DISC Profiles: How to Deal With a Bunch of D’s

There are hundreds of different personality tests available on the market right now. Here at Vye, we’ve latched onto DISC Profile assessments. DISC Profiles are a classification of personality and behavior characteristics. Developed by Dr. William Marston, this personal assessment tool is similar to Myers-Briggs and SDI, and can help you navigate through communication barriers within personal and professional relationships.

DISC Profiles Components

The four main profiles are:

• D (Dominance): These are your assertive, direct, results-oriented demanders. They are here to get things done and typically aren’t interested in pleasantries along the way.
• I (Influence): The People people. The social kings and queens. I-styles are enthusiastic, outgoing, and will be quick to make their way around the room, making friends, and engaging in conversations. They are driven by relationships.
• S (Steadiness): S-style personalities are the nice guys. They avoid conflict whenever possible, and are often calm, stable, and caring. They love to help as long as they are given the specifics of every task.
• C (Conscientiousness): Task-oriented and reserved, C-styles are the quiet questioners. They want to know the how and why for everything, and probably won’t openly disagree with you until they feel secure in their analysis of the situation.

I fall almost directly between S and C types, with a little more weight in the C quadrant. I generally despise conflict and the mere thought of confrontation makes me want to run in the opposite direction. I lean toward task-oriented work, and seeing the big-picture strategy isn’t my strong suit. I work with a bunch of D’s, though. They are all about results. They have an eye for strategy and want things done now.

There isn’t such thing as the best profile, as all four have incredible strengths, but each may inherently perceive quadrants outside of their own in a negative light. The assertive stance of a D might be seen as aggressive by a C type, while the C’s steadiness is seen as not driven enough by a D. As a laid back C/S personality, I’m still learning how to manage a D personality, but here’s what I’ve learned so far.

Stand Your Ground...in a Flexible Way

Be strong. It can be easy to feel run over or taken advantage of by dominating D’s, but if you feel strongly about something, don’t be afraid to dig your heels in. While D’s can be stubborn and like getting their way, they don’t appreciate a pushover. Gain their respect by sticking to your guns when it matters to you. However, on the other side of that coin, D’s love nothing more than being in control and dictating the way they want things to happen. Being flexible and letting them have that control will open up a great working relationship.

Lead with Your Conclusion

Leave out the fluffy details when talking to a D. They want clear and concise statements rather than a story about how you arrived at your main point. Anything more in-depth than high-level borders the line between helpful and annoying for D’s, so stick to facts and make sure your most important points are communicated upfront.

Don't Hesitate

Be confident that your work is thorough and well-thought. D’s can sense insecurity, and trust me when I say that they will know when you’re making it up as you go. While you may take a seemingly logical pause to consider more data or evaluate new risk, D’s see your hesitations as incompetence and might use that as an opportunity. Be resolute to avoid opening yourself up to second-guessing.

Do Your Thing

Everybody wants to be liked on some level, but I and S-styles need to be. My advice here is to let it go. In a workplace setting, being liked doesn’t really matter that much. Yes, you need to fit into the culture of your company, and you probably won’t last long if you’re a jerk, but you'll never be able to win everybody over. That's humanity. Instead, be effective. Know your strengths, know your work, and commit to making it happen every day. Your authentic self with start to shine through when this happens, which D’s, and everybody else for that matter, will respect.

Long story short, be confident. Own it. Own your work, own your results, own your personality.

You got this.