Using DiSC Profiling Tools To Get More From Your Team

Why are tools like DiSC important for you to master?…

As a business owner knowing how and where people work best can be a powerful and lucrative skillset for those with a team of people. Profiling tools such as DiSC are not new by any means, but the right tool is still one of the best ways to ensure you are able to achieve a close-to-perfect match, when selecting new employees and repositioning existing personnel.

If you have been employing people for a while, you will have likely suffered the cost of a ‘bad hire’ to both your profit as well as team moral; not to mention the personal stress levels of managing them.

These tools are not intended to replace your existing recruitment and management processes but, add an extra layer of insight alongside what you already have in place. Done properly it can deliver benefits for both the business and the individual being tested.

So is DiSC profiling is a behavioural test or a personality test?…

As business owners and leaders, we don’t necessarily need to know their inner workings and who the person really is, however, we do need some insight as to how they will react in a particular environment – such as their job role and also typical circumstances they will encounter in the role. You would typically consider this ‘Job Fit’ as a match between a person and the role in your business from the point of the right person for the right role. DiSC assessments explain how.

Personality tests are designed to describe who a person really is, and indicates their basic tendencies. Aspects such as extroversion/introversion, thinking/feeling are tested and measured and are considered relatively fixed.

DiSC profiling, on the other hand, is basically a behaviour test that describes how an individual might react under a specific set of circumstances. It’s in this reaction prediction we should be interested in. In the case of the DiSC assessment tool, it describes how the respondent might react in the dimensions of problems, people, pace, and procedure.

Why choose a behavioural test over a psychometric (personality) test?…

As a manager of people, does it matter if member of staff can be labelled an extrovert? Or is it more useful to see how that staff member contributes and reacts in a particular work situation? Of course personality is a factor, but it is only one of many that influence an individual’s behaviour.

Besides… it is generally understood that behaviour is regarded as more changeable than than personality, as people can modify their own behaviour depending on what is required of them, in a given situation or role. Behaviour is also observable which means, it affects those around us. As business owners we not expected to manage their personalities but, we are expected to get individuals and teams working more effectively by observing, reviewing and providing constructive feedback on people’s behaviours.

Why we choose DiSC as our preferred behavioural tool…

At BGL, we use DiSC profiling as our primary tool to help business owners and leaders make decisions about team members and where best to place them. It is one of the most popular profiling tools in business because it is simple, easy to understand, and the result reports offer action oriented suggestions for both the manager and respondent. When done as a team it also helps them gain a better understanding on how to communicate with each other. Knowing someone’s personal profile allows for a much better understanding of how the person learns and operates.

How does it work? A brief DiSC overview…

DiSC was initially designed to assist people achieve a higher degree of success in life and work. Successful people know their strengths and limitations and by realising their weaknesses, are able to overcome their shortcomings and take full advantage of their strengths.

DiSC profiling uncovers insights about four dimensions (Styles) of normal behaviour. A brief description of the four behaviours is listed below:

They are based on an individual’s answers to a range of questions, and are typically completed using online assessment tools. The questionnaire takes about 20 minutes to complete. The DiSC profiling report is generated, and sent back to you or the individual concerned within minutes. Reports can be selected and tailored for a range of focus in the feedback for the individual, or team testing; as well as with a focus for managers for coaching respondents; as well as for particular roles such as sales development, etc.

By recognising your people’s behavioural styles and adapting to them, you’ll increase your understanding, appreciation, and communication with them leading to relationships that are more productive.

If you would like to know more about how you can implement the DiSC assessment tool in your business, contact our team for more information and help. or book directly into a strategy session.