*Have you ever wondered why people say what they say and do what they do?

*Would you like to know how to get your employees to be more effective and efficient?

*Have you ever wondered why your team seems to clash at each and every turn?

*Are you communicating based on what’s good for you or great for other people?

Understanding yourself and others, and realizing the impact of your personal behavior on the people around you is the foundation for both personal and business success. The DiSC Assessment (Personal Profile System) has unlocked the door to effective communication and productive relationships for over 40 million people worldwide through a quick online assessment. With the DiSC, a business or organization can ease frustration and conflict, improve communication and build highly productive sales forces and teams.

I will just tell you now. I am an equally high D (Dominance) and I (Inspirational.) I have a tendency to be very direct, and I don’t mess around. I take risks, and I don’t run from a conflict or a crisis. I put myself right in the middle of it and do what I can to get it worked out. Some people love and respect my style, and other people just don’t like it, and I do my best to be careful around people who are super-sensitive. I so respect my friends who talk with me about my style in a way that is helpful, and I do work on my communication every day (and I beat myself up for it on a regular occasion.)

Over the last few weeks, I have had multiple calls from people wanting to run DiSC assessments on their employees (I don’t know what’s going on really, but as with all blogs, I write about what people are asking about.)  People love the assessment, and so do I (I have used the DiSC with each client I serve, and everyone in my family has taken the DiSC, so we have lots to talk about with all.)  So, today, I want to share with you what I believe to be the three most important benefits of using a tool like the DiSC.

Improve Effectiveness

Communication is only successful when both the sender and receiver understand the message being conveyed, and when the message is misunderstood and gets garbled is when productivity heads south. A leader can significantly enhance personal effectiveness by honestly evaluating their own communication style and the styles of team members. They can then make changes in communication approaches and select management strategies which will maximize effectiveness and minimize delay, procrastination and time wasting efforts.

Enhance Listening

The most effective leaders know when to be quiet, when to listen and how to listen (the how part is where it gets really tricky…most people think they are great listeners, but more often than not, they don’t really know how to listen based on the communication style of the speaker.) Each communication style not only speaks a bit differently but listens in a unique way. As an example, if you are speaking to someone who is a high “S” (Supportive Style), she listens with empathy and support. If you are speaking to someone who is a high “D” (Dominant Style), he is listening impatiently, waiting for the bottom line. Knowing how someone listens can help you shift your communication to increase your effectiveness with the listener.

Strengthen Team/Client Relationships

The DiSC is a great tool to help you invent new methods for sharing communication clues on your team and with your clients. Each member of your network will not only have a unique communication style but will be bringing cultural biases and world views to your project. In working with teams, I encourage each team member to share their DiSC as well as photographs, stories and work histories with each other in an open format. This approach can be the basis for more discussion later on and can build a culture of support for the toughest of teams.

If you are someone who is interested in using the DiSC in your company, or you are an independent consultant who would like to start using the DiSC with your clients, feel free to check out more information on Learn About the DiSC.