Are You Running a Business, or an Adult Daycare?

1 Powerful Way To Solve Communication Issues in Your Team

If you are a leader of people… or if you simply work with other people… you know exactly what I am talking about! Constant misunderstandings, conflicts, and failures to communicate kill productivity and drag the bottom line down with it. At the end of the day, you feel like you are running an adult daycare instead of a legitimate business.

Does this sound like you:

“My team has constant misunderstandings.”

“There always seems to be communication issues and hurt feeling.”

“Our office is full of personality conflicts.”

“No one can work well together.”

Each person on your team is motivated by something. There are unique drivers for every individual that causes them to value the things they value, communicate the way they communicate, and work the way they work. If you can unlock those unique drivers, you can unlock the secret to building a cohesive team that succeeds together.

Step #1 of moving your business forward is to get everyone getting along. Communication is the key to success.

Now, I know exactly what you are thinking: “That’s great David, but you don’t know the people I am dealing with…”

The truth is, as a leader, you are entirely capable of creating a team that functions better together. You just need the right tools and a little guidance.

Before I share the secret sauce with you, let me give you a little peek behind the scenes in our office.

One of these frames hangs beside each and every desk in our office. In a quick glance, it reminds you how to best communicate with the person you are about to talk to. And let me tell you something… it works.

The Secret Sauce

The secret sauce is the DISC Personality Profile. The DISC model provides a common language that people can use to better understand themselves and adapt their behaviors with others. Within a work team, this is GOLD!

Every member of our team take the DISC profile, and we create these wall hangers from the results.

Breaking Down the DISC

So what exactly does the DISC tell you? Glad you asked!

The DISC focuses on quickly identifying communication styles and improving team dynamics.

It does this by assigning 4 personality styles to every person. Each style is equally valuable, and each person is a blend of all 4, in varying weights.

The DISC styles are:

  • Decisive. This person places emphasis on accomplishing results and the bottom line. They exude confidence. They: see the big picture, can be blunt, accept challenges, & get to the point.
  • Interactive. This person places emphasis on influencing or persuading others. They value openness and relationships. They: show enthusiasm, are optimistic, like to collaborate, & do not like to be ignored.
  • Stabilizing. This person places emphasis on cooperation. They value sincerity and dependency. They: don’t like to be rushed, are calm mannered, & like to be supported.
  • Cautious. This person places emphasis on quality and accuracy. They are likely experts in their field. They: enjoy independence, are objective reasoners, want details, & may fear being wrong.

The Benefits of Knowledge

Gaining a better understanding of yourself allows you to be more effective when working with others. Knowing the personality styles of the team lets each person understand how priorities differ from person to person.

This basic understanding, when put into practice, lays the foundation for more effective relationships.

Some immediate payoffs are:

  • Increased self-understanding. Knowing what causes stress and how to approach problems.
  • Improved working relationships by better understanding communication needs of the team.
  • Better teamwork and reduced conflict.
  • Stronger sales skills by understanding how to respond to customer styles.
  • Better management from understanding disposition and priorities of the team members.

How To Implement For Your Team

Using the DISC Personality Assessment with your team is easy.

Start by purchasing individual DISC assessments for each member of your team. The assessment is a simple questionnaire that takes about 20 minutes to complete. Each person will get a detailed report highlighting their own styles and providing practical advice on how to interact with others.

View Sample Report

This is a quick and easy way for you to gain valuable insight as a leader. Plus, it’s a fun exercise that your team will enjoy.

After everyone has completed their profiles, collect all the results. Write down each person’s profile, along with the do’s and don’ts of communicating with them. Each of these items will be detailed in the provided report.

Get the team together, and guide everyone through sharing their results.

The assessment alone is a valuable tool for your team and a worthwhile exercise. Creating door hangers like I showed you earlier will provide an ongoing reminder and help people actually put the new found concepts into practice.

The ultimate application of the DISC styles is a guided team session. In person or via video, a coach trained in the DISC Styles can provide a huge amount of value to your team. If you would like to discuss guided team sessions, please email dbranch@davidbranch.net.

Take Your DISC Assessment Now!

You As a Leader

While the team benefits of the DISC profiles are incredibly valuable, you will also grow personally as a leader. Here is what I have found for myself after understanding my styles.

  • I am more patient
  • I can predict and understand my response
  • I can avoid most conflict
  • I can communicate more clearly and precisely
  • I appreciate the strengths & weaknesses of other people
  • I can help people have a better day by giving them what they need

The DISC Personality Profile has become a cornerstone of the team dynamics in my own company. It was the single most valuable tool I used to take my team from ineffective and disjointed to efficient and cohesive.

I don’t have to tell you the impact this transformation will have on your bottom line.

I am a big believer in personality assessments, and the DISC is the one you should start with.

Question: Have you utilized the DISC or other personality profiles with your team? Let us know over in the Facebook Group.

If you would like more help understanding the best way to present an assessment program to your team, email me at dbranch@davidbranch.net