As I wrote about in last week’s blogpost on the “Update on Leaving Home to Go Home,” this is a “rare in my life” season of intense stress. Between building a new house in Kansas over 500 miles from where we currently live, getting the Colorado house ready to sell, the whole packing and moving process, all coupled with the fact that I’ve now had Long COVID for 9 months and it is relentless, I’m experiencing stress to a level I’ve never dealt with before. So honestly, this next Series is as much for my encouragement as it is a potential to be a great help to you.
The good news is that the DISC System has a lot of insight to offer in times of stress. It also supplies practical ways of alleviating that stress as well as the process of renewal and refreshment that is needed to balance that stress. Over the next few weeks, we will cover each of these applications.
For a quick introduction to the DISC System, think of someone (maybe it’s you) who:
- D – Has to TAKE CHARGE
- I – Always ADDS FUN
- S – Is so very PATIENT
- C – Loves the DETAILS
To expand on these descriptions:
- D-Style: Gets things done, is decisive and authoritative
- I-Style: Is enthusiastic, outgoing, positive and persuasive
- S-Style: Is steady, dependable, cooperative and patient
- C-Style: Likes procedures, is systematic, precise and conscientious
Now let’s get into more detail for each DISC Style:
The High D-Style person tends to:
- Strive to be in control
- Focus on tasks more than on people
- Have a “high speed motor”
- Be decisive – sometimes without researching the facts
- Get things done quickly
- Be authoritative
- Take charge in a situation
The High I-Style person tends to:
- Be fun-loving, a “party looking for a place to happen”
- Focus on people more than on tasks
- Have a “faster speed motor”
- Be more outgoing – an extrovert
- Be very persuasive
- Have a positive attitude – usually sees the jar half full
- Have lots of enthusiasm
The High S-Style’s tendencies:
- Dependable
- Steady
- Persistent
- Extremely patient
- Cooperative – a great Team Player
- Focuses on people
- Often has a slower “motor” – walks slower, talks slower, thinks slower
The High C-Style is:
- Conscientious
- Likes procedures
- Focuses on tasks and details
- Often doesn’t mind working alone
- Precise
- Systematic
- Has a slower “motor” – walks slower, thinks and talks slower
It is important to note that:
- Only 4% of the population have just ONE strongest style
- And 36% have TWO strong styles
- But 60% have THREE strong styles
- It is extremely difficult for all FOUR styles be strong
For nearly all the years we had an orthodontic practice, we used the DISC System to put each staff person in their ideal role in the office. Can you get a glimpse of how understanding someone’s DISC Style would make an enormous difference is what role they had in the office? Can you see how a fun-loving, enthusiastic High-I person is the best one to greet patients as they come into our office? Or how the detailed, systematic, precise High-C person is perfect for making retainers in the lab? But switch these two folks and you have DISASTER – both for them and for the office.
Next week, we will look at how each DISC Style perceives and responds to Stress. It is amazing how vastly different these responses can be.
QUESTIONS: Do any of these DISC Style descriptions resonate with you? Can you pick out one or two or three styles that are part of your unique design? I’d love to hear your thoughts and observations. Please share with me in the comment section below.
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