her quiet nature
• Don’t touch her, respect her space
• Be accurate, realistic, neat, and organized
• Be punctual
• Give her all the data she needs
• Give her time to make decisions
• Ask questions to draw out concerns
• Make use of her critical thinking skills
• Enjoy her commitment to quality
• Give her tough problems to solve
• Be sensitive and supportive
• Help her lighten up
Compliance
 They’re often Cautious in nature, and Sensitive to changes
and developments.
 With other people, their Receptive side makes them rather
Restrained, while their cautious and Controlled
communication style means thatthey’re also quite
Diplomatic.
 While people of this kind are not as naturally sociable as
those showing Steadiness, they can see the value in Co-
operating with others to achieve a goal.
 Compliant people combine the undemanding nature
associated with Receptiveness with a Controlled approach to
others, and this combination makes them generally focused
on rules.
COMPLIANCE – what motivates

 1. Standard operating procedures

 2. Exposure limited to area of expertise
 3. Security (protection through rules)
 4. References
 5. Reassurance
 6. Authorised and agreed changes
 7. To be pan of a group
 8. Personal attention
 9. Logical associate
 10. Opportunity to perform competently
HiGH “C” – value to the
organization
 compliance with exacting standards to avoid error,
trouble or danger.
 Following directions or standards
 Controlling quality
 Concentrating on detail
 Operating under controlled circumstances
 Being diplomatic with people
 Checking for accuracy
 Complying with the rules
 Adhering to procedure
 Avoiding trouble
 Criticising performance
COMPLIANCE - Leadership

 strengths
 They brief others with extreme care, they answer
questions and queries. Very good at leading others in a
technical or specialist environment, where they can
lead through, and be respected for, their expertise.
 Leadership and motivation limitations
 Often appear rather cool and distant. Their
perfectionism can be off-putting. They tend to spend
too much time writing memos, which for some are too
clinical and tend to dampen their enthusiasm. They
are more concerned with "things" rather than people.
COMPLIANCE

 Communication strengths
 Individuals with high compliance write clearly
and crisply without any ambiguity or padding.
 They listen primarily for facts and absorb those
facts effectively for later recording and recall.
 Because they fear direct confrontation they
speak factually, with evidence to
 support their statements.
 Being perfectionists, they read documents very
carefully indeed to ensure that they understand
COMPLIANCE

 Communication limitations
 Compliant people tend to avoid dealing with emotions
and feelings as part of communication.
 In general they lack the confidence to communicate
outside their own area of expertise.
 Their communication, whether oral or written, tends to
be packed so tightly with facts that the listener can be
overwhelmed-
 When communicating verbally, their delivery tends to be
dry and pedantic and their body language is minimal.
HOW THE HIGH "C" WILL APPEAR

 Prepared for your visit, unhurried, organized and punctual.

 Time disciplined and systematic.
 Tends not to share personal feelings.
 Detailed, logical, precise and cautious phrasing of questions. Very fact, detail and evidence-
orientated and if not totally satisfied will be very reluctant to make a decision.
 Looks for precedents or policy to support a decision or action. Loose, brief possibly even nervous
handshake.
 Very neat, orderly, almost impersonal office. The desk is often clear apart from your file/letter etc.
 Everything is neatly and precisely filed in a system that works.
 Conservative, neat, smart business clothes. Might be mistaken for a high "I" except that the high
"C" avoids the flamboyant or very fashionable and stays neat all day.
 Very polite, correct and diplomatic.
 Tends to avoid a lot of eye contact, particularly in an aggressive or hostile situation. May therefore
appear to have fleeting-or evasive eye contact.
 Tends to be cautious about expressing feelings through gesture or facial expression so may be
seen as "expressionless" or cold.
 May give a nervous laugh, cough or pause to gain thinking time, or to try and soften a potentially
contentious statement. Can get defensive when threatened- May yield position to avoid conflict
but if/when certain they are right will quote facts/policy/rules and be authoritative.
 Relating to Others
 High-C's have many strengths, but the ability to relate
easily to other people is rarely among these. The
combination of a passive social style with a certain innate
suspiciousness makes it difficult for this type of person to
form or maintain close relationships, and this is
especially true in a business sense. Their friendships or
close acquaintances will normally be based on mutual
interests or common aims, rather than emotional
considerations.
Combinations

High C only
High C with D
High C with D and I
High C with D and S
High C with I
High C with I and S
High C with S
Autocrat, Communicator, Planner, Analyst
High D and High I
 Dominance relates to
Assertiveness and Control, high
Influence relates to
Assertiveness and Openness.
 For a person whose behaviour
combines the two, the emphasis
is strongly on Assertiveness,
which is common to both of
these factors.
 So, we’d expect them to be
direct, proactive, and impatient.
High D and High I
 In terms of Openness and Control, though,
there’s a balance at work here.
 A person with this type of profile is not strongly
oriented towards either extreme, and is capable
of acting independently, or working with others,
as a situation demands.
 These combinations of qualities are often
needed, for example, in sales roles
High D and Low S
 Another level of DISC analysis comes from the ‘sub-
traits’, which look at relations between pairs of
factors.
 For example, in this graph we see a high Dominance
score, and a low Steadiness score.
 We call this combination ‘D over S’ for short, and it
relates to the sub trait of Self-motivation: people
with this characteristic tend to show a driving and
impatient behavioral style, and as the name
suggests, they’re motivated by their own success.
High D and High C

 Dominance and Compliance

come together is not
Assertiveness, but Control,
and Control is indeed the
watchword for this graph
shape, and for the type of
person it describes.
High D and High C
 A person like this will want power over their own
conditions, and they can often seek to achieve this,
through the direct and determined ‘Dominant’
feature of their style.
 Notice, though, that this style is balanced between
Assertiveness and Receptiveness.
 For example, in practice, we often find that people
with DISC graphs like this one prefer to work within
a set of rules, and will do their best to ensure that
those around them do so too
Entrepreneur
Accountant
Your primary style is DOMINANCE.

Descriptive Words: Direct, decisive,

competitive, daring and demanding
Motivators: Power, achievement and
control
Fear: Failure
Management Style: Directing
Communication Style: Tells
Value to Organization: Drive for
results
Sales/Negotiations: Closing
Your primary style is INFLUENCE.

Descriptive Words: Persuasive,

sociable, enthusiastic, emotional and
confident
Motivators: Recognition, praise and
status
Fear: Rejection
Management Style: Leading
Communication Style: Sells
Value to organi: working with/thru
people
Sales/negotiation: Opening
Your primary style is STEADINESS.

Descriptive Words: Loyal, patient,

amiable, relaxed and team oriented
Motivators: Security, structure and
stability
Fears: Insecurity and change
Management Style: Listening
Communication Style: Listens
Value to Orgni: Implementation
Sales/negotiation: customer service
Your most predominant style is
COMPLIANCE.

Descriptive Words: Systematic,

accurate, analytical, diplomatic and
structured
Motivators: Rules, policy and
procedure
Fears: Hassle and conflict
Management Style: Writing
Communication Style: Writes
Value to organi: Qality and standards
Sales/negotiation: back hand works
Low “D”

• Hesitant
• Mild
• Low decision need
• Non-demanding
• accomodating
Low “I”
• Reserved
• Reflective
• Suspicious
• Self-conscious
• Probing
• serious
Low “S”
• Mobile
• Alert
• Active
• Restless
• demonstrative
Low “C”
• Firm
• Persistent
• Stubborn
• Strong-willed
• indpendent
Flick up C
• Follows rules
when it matters
Sweep Down C
• Rule breaker
• Unconventional
Sweep Down C
• Extremely
stubborn