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Submitted by mercuryblue on
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 My DISC profile is - kind of nebulous.

I have done DISC twice - once with five people filling in the form on me (where there was such breadth in the responses that according to the person running the test, I fell into the bucket of the 2% of people for whom DISC does not work well), and once where ten people filled in the form on me (because the person administering the test got the results from five, and realised it wasn't working). I have also done Insights twice (Insights is, as far as I can tell, very similar to DISC), although Insights was just me filling in the form on myself, so there was no scope for the kind of variance I ran into with DISC. It would also be fair to say of Insights that when I did it, I recognised where the questions were heading and it was challenging to just answer them without thinking about them ( ie did I game the test? I don't know).

The upshot of all this testing is that overall, I demonstrate high levels of D and I, not quite as high but still high levels of C, and lowest, but still reasonably high levels of S... But that there is a great deal of inconsistency in how I appear to other people. The second person who ran DISC on me said that what the test showed was a high level of flexibility, and that I naturally adapt to others - and that this is a good thing (for me, it may explain why I find large groups of people challenging - the chameleon doesn't know what colour to be).

So where am I heading?

I think DISC is awesome, and have found it a really valuable tool in helping me understand and work with others.

And I would happily buy Effective Relationships, because I KNOW how well DISC has served me, and the more I learn the better it gets, but.... Who am I? I don't know... How does a DISC chameleon work with this?

mercuryblue's picture
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 I find the question "what is YOUR DISC prolie" much more interesting and valuable than "What is MY DISC profile".

Based on that, I would benefit most from buying the lot.

naraa's picture
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 MercuryBlue, 

I did the DISC profile  through the manager-tools website.  It consist of a questionary which you should answer quickly, it takes about 20 min, without thinking about the answer.  You need to picture yourself at work when you answer them and answer very quickly almost going with your first answer, instinct.  Mark says that most people are high on two profiles at most (5 and above is consider high).

There is a series of career tools podcasts which talk about DISC profiles and emails, and how people read and write emails if they are a combination of two profiles.  I found those very interesting and I suspect the relationship series probably has some of that too.  The thing I found interesting is that they analyse how if one is, for example high D, high I, as I am, one reads emails as a high D and answers them as a high I.  Now every time I receive a long email I take a big breath and imagine how I would want others to read it if it was written by the high I in me!

So I suspect if you are high on three profiles, by listening to the whole set, you may actually start identifying on which situations you behave as a D, which ones as an I and which ones as a C, and by being conscious and knowing the effect the behaviour has on other people you can start choosing which profile is more effective on every situation.

Mark's picture
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Mercury-

DISC isn't taken - at least in the version we support - by having OTHERS fill it out on you.  If you're using another firm's DISC besides the one done by INscape (you don't have to get it from us, but it has to be from Inscape, the largest provider), our guidance won't be as applicable.

The vast majority of instruments are SELF-taken.  Personally, I wouldn't trust a DISC that someone else took for someone.

If it would help, send me a mail at customerserviceAT and I'll arrange for you to be able to take the DISC for free on our site.

Mark 

cynaus's picture
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Hi Mercury

Definitely take Mark up on his offer. DISC needs to be a self-evaluation questionnaire to receive the full benefits. All the MT podcasts will just slide right into everything - it's uncanny. I've never come across anything similar where others have had to complete the survey for you... when you answer the questions openly, honestly and fairly quickly (without over thinking them), you'll find the report received from MT will be pretty accurate. 

Let us know the results! 

Cheers

Cyndy

mercuryblue's picture
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 I'm so sorry - I wasn't very clear. When I did DISC it involved me completing a form (yes, paper!) on myself, and five other people completing a form on me. The results showed both, as well as breaking the results out. I still have the materials from the second time and they are from Carlson Learning Company, which is now (thank you Google) INscape. In addition to the profile, taking into account both how I see myself and how others see me, there was a flexibility rating which looked at how I adjust my style to other's needs.

i think the first time, I got a "Tight" pattern, but it was week one of my first job 20 years ago - and a memory I tried to quash!

Mark, your offer is really kind and I appreciate it - however, as when I did Insights (which I was TOLD was different, but - - - I don't think there is much in it!) I could tell which answer led to which outcome, and looking at my DISC stuff now I can still tell where each option heads - so I kind of know i can't help but game the system!

And Cyndy, I can't agree more - it really DOES just slide into place! I've been a big, big fan ever since the second time I did the test. All SORTS of things dropped into place about myself... So many. It's been invaluable ever since. 

 

Thanks again.