 We have all experienced stress at some point in our lives. And some styles deal with it better than others.
Stress is a very broad and complex issue, and a detailed examination of all its aspects lies beyond the means of the DISC profiling system. Nonetheless, by closely examining an individual's profile, and especially the variations between their External and Internal Profile graphs, it is possible to glean some information about the amount of stress a person is currently experiencing, and their likely reactions. Before continuing, we should define what is meant by 'stress'. In terms of the DISC system, this term has a meaning different from, but related to, 'pressure'. Where pressure results from a short-term problem, stress is considered to be related to the longer term, persisting over weeks, months or even years. Examples of sources of stress might be a conflict in the workplace, difficulties with home life, or ongoing financial concerns. Where an individual is experiencing great stress, it is not unusual for one or more of their DISC graphs to become 'Compressed'. If this is the case, the techniques described in this section are not applicable - the stress is simply too great to be measured by these means. While DISC can be used to provide an approximation of stress in a profile series, the preferred approach is to assess the 'Profile Tension' between the person's Internal and External Profile graphs. This gives us a measurement of the extent to which they are adapting themselves to their work or home conditions - the greater the adaptation; the more likely stress is being experienced. The degree to which this applies to an individual is dependent on their innate adaptability. By definition, more adaptable styles are better able to adapt themselves to different conditions and situations. Adaptability All types will find this kind of tension debilitating if it reaches sufficient proportions, but some types are able to deal better with it, and actually find small amounts relatively invigorating. Specifically, the lower the Steadiness score in a candidate's profile, the more adaptable that candidate will be. Click her to gain an understanding of the four primary styles. Each person has an Adaptability threshold: the point above which Profile Tension will be likely to show a negative effect on an individual's performance. Dominant types typically have a high Threshold. Probable Source By examining which of the DISC factors shows the strongest adaptation between the two Profile graphs, and the direction of that adaptation, it is possible to estimate the most likely source of that adaptation, at least in general terms. For example, if we find that a person shows very low Dominance in their Internal Profile, and much higher Dominance in their External Profile, it is clear that they feel the need to present a more assertive, dynamic and efficient approach. Why not take a DISC Assessment Report to see what style you are and to see where and if you are adapting. CLICK HERE
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 I'm a D and I'm Okay! I have just finished facilitating our PeopleSmart Solutions International, adolescent programme DISCovering Me and I have come away feeling as if I have been playing and having fun for two days! I love working with children of this age! Compared to adults they are for the most part like human sponges, all I need to do is provide new information, (the water) and they willing soak up whatever they can....they are for the most part, always willing to give new things ago. So what happens as we grow into adulthood.... what stops us from being in the world in an experiential way, of seeing the magic in what we do? What were you raised to believe as a child? Did you PERCEIVE your environment to be friendly? Or not friendly? Favorable? Or Antagonistic? Did you think tasks SHOULD be handled by taking control of or dominating the "how it got done? Or did you the decide that “things should be taken care of and handled CORRECTLY and guarded? Or not? Were you raised in a CULTURE, an ECONOMY, a WORK ETHIC with STRICT or LENIENT RULES to follow? What story did you make up about yourself, your parents, your siblings and yourself? Once you felt a strong sense of comfort, was it an emotional feeling that you could confidently keep behaving from your favorite of the four DIMENSIONS of DISC – and how often was that feeling reinforced? Or not? Did you keep having to try something new? Or did you know at a very early age exactly who you were and what you could bring to life around you? Over time, what did you find that worked for you? Was it easy to get others to love you, accept you, approve of you for most of the time? Were you blessed with a level of satisfaction that others seemed to envy? Or are you still looking for that because no one anchored it for you very solidly as a child. Or did you already know who you were? Either way, you would have continued to "Gather Evidence" to prove that your way of doing things was “right.” And were you given a profile that identified your style? Or was it mostly by “trial and error?” Those who are lucky enough to have a teacher trained in the PeopleSmart DISC Method for Understanding Self and Others™ automatically recognize people’s primary style – AND they have a good idea of what underlying emotions are running them – or the other people around them. Without training, the emotional response is all you have to go on – and those do not give people a sense of stability or security. It certainly is not “fact based”. So what is this Method? The system we call the DISC Personal Styles was seen, researched, noted and described by a Dr. William Marston in the 1920’s. An Amerian who identified the four most common patterns of behavior - Problems, People, Pace and Procedures that describe the main focus of the DIS and C primary styles. He gave us this new language to use so we could start to understand why we are most satisfied and happy when operating in our COMFORT ZONE – being called on to use our greatest gifts – and it is what we go back to anytime we are under any sense of pressure, fear or fatigue. A CHILDREN’S MINI ME DISCovery profile shows us where a child tends to be most of the time in the four primary dimensions or FOCUS’s of life. Our DISC graph shows the intensity of our needs to use any one of the four dimensions as either LOW, MEDIUM or HIGH. And these four style-types become our friends! Early this year I started working with a local principal who first invited me to profile the teachers. Because of what value the staff were getting we decided to explore and give exercises to the 11 and 12 year old students to better prepare them for entering high school. The goal was to illuminate and bring into awareness these four dimensions of DISC and it turned into an overwhelming success according to the children and teacher involved! The children responded intuitively and enthusiastically, because they recognized and identified with the strength of their own unique style characteristics. Every child, teenager or adult needs to know that we are OK - just the way we are and are not! Through the teacher identifying each child's primary style by answering a MINI ME Profile Questionnaire and the children sharing their style with each other to help them see and identify theirs and other's strengths and their most typical styles... we were able to point out that they are not ALWAYS any one way - and they don't need to feel "Stuck" with the style they are using. There were smiles all around after that!! The quiet shy children now could see that they could change if they had the desire to. In fact, by just learning how to recognize each of the four major style types, children learn quickly that they are not limited by any one of them and they can truly adapt and adjust their own behaviors, thus resulting in harmony, caring and understanding types of behaviors consistently and in different ways – regardless of whom they are with! Once anyone can see their behavior (and know that there are three other styles that others have that they do not), they can begin to CHOOSE the appropriate behavior for the situation they find themselves in - and they DANCE ON THE DISC! Both Carol and I have a feeling that the DISCovering Me Programme is going is to be the access that helps us live out our mission that "children around the world are raised by families and teachers who help them value and understand what is special and unique in both themselves and others." CLICK HERE to read what the children that have participated in the DISCovering Me Programme say about themselves after just two three hour workshop sessions... these comments were written by the children to introduce themselves to their new teacher...   Hello friends - old and new! The following was a post from one of Carol's blog site that I wanted to share with you, as I think there is some great info in it for understanding your BEINGNESS Quotient.
Did you know there is magic in YOU? There is. It is found in your Beingness – and your Beingness Quotient is what we are going to increase. You get it the more awake and aware you are and how much attention you place on improving your IQ, your EQ, and thus, your BQ! This Blog post is going to reveal it! You’ll be getting many valuable tips and insights to help you understand yourself and others better. You’ll see there is magic in terms of each different personality style people bring. And you’ll learn how to adapt your own style to be the most effective – with anyone and in any type of situation. We are all different in every different situation. What the BQI DISC PeopleSmart Method teaches is a way to really “see” others when they walk in a room. Most people relate to you from who you are BEING. Most people know you from what they can observe. Your observable behavior speaks volumes about you! So do you know what it is saying? You will learn that here in this blog. I love teaching and writing about the truth – starting with what and who people are being. We call it your Beingness Quotient - that FULL potential of YOU that is expressing who you are and who you want to be – whether you even know it or not. It is what allows you to appreciate others - just for who they are - too! As you already know, your personality is not the whole story about you. Of course it isn’t! There is so much more that even your best friends may not know about who you are deep inside. But isn't it true that a certain 'way of being' walks in the door when you show up – a something that wasn’t already there before you came in? And wouldn't it be useful to know what others admire and like about you? And wouldn’t it be great if there was a way to turn down (or up) the volume on certain qualities that are natural in your style, but that may be irritating to people with other styles? How about if you could "people-read" and immediately know the style and what motivates others? THIS is the gift we bring you through all of our sites, tools and programs! When I meet someone new and I mention specific traits I notice about them in just a few minutes of our meeting, my comments aren’t just about what they are wearing or how they look. I know which traits they value – in themselves and in others – for example:
Do you want to learn where I look to see that? If you do want to learn to see what I see - and I'll teach it to you in many different formats – come back here on a regular basis. I promise that once you understand your own style and how you got to have it or chose it, you will find it is easier to enjoy other people just the way they are – or aren’t! If you want to know more about the gifts that you bring to the world, just by being who you are, then you'll love this BLOG. You’ll also enjoy our Webinars. If you have taken one of our Profiles you’ll want to contact us asking to sign up for the next free 75 minute Webinar DISC Profile Interpretation and Q&A's call. If you want to enroll and learn from us sign up for our DISC Basics Certification Training. Much of it is done on-line! You can also just get started on your own – learning a little at a time - by going to out store and purchasing the DISC Basics Manual and Self Study Guide. Or why not take our Online Virtual Training and study at your own pace. Regardless of how you get it, this is learning you will use for the rest of your life! My work and sharing about what I’ve learned about people from doing thousands of profiles for over 30 years, is my chance to give back to the world. Having done profiles for all types of people - individuals, couples, family members, and all types of businesses and their executives, managers, and employees, every type of culture, and every age - it has given me insights that most never have the opportunity to get for themselves – seeing people, their profile graphs and hearing the stories they tell about why they do things the way they do and whether it still works for them… or not! This has created a montage of images and impressions that now translates into the art and science of “People-Reading” – a valuable skill we can teach you if you will follow the steps we recommend. You’ll have lots of chances to practice - given that you are always interacting with people - everywhere you go! So we welcome you now and look forward to seeing you often here. Feel free to comment on things that we say that strike a chord with you or if there are subjects we mention that you want to go deeper into. Until next time, keep that smile on your face...you are perfect just the way you are!  Some conversations tend to be one sided. That is some styles like to do all the talking, and some styles just don't like talking at all! So how do we overcome this when managing a group of people? Here is the answer... It is called a WHAT I FEEL LIKE SAYING process or a WIFLS. This process is great to use when starting and finishing a meeting, or for using when there is conflict in a team that must be cleared or when a team needs to align on something. The process has certain steps and each step uses specific words or statements the person speaking must use. It is a positive ritual that any group can gain value from. Clearing the mind of clutter Each time a group meets, go through this ritual to help everyone clear what is on their mind, so they can be more present and engaged with the group, and to feel heard by other people. Go over the rules in advance when using the process for the first time. It may take a few times for people to learn to trust the process. Rules of the WIFLS process NO ONE ELSE CAN SPEAK or RESPOND when the Person is sharing. Then it will go quickly and the leader will be able to see if anything needs to be handled outside of the group meeting. Person #1 starts and says... “What I feel like saying is...."____ " They share for a minute or two whatever is on their mind. Whether it is good, bad, or indifferent. It can be anything from... “I burnt the toast”, or “I got cut off on the freeway…” or “My kids are so great – today I got…” or “I’m ready to have a melt down I feel so ……” And NO ONE SAYS A WORD TO THEM. Everyone else just LISTENS. Then the person speaking finishes up by saying, "And that's what I feel like saying." Group says... "Thank you (name)" The person that was sharing turns to the person on their left and says... "And what do you feel like saying, (name)?" Person #2 says... "What I feel like saying is...... _______" "And that's what I feel like saying." etc., around the group. WHY THE WIFLS PROCESS IS SO VALUABLE TO DO AT THE BEGINNING OF EVERY TEAM MEETING: Even though to some it will feel like it takes too much time, this process is a very good investment because it actually gets a team of people into alignment and understanding what’s going on with each other so they:
After everyone has shared, Leader can judge if the energy is still high and ask if the group wants to go around another time. Or can ask if anyone still has a “burning share.” If someone has shared something disturbing or upsetting to them or someone else in the group, the leader can seek them out later and ask if they may speak with them about the issue. But if the person says, NO, then they should honor the space agreed to not to discuss anything more about it. This process is a version of “clearing” processes and is taught in Money & You®. For questions or more explanation about how to apply and use this process, CONTACT Sandra Davis |
AuthorSandra is very passionate about supporting others to be the best they can be through sharing her stories and experiences she has gained along the way... Categories
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