As passionate as I am about the benefits of using a psychometric tool in the workplace (my tool of choice being DiSC) I hear the nay sayers loud and clear. Whilst we can all agree that we are all different, these differences show themselves in many ways.
Considering that the general population is made up of a variety of styles, it’s no surprise that many people would be naturally skeptical about tools that claim to tell us more about how we behave, how we think, how we are motivated and how we communicate. D & C styles (although not all) are often, through their very nature, driven by more tangible things than emotions and behaviours.
There is plenty of research, scientific data and numerous studies to back up the validity of psychometric testing but often the skepticism, in my opinion is rooted in fear of the unknown, a resistance to finding out about ourselves and, like anything in life, the legitimate worry that in the wrong hands, these tool scan do more harm than good.
Not being a natural skeptic, for me, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. I can only judge the quality of something after I have tried, used or experienced it. After 20 years of experiencing the real power of DiSC, the scientific data that backs it up pails into insignificance.
Putting people in ‘boxes’ labeling them with a colour or letter is what happens when psychometrics are introduced to an organisation without facilitation and the constant reminder that all styles/letters/colours are equal and that we are all a blend of each style.
Without support from an experienced and knowledgeable practitioner, any psychometric tool remains a dog-eared report in a dusty drawer I jest with fellow Consultants that use other psychometric tests about how I would never use anything other than DiSC, but in reality, the only thing that prevents me from getting accredited in every one is a mixture of cost and brain power. I love DiSC for its simplicity, the lightbulb moments I have seen it unfurl over the years, the power it has to improve communication and the amazing Catalyst learning platform that ensures we all keep on learning.
In all honesty, if DiSC is not the tool of choice, I would much prefer an organisation uses an other psychometric tool than none.
Throughout my career, DiSC has helped:
- Turn newly promoted managers, who find themselves in a management role, because they were good at their job, into great people managers.
- Transform dysfunctional teams, who were all pulling in different directions into a dream team, all following the same goals.
- Improve communications across teams, though a greater understanding of the role everyone plays in the bigger picture.
- Reduce conflict, friction and those underlying niggles both in teams and cross departmentally.
- Increase the levels of engagement due to an overall understanding and respect for each other.
- Develop individuals by introducing them to a tool that can help them understand themselves and everyone around them just a little better.
The language we use is so important. DiSC isn’t about strengths and weaknesses. It’s about where we get our energy and what drains our energy. As an example, I feel massively energised after a full day in the training room, having delivered an engaging training session to a room full of people. At the end of this session, I feel happy, full of life, ideas and inspiration flow around my mind and I am totally energised. I would feel motivated for the rest of the day.
On the flip side of that, put me in an office, on my own for 2 hours, with a 20 page employment contract and tell me I need to check every detail, at the end of this two hours I would be exhausted. I would be drained, unhappy, overwhelmed and totally lacking in energy.
The point is, I can do both. I have experience, qualifications and training in both. I have done both throughout my career, and arguably would do a good enough job with the employment contract. It isn’t that one is a strength and one is a weakness. The point is though, the contract checking would drain my energy and not leave me at my happiest or most motivated. It’s just not how I am wired.
It is because I know this about myself, that I actively seek out the opinions and different styles of others.
I am thankful to have people in my corner that are much more analytical and questioning than me. People that I know I can rely on to take control of certain situations. People that are more steady and supportive and those that I know are the life and soul of the party and great collaborators.
Choosing to have people who think and behave differently to me in all aspects of my life and work makes my life and work better, more fulfilled and means I can see things from all angles. This is because I know and can appreciate the value of these differences, instead of being intolerant to it and it creating conflict, as is so often the case in the workplace.
If I were Queen for the day, aside from making kindness compulsory, I would also make it a requirement for everyone to have a DiSC profile and support session. It would make the whole world more self aware and more understanding (and appreciative) of others.
As I alluded to earlier, DiSC, in no hands (a profile just done in isolation) is useful and interesting but short-lived. In the wrong hands (an inexperienced/poor facilitator) its dangerous and lends itself to pigeon holing and labeling people.
In the right hands, its a game-changer, in business and in life.
