DISC and Reading People The theory of DISC is a psychology of personality. If we understand this, we will be able to work with others more easily. Problems of not understanding others or not knowing how to deal with difficult people, such as bosses, will be reduced.
As an example from a real story and real situation, which comes from a story told by a fan page who had problems working with his boss….
“I did my best, but why is my boss never happy?” Am complained to her best friend.
Am has been working for this company for almost 4 months. Now, her probation period is almost over. In the next two weeks, her boss and HR will evaluate Am to see if she will pass the probation period with the company. This is what she is worried about.
Am is very stressed and anxious because this is the 5th company in her 8 years of working life. She said that she doesn’t want to start looking for a new job again. She wants to stay here for a while because Am feels that she likes the work she does very much. Working here makes her inspired and eager to learn and do many things.
Many of my coworkers are nice to me. I tell her that working together is like a family. I feel good every time I talk to my coworkers, I can share my personal stories and experiences with them. It makes me feel good, I feel that everyone values me and sees me as important.
But with her boss, it was the opposite. She was not happy at all because since she started working here, she did not understand why her boss was never satisfied with her work or with what she did.
Or does your boss think you have no dedication to your work?
Am said that it was unlikely because she tried very hard for this job. She showed enthusiasm every time she was given a task by her boss. However, after she submitted the work, she always faced criticism and criticism from her boss about what she had done.
Am felt very bad every time she was reprimanded, and in the past, her boss never even appreciated her determination or effort in what she had done.
Or does your boss think you’re not friendly?
Am said that it was unlikely. She said that she was friendly with everyone and, more importantly, she tried very hard to be friendly with her boss, but his boss was indifferent, neglectful, and didn’t pay much attention to her.
She thought that her boss might not like her or be dissatisfied with something about her because he often showed a cold attitude in many times and in talking to her.
Or even in the last meeting, Am tried to come up with a solution idea for a new product that she thought was cool, but her boss refused to consider her idea. Her boss told her, “Your idea is a fantasy, unsupported, and not feasible. If that’s all you can think of, don’t comment next time. It’s a waste of time for other people.”
She felt very embarrassed and ashamed that her boss had said that in front of many of her coworkers. What’s worse, she felt very drained and had no motivation to work that day.
Now she is starting to feel exhausted, disheartened and discouraged from working here.
Am complained to herself, “Or maybe I’m really going to lose my job. I’ll have to find a new job soon.”
In my experience with 5 companies in the past 8 years, I usually don’t work with any one place for long. If you look at the average, it’s about a year and a half. And the problem that I have to change jobs often is not about looking for advancement or more income.
But the reason she changed jobs every time was due to the same factor, which was her boss (and in some cases, her coworkers were involved as well).
She often has problems, not getting along with her boss. Symptoms include: doing something that is not pleasing to the eye, or whatever she does is seen as wrong, bad, or disliked, etc.
“My boss is the reason for her job change. This is the problem and this is what she thinks.”
But in reality, she might have forgotten to look at the fact that the real cause of the problem might be her.
In many situations at work, we’ve probably all been like this, right?
Sometimes we feel that working with this person is very easy, but working with another person is extremely difficult.
Working with some people is very comfortable, but working with some people is extremely stressful and uncomfortable.
Because it’s a matter of working with people. Because the people we meet are not just one type, or the people we have to work with may not always be the same type of people as us or the type of people we like. We also have the chance to meet the type of people we don’t like (in this case, meaning their habits and behaviors).
Therefore, many times we think or conclude that the problem is caused by the other side, when in fact it may be from ourselves. This is because we do not understand the personality, behavior or habits of the other side, which makes us unable to find a way to cope or find a way to work together appropriately and effectively.
“If someone is good at their job, that’s good. But if someone is good at people, that’s excellent.”
Therefore, when working with others, we must understand ourselves, know our strengths and limitations so that we can adapt to others and work with others.
In addition, we need to learn about the personalities, behaviors, or habits of the people we work with, whether they are our bosses, coworkers, customers, or important family members, so that we can effectively manage our relationships with them and successfully gain their support.
Look at yourself, look at them, and find ways to cope wisely with the DISC Model.
The DISC theory is a psychology of personality that was first invented by Dr. Carl Gustav Jung in 1921, then further developed by William Moulton Marston in 1928. He wrote the book Emotion of Normal People and continued Dr. Jung’s work into the DISC Model , which he used to measure and divide normal people’s behavior into 4 types:
- D (Dominance): is a type of person who likes to control, give orders, is straightforward, to the point, strict, likes competition, etc.
- I (Influence): People who like to socialize, talkative, especially about themselves, are enthusiastic, imaginative, open, and expressive, etc.
- S (Steadiness): is a person who is sincere, calm, likes to care for others, is indecisive, is not decisive, likes safety and does not like risk, etc.
- C (Compliance): This is the type of person who is meticulous, likes clarity, is reasonable, adheres to rules, likes perfection, likes things to be done step by step, and does not like socializing, etc.
That means if we use DISC to read people, if we know ourselves, know them, communication or negotiation will be very easy.
Back to the story of Am
If you look at DISC, Am is probably a Type I (Influence) person.
Which Am has shown many outstanding characteristics of this type of person, such as being sociable, liking to talk, and liking to be friendly. But the problem with Am, who is a Type I (Influence) person, is that she is a sensitive person to what other people say about her, especially in a negative way.
In terms of work, I tend to work without much planning. That is, I just do whatever I get. I just do what I want to do. I don’t like to go into details.
If you look at the characteristics of Am’s latest boss, he’s probably a Type C (Compliance) person.
Which Am’s boss has shown many characteristics of this type of person, such as being a person who looks cold, doesn’t like to talk, likes to be formal, is a person who likes details, likes to work in a hierarchical manner, etc.
Due to the personalities and behaviors of both Am and her boss, they are polar opposites, so when talking, communicating, and working together, there are problems.
Because my boss doesn’t like people who gossip, doesn’t like people who don’t do detailed work without supporting data, doesn’t like talking about problem-solving methods that haven’t been tested. That’s why my boss is often not interested in my suggestions or ideas, and doesn’t like it when I come to talk or try to be friendly, because this type of boss likes formality, wants distance, and doesn’t like talking about personal matters.
So if Am can read and understand what kind of person the boss is,
The way to communicate and deal with the boss will be much easier. In the end, I will be able to work with any kind of boss or coworker without having to be stressed or anxious anymore. I can also work efficiently and get results.
“ Not understanding yourself or others makes communication and work difficult.”
This is the main problem that employees often overlook, which leads to it becoming a bigger problem, to the point of having to resign.
The topic of DISC and reading people is very useful. It answers questions about communication and relationship management in the workplace. It can also be applied to personal matters.
If you want to know what type of person you are and want to learn more about reading people to find out what type they are, you will be able to find a way to communicate and persuade them in a way that is pleasing and to the point.
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