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How DiSC Can Help new Teams Establish a Solid Foundation
Everything DiSC® is a useful tool for team effectiveness. It establishes a common ground for talking about important issues that can come up in working relationships: preferences for communication, speed of work, desire for clarity, need for collaboration, and many more.
As a new team member, it’s especially helpful to know right off the bat what you have in common with other team members and where you may diverge.
Tips for Working With Other DiSC Styles
Tip 1: Don’t assume, ask!
Knowing your coworkers’ styles doesn’t necessarily mean you know all the details about their preferences and priorities. The easiest way to find out what your coworker prefers is to ask them with specific questions: Do you prefer email or chatting in person? How often should I check in on this project? What is the best way for me to give you feedback?
Tip 2: Know what you have in common with your coworkers.
Not every coworker will share your priorities, which is just fine. But when you do have shared preferences and styles, they can guide you on how to work together on shared projects or other tasks. Whether your styles prefer working separately and coming together to discuss individual progress or working together with frequent updates, finding a way to accommodate both your preferences will help you both feel fulfilled.
Tip 3: Remind yourself about differences between your work styles and preferences and those of your coworkers.
If you aren’t seeing eye to eye with your coworker on a project or issue, it could be due to different priorities. The key to mitigating those differences is being aware of them and bringing them up before they could hinder your relationships. By keeping these differences in mind, you can both tailor your communication to the other to help you each work more effectively.
Putting It Into Practice: iS Style
My DiSC Style is an iS. Though there are certain characteristics that unite each style, the statements below may not be true for every i Style or every iS Style.
What does that mean?
- I tend to have an attitude of enthusiasm, collaboration, and support.
- I enjoy having solid relationships with coworkers outside of task-oriented conversations.
- I value feedback, structure, and affirmation.
- I have to be careful that my desire to be liked could hold me back from giving negative feedback in difficult conversations.
- I need to remind myself that critical feedback is not a personal judgement.
- I find it challenging to deal with uncertain or unclear tasks.
On a regular basis, I work closely with a CS Style coworker and an i Style coworker. Everything DiSC® also allows you to run a comparison report to know extra details about your relationships with coworkers, including similarities and differences to be aware of.
iS Working With CS
- My CS Style coworker and I both like clear instructions and feedback, which means communication is key.
- We can get frustrated when there is no clear deadline or vision for a project, so when we work together, it’s good to establish a clear direction first.
- We have the potential to get stuck on the details, without giving ourselves a chance to brainstorm and be creative to try something new.
iS Working With i
- My i Style coworker and I both like to share feedback and collaborate on projects, so we enjoy working together to take advantage of our talents.
- We can get overenthusiastic and lose sight of the goal if we focus too much on thinking big instead of what is realistic or the best avenue.
- We have the potential to avoid making a final decision for fear of alienating the other or being rude by cutting off potential ideas.
Using my DiSC Style and their DiSC Styles in a comparison report gives me a basic roadmap for working with them, which leaves us all less frustrated and more satisfied at the end of the day. If your team is struggling with communication issues or lack of understanding of the needs of others, Everything DiSC® provides a framework for clarity.
If you are interested in reading more about DiSC, you can read our other blogs, including perspectives from FlashPoint employees with different styles and our infographic on the basics of Everything DiSC®:
5 Fast Facts About Everything DiSC® [Infographic]
What To Do After Learning Your DiSC Style
D Style Coworker: Using DiSC As a Salesperson and Remote Employee
S Style Coworker: What DiSC® Taught Me in My First Year of Work
C Style Coworker: How Learning Your DiSC Style Can Make a Difference For a C
