Using Your DISC Profile to Get Back to the Workplace

by May 14, 2020

News is starting to look more positive and hopeful, and talk of reopening is a brewin’.

I don’t know about you, but I could use some serious hugs from all of my colleagues!! (Yes, I’m a High I.)

We thought a little insight about how DISC profiles play into coming back might be fun.

If you’ve never taken the DISC assessment before, that’s okay. You can probably make some guesses based on this handout we made for a past webinar. Or we can send you a link and you can take the assessment.

By the way, the information below is based on an excerpt from a Reopening the Workplace eBook we’re working on, so stay tuned for that. Our ebook will include safety tips, but since those are widely available online it will mostly be focused on safeguarding culture, leading through change, trauma-informed management, and more.

So here it is, our thoughts on how the four profiles might respond to returning to the workplace.

HIGH D (Dominance) will be energized by the opportunity to tackle the challenge of getting the business back on track, and will ensure efficiency in the process. High D’s must be cautioned, though, to make their task completion also about the individuals involved. They’ll want to focus on the work, but others will want social connection.

Rely on your High D’s for any delegation needs, and to get things back in order and moving forward quickly.

HIGH I (Influence) will be invigorated by the ability to be social again and can bring connection and cohesiveness to the team. HIgh I’s must be careful about monopolizing the social time, though, as others will want to share and talk too.

Rely on your High I’s to bring everyone together again and begin to rebuild that important social component of your company’s culture.

HIGH S (Steadiness) will be comforted by the opportunity to return to a level of stability and normalcy. High S’s must be careful to balance out the teams emotions and procedures, as High S’s will take in all that stress themselves.

Rely on High S’s to bring a calm-under-pressure approach. This will help stabilize the team again after a long separation, and bring the overall levels of anxiety down for co-workers.

HIGH C (Conscientiousness) will be stimulated by tackling complex procedures and systems. From a technical standpoint, the High C’s were shining while working remotely, so continue to pull on their strengths once physically back at the worksite. High C’s may have a hard time integrating back into a social environment, however, as High C’s are very task-driven.

Rely on C’s to ensure that any policy adjustments or new procedures are accurate, and to ensure that information on these changes will be delivered in a logical easy-to-understand manner.

Back at Work

If you and your team haven’t taken a DISC assessment yet, it’s a great way to prepare for what’s to come. Employees will gain insight on their own styles and can refer to their reports as they work through the many issues we will all face as we return to work.

These are just a few of the tips that will be included in our reopening your workplace eBook. We plan to pack it full of everything you’ll need to get your employees and your organization back on track.

Sincerely,

Toni Herndon

Civility Partners’ Training Extraordinaire & Resident DISC Trainer/Coach

Civility is the platform for organizational success—it is absolutely necessary for an organization to reach its goals. Download our Ebook on Seeking Civility to learn more on how to create a workplace free of bullying and abusive conduct.

 

Catherine

About Catherine Mattice

Catherine Mattice, MA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, is the founder/CEO of Civility Partners, an organizational development firm focused on helping organizations create respectful workplace cultures and specializing in turning around toxic cultures. Civility Partners’ clients range from Fortune 500s to small businesses across many industries. Catherine is a TEDx speaker and an HR thought leader who has appeared in such venues as USA Today, Bloomberg, CNN, NPR, and many other national news outlets as an expert. She’s an award-winning speaker, author, and blogger and has 60+ courses reaching global audiences on LinkedIn Learning.  Her fourth book, Navigating Toxic Work Environments For Dummies (Wiley), is available in all major bookstores and where audiobooks are sold.

5 Things Ryan Breslow (& Most Executives) Gets Wrong About HR

“Fire your entire HR department.” Wait… what?  That was essentially the message Ryan Breslow, CEO of Bolt, delivered recently when he announced he had eliminated the company’s entire HR team because they were allegedly “creating problems out of thin air.” According to...

“What to Say May”: Turn Good Intentions into Everyday Courage

May has always been a month of transition. Spring in full bloom, fresh energy, and just enough optimism to believe people might actually follow through on their good intentions. So this year, we’re channeling that energy into something practical. We’re calling it...

3 Reasons Gen Z Won’t Take B.S. From Their Employers

Gen Z is quickly becoming one of the most influential voices in the workplace and they’re not staying quiet.  In fact, research shows that Gen Z employees are highly values-driven. Nearly 9 in 10 say purpose is critical to their job satisfaction and they increasingly...

3 Ways to Handle Employee Departures Without Damaging Your Culture

Employee departures are more common and more impactful than many leaders realize. In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics consistently reports millions of workers voluntarily leaving their jobs each month, with quit rates hovering around 2–3% in recent years....

“Job Hugging” & 4 Ways to Respond

Nearly 48% of employees say they are staying in their jobs longer than they otherwise would for stability and security, and about 75% expect to remain in their roles for the next few years. At the same time, voluntary quit rates have dropped to around 2%, one of the...

Workplace Red Flag: “We’re Like a Family!”

Have you ever worked in, or heard someone mention, a workplace that prides itself on being like a family, or family-oriented? “We treat each other like family here,” they say.  People mean it as a signal of care, loyalty, and belonging. But calling your workplace a...

Unpopular Opinion: “Open Door Policies” are Just for Show

Most employees don’t feel safe speaking up at work. In fact, research consistently shows that a significant portion of employees, often more than half, hold back concerns, ideas, or feedback because they fear negative consequences. And yet, ask almost any organization...

Employees Afraid to Discuss Work Toxicity?

I just returned from the Ohio Safety Conference (OSC), where I spoke about Why Safety Fails Without Culture & Behavior. In addition to my session, we hosted a booth where we handed out some swag, including copies of my book, Navigating a Toxic Workplace For...

Should HR Come as a Pair? Compliance vs. Strategic HR

Have you ever noticed how small most HR teams are in comparison to everything they’re expected to do? In many organizations, HR makes up only about 2% of the workforce. Yet they’re responsible for the business’ most valuable asset - PEOPLE. That means culture and...

AI Prompts for Busy HR and Leaders Building Civil Cultures

You don’t struggle creating and managing a positive culture because you don’t care about it. You struggle because you don’t have the time. Between performance issues, leadership coaching, hiring, compliance, and “one more urgent fire,” culture work often gets pushed...