DataDome Blog

Data Dome has created our very own LinkedIn group for alumni of our Advanced Experiential DISC Behavioral Certification class.

Over the years Art Schoeck has trained some of the best and brightest in the industry and we wanted to provide a forum for this elite community to share experiences, create dialogue around areas of professional interest, and work towards mutual growth in our understanding and application of DISC behavioral insights.

We’ve also created a reciprocal page on this website that we hope you will bookmark: http://datadome.com/linkedingroup.php. Here we will gather information relevant to our community and announce continuing education, refresher courses, tips and other resources relevant to our alumni.

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Well after a lot of hype and anticipation the iPad a.k.a. the “game changer” hit the market and love it or loathe it, Steve Jobs’ new vision for how we interact with computers is making its mark on our culture. Apps are already appearing in abundance and legions of users are taking the plunge with the new device, including our old friends the High D, High I, High S and High C…

The High D was the first in town to get the iPad, but he didn’t wait in line – that’s what assistants are for, right? He wanted THE BEST model, but when his assistant called from the store to ask which configuration to buy he lost patience and just barked at the assistant to “get the job done and get back to work”. First app loaded: Dragon Dictation.

The High I was shopping at the mall the day the iPads came out, but she didn’t know it ahead of time. She just got there and saw a big line outside the store and struck up a conversation with some of the folks in the line. Before long she knew half the line by first name and was having such a good time she ended up at the counter before she realized it – and she just HAD TO show it to her co-workers so she bought it on impulse. Then spent the rest of the day touring the office so all her friends could see it. First app loaded: Facebook.

The High S is just getting comfortable with his desktop and is worried that the office IT department is going to switch him to a laptop, which would mean taking away the desktop computer. He wouldn’t say no of course because he wouldn’t want to upset the technician, but he has no idea how he would be able to get any work done on the new machine, and where would he put his sticky notes? When a friend showed him an iPad he was upset to see him touch the screen – you’re not supposed to touch computer screens, right? First app loaded: N/A, still using Lotus Notes.

The High C pre-ordered her iPad. She read up on the lines that formed when the iPhone was released and used the data to plan a meticulous schedule for an efficient pick-up the day her iPad arrived. She was originally going to pass on the iPad because a line-by-line comparison of specs with several tablet computers and netbooks revealed missing features. In the end her spread-sheet analysis of increased productivity due to the extended battery life won her over to make the purchase. First app loaded: Project Planner.

DISC behavior is seldom this polarized around a single behavioral style, but we hope you found this to be an amusing and informative speculation. Part of the remarkable value of DISC is that understanding a person’s profile can help anticipate behaviors even when someone is shopping for Apple’s hot new gadget!

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It’s that time of year – we’re just a few days away from April 15th, let’s have a little fun and take a look at how our classic DISC behavioral profiles are handling tax season:

The High D – Just called the accountant, doesn’t understand why she can’t drop everything to work on his filing RIGHT NOW. Gave his receipts to an assistant with orders to organize them and deliver them to the accountant.

The High I – Is chatting with all the friends made at their CPA’s office. It’s the third trip there because of forgetting to bring receipts and 1099 forms.

The High S – Finished filing last month like they always do. Was very upset two years ago when their trusted tax accountant retired and they had to start with someone new. Will take a vacation this year with their return just like they have for the last ten years in a row.

The High C – Hasn’t missed a deduction in 20 years. Always files the long form. Thinks popular tax software cuts too many corners. Receipts are neatly filed and cross-indexed by alphabet, date, and project code.

We hope you enjoyed this lighthearted look at how various behaviors measured by DISC might be expressed during tax season. Hopefully you’re all set for Thursday, and as they say… Many happy returns!

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Sometimes around the office we find that people are “reaching their limit” or “at the breaking point”, but we don’t know why or how things got so out of control. Understanding the impact of various situations and how they relate to differing behavioral styles can help you to better understand your coworkers and perhaps recognize and avoid repeating patterns that in the past were inadvertently causing stress levels to rise.

Previously, as part of our “World According to DISC” series we discussed ways in which one can “stress out” a classic High D, High I, High S and High C (The World According to DISC™: How We Stress Someone Out in Style). But what if someone’s most telling category is one in which they score significantly low instead of high?

How to stress out a Low D:
Tell them that they have to “step up and take the reins”. Put them in charge of a team. Let them know that everyone is counting on them to the lead the way.

How to stress out a Low I:
Ask them to cheer up a co-worker or plan an office party. Give them a big enthusiastic pep talk. Give them projects that involve lots of team interaction. Ask them to drum up enthusiasm for a new initiative among the staff.

How to stress out a Low S:
Force them to work a highly repetitive task. Ask them to work a rigid checklist of activity. Make them wait for extended periods. Demand multiple layers of process and approval for very action.

How to stress out a Low C:
Put them on a quality initiative. Tell them that every fact must be rigorously checked and documented. Ask them to provide detailed annotations. Request that they adhere strictly to the facts and avoid injecting opinion.

Behave Responsibly
We certainly don’t advocate setting out to “stress out” your coworkers, but what we hope is that you will find these examples helpful in recognizing that sometimes, without meaning to, we can say or suggest the wrong thing in the wrong way and end up adding significantly to our coworker’s stress levels.

DISC profiles are powerful allies in learning how to adjust your communication and management style to meet the needs of your employees. Without taking the time to learn the styles and how best to communicate to each, it is too easy to find yourself bringing anxiety and stress when you thought you were bringing solutions.

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Here at Data Dome we talk a lot about behavioral styles and how DISC can be used to measure both natural and adapted behaviors, but it is important to remember that behaviors alone are only part of the story. Examining values and motivators are essential for understanding an employee and for creating harmonious and productive work environments. One of the original thinkers in the area of values and motivators was the German philosopher and psychologist, Eduard Spranger.

In his book, Types of Men (1914), Spranger put forth his major contribution to personality theory; what he called value attitudes:

• The Theoretical whose dominant interest is the discovery of truth
• The Economic who is interested in what is useful
• The Aesthetic whose highest value is form and harmony
• The Social whose highest value is love of people
• The Political whose interest is primarily in power
• The Religious whose highest value is unity

Later, TTI founder, Bill Bonnstetter, changed the names of three of Spranger’s six attitudes:

• Economic became Utilitarian
• Political became Individualistic
• Religious became Traditional

These updated names are now a familiar part of the tools we use today.

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Spring is coming, and with it the return of our popular Align to Thrive workshop.

This workshop, which will be held on April 14th, will show you strategies designed to strengthen businesses and increase profitability… despite the uncertainty of economic and market conditions.

Organizational Alignment is an empowering concept for realizing full business potential. An aligned organization is a fine-tuned machine driving forward with focus, discipline and responsiveness to customer values.

In this workshop, through theory and practical application, you will learn new tools to measure and achieve organizational alignment. Simple, intuitive and quantitative measurements can show you how well your organization is aligned to your customers? and employees? constantly changing needs. This is the vital data needed to make the critical decisions for success.

You can find more detailed information and request your seat by visiting http://www.datadome.com/align2thrive.php or calling 404-814-0739.

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It happens a lot in this world of assessments and behavioral information, the high side of the scale seems to get all the press.  We spotlight the characteristics of the high D, we round up discussion samples of high I’s, S’s and C’s, but the low end of the scale is no less meaningful than the high end.   A low D, I, S, or C is just as indicative of behavioral style as are  their high counterparts.  So for today, here’s a little attention to the low D.

You might be a low D if…

• you always drive in the right lane
• when you and someone else step into a line at the same time you tend to let the other person go first
• your friends describe you as someone who “goes with the flow”
• you’re the one who holds the elevator’s “open” button while waiting for everyone else to get out. You might be an even lower D if you’re the one who stays in the back of the elevator and tells the person holding the door to go ahead.
• you’ve never asked for a raise
• you usually wait for others to stop talking before you join the conversation

Remember even people whose behavior in one quadrant is at the top of the high or at the bottom of the low is still also exhibiting a range of behaviors measurable in the other 3 quadrants. Further, motivations and environmental influences can significantly impact circumstantial behavior.  None of us are “one-trick ponies” when it comes to our behavioral styles.

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Data Dome announces new dates for our a special two day Advanced Experiential DISC Certification workshop in Atlanta.

Once again, classes will be taught by Art Schoeck, Data Dome’s President and Chief Behavioral Style Strategist and recognized as TTI’s International Trainer of the Year. Register for this great opportunity to learn from the best – gain the skills and master the tools that can unlock individual performance and team productivity.

All participants will receive:

• Personal Behavioral Style Assessment
• Personal Job Analysis Assessment
• CPBS Exam

The 2-day class will be conducted on January 19th & 20th, then again on February 23rd & 24th, and March 24th & 25th at Data Dome Conference Center, 1040 Lindridge Dr. NE, Atlanta, GA 30324.  For more information please visit http://www.datadome.com/certification_workshop.php.

Effective leaders and trainers won’t want to miss this opportunity to rapidly gain the skills to maximize the potential of your people.

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As the use of DISC assessments continues to grow in popularity, a new generation of professionals are benefiting from the insights into behavioral styles that these tools provide without necessarily knowing the history behind their origin.  Dr. William Moulton Marston Ph.D., a Harvard-educated psychologist and writer born in 1893, was the publisher of a 1928 essay entitled “Emotions of Normal People.” It was in this document that he presented the DISC Theory.

Although others have played an important role in the development and refinement of the theory, and in the creation of practical tools to apply DISC in ways beneficial for personal and corporate development, it was Marston who first wrote that people behave along passive and active axes. By arranging these axes at a 90 degree angle, a four-sectioned diagram can be made in which each segment can measure a behavioral style. Originally the terms Dominance, Inducement, Submission and Compliance were used to identify the quadrants, but later Influence replaced Inducement and Steadiness replaced Submission.

DISC isn’t Marston’s only claim to fame:  he also developed the systolic blood-pressure test which became a component of the modern polygraph – colloquially referred to as “the lie detector”.  And that’s not all, Marston taught at American University and Tufts University,  and worked for time for Universal Studios, but he is perhaps best know for a comic book character he created under the pen name Charles Moulton.  Yes the grandfather of the modern DISC assessment is also the father of Wonder Woman!  It was Marston’s work as a psychologist and the influence of his wife Elizabeth that led him to present the Wonder Woman idea to comic book publisher, Max Gaines.

Marston passed away in 1947 after living a relatively short, but creative life. His theories and inventions have been influential in the fields of psychology, law enforcement, popular culture and of course, we here at Data Dome are grateful for his contributions that led to the development of today’s practical and insightful DISC assessments.

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Happy Holidays!

Well hopefully by now you’ve done your holiday shopping and are ready to relax and enjoy the rest of the season. While you were out there roaming the malls and the big box retail stores (assuming you didn’t do all your shopping online this year) you may have noticed some classic DISC behavioral styles during your people-watching…

Did you spot the Highest D in the crowd? The assertive High D will move powerfully through the crowd. Practically knocking people over! They are efficient shoppers: in, out, done. If the whole scene is too frustrating and anger-producing (crowds, waiting in line, traffic and parking), they may simply delegate the shopping to someone else. The actual gifts the High D buys might just be to address a bottom-line productivity improvement for the recipient or they might simply take the efficient route and give gift certificates.

How about the Highest I? For the High I, shopping is an event. Like a kid in a candy shop, the High I gets excited about the experience of being out and about and shopping. While you were taking a break at the food court you may have seen them holding forth in an animated way near a glittering display. They probably met friends for coffee or snacks to make an occasion of the shopping expedition. If you’re a salesperson watch for the High I – a high I might get frustrated if you don’t give enough attention. The High I will also often buy from emotion, so that extra attention might lead them to buy more than they should. High I’s may accidentally buy more than one gift for some people, and forget to get gifts for others. They may buy gifts they like themselves, assuming that the recipients will like them too. There will be impulse buys, and trendy (even risky) selections. The gifts may be chosen out of shared experiences, and to provide experiences: party and hospitality gear, bed and bath, candles and music.

Did the Highest S get lost in the crowd? You might not see them if the mall is really busy. They certainly don’t like being caught in a last-minute rush. In fact by now all of their shopping is probably done – of course, the High S may have started picking out holiday presents in July! The High S at the mall can be found at the same trusted stores they habitually frequent. The gifts they choose will be solid, reliable favorites, not risky or trendy in any way. High S’s may well prefer to stay home and make personalized gifts, or bake holiday treats for family and friends.

And what about the Highest C? If you saw them at the mall they were likely to be doing research and comparison shopping for purchases that they were then going to make online so they will be sure they are getting both the highest quality and the lowest price. If they are purchasing at the mall (rather than online), it will be in the specialty shops. If they go to a department store, you’ll see them reading labels and decoding the actual terms of the sales coupon. If they engage a salesperson it will be to inquire about scheduling shipping, the details of the return policy or other factual information. High C’s might get bogged down in the details of weighing the relative merits of the mail-in rebate versus the instant rebate, the cost of the warranty versus the percentage of likely future repairs.

Don’t forget these are just the Highs – the Low D, I, S, and C are out there too, and most people aren’t just “one note” – any of the D, I, S or C factors can resonate with another as a behavioral cluster in the same person, but this “broad-strokes” exercise might help you to appreciate (and adapt to) the differences among us as we all prepare for holiday occasions.

Best wishes for the holidays from Art and the Data Dome team!

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