Lots Of Success

In the DISC System and many other profiling tools, certain standard colours are used to represent the 4 main styles.

Dominance (Self-contained and Direct) is Red
Influence (Open and Direct) is Yellow
Steadiness (Open and Indirect) is Green
Compliance (Self-contained and Indirect) is Blue

Be aware that you may come across articles on the internet which assign the same colours to different styles. Confusing? Yes, so I’m explaining it here in case you’ve struck this.
Self-contained and Direct is Red……always the same
Open and Direct is Blue instead of yellow
Open and Indirect is Yellow instead of green
Self-contained and Indirect is Green instead of blue

Wishing you Lots of Success.
Beverly

A New Year…the time when it’s common to create some New Year Resolutions. I prefer to write Goals or intentions for the year as to me a resolution implies there was something wrong that needs correcting and this isn’t always the case.

So does setting goals and achieving them have any relationship to your behavioural style?

I think yes in terms of how we see life and our world. High ‘D’ and ‘I’ styles see life as very much in their control, whereas high ‘S’ ad ‘C’ styles do not.

The high ‘D’s goals are likely to be big, audacious ones which they have no doubt they will achieve and quickly. They will be totally focussed on the new challenge.

The high ‘I’ style also sets big goals and they are filled with great optimism about achieving them, but often in an unrealistic timeframe.

The high ‘S’s goals are likely to be more personal, to revolve around family and friends rather than work because they do not see themselves having much influence over external factors like work or monetary things.

The high ‘C’s goals are likely to be cautious and realistic within the time frame set. Because they strive for perfection in all activities the high ‘C’s will not want to set themselves up for possible failure by not achieving their goals.

What are your goals for this year…..big or cautious, stretched or realistic?

Wishing you Lots of Success with your goals for 2012.
Beverly

So we come to the final in the series of negotiating…….with people who have a very high ‘C’ style. They will accept one thing and one thing alone – absolute proof that a proposal is sound. They will look into details and technicalities, and wish to explore issues of implementation and maintenance that other styles would quite possibly ignore altogether. It is vitally important that all of their questions are answered in full for them to feel motivated by a new idea. In DISC terms this is known as the ‘Proof’ strategy.

wishing you lots of success

Beverly

People with high ‘S’ styles are probably the most compromising and malleable of the four main styles. They try to avoid conflict or confrontation, and wish to maintain positive and supportive relationships at all times. This means that they are willing to accept assurances and guarantees that might arouse scepticism in other styles. They will, however, require time to reach decisions, and should not be forced to a conclusion before they are ready. In DISC terms this is called the ‘Promise’ strategy.

Probably the most important thing to the high ‘I’ style is the building of positive relationships with other people. In a negotiation it is important to build a social relationship first if the high ‘I’ is to be motivated towards accepting new ideas or proposals. A purely confrontational approach will definitely have a negative effect.

The high ‘I’ styles are also interested in the experiences of other people, so its important to discuss the ways that a proposal has benefited others in the past. In DISC terms this technique is often called the ‘People’ strategy.

Wishing you Lots of Success

Beverly

Negotiating Strategies

It can be extremely beneficial to identify a person’s basic style during negotiation and apply the right strategy for a successful outcome.

The high ‘D’ relishes control and authority. Whatever their situation, they will seek to dominate the proceedings, and this applies as much to negotiation as any other set of circumstances.

To motivate them towards accepting an idea, therefore, it is important not to challenge this desire to dominate the negotiation, but to appear receptive and mildly submissive. Offer suggestions and hints, rather than attempting to directly control the high ‘D’s decision-making process. This will make them more receptive to a proposal.

In DISC terms, this is called the ‘Power’ strategy.

Here’s a quick Summary of each of the styles…

I
Motto: “Let’s have fun”
Keywords: Fun, awesome and excitement

S
Motto: “Let’s be friends”
Keywords: Teamwork, together, relationships and family

C
Motto: “Let me have all the facts and figures”
Keywords: Why, exactly, graphs and research

And last but not least are the High ‘D’s. Why did I put them last? For a bit of fun because they expect to be first.
D
Motto: “Get out of my way”
Keywords: Money, power and control

An easy to read book about DISC “DISCovering the Ultimate Tool” can be purchased direct from me or from the publisher http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/discovering-the-ultimate-tool/8922122

I’m a member of a Facebook Group where business owners post questions asking for help about business matters in the Beauty & Hair industry.

Now and again some salon owners post messages that are nothing more than a rant, about this difficult staff member or that unpleasant client. It would seem that nobody gains anything from it,…well certainly not the readers, but it’s invaluable to the ranter.

This is an industry that naturally attracts high ‘S’s, people who care about helping others. As you know the high ‘S’ is very emotional, influenced by how other people (staff or clients) treat them, but these emotions are kept under control. In your businesses these are the staff members (the high ‘S’s) who hand their notice in when you had no idea anything was amiss.

When you are the salon owner however, a Facebook rant allows these built-up emotions to be released without confrontation with the client or staff member. As well, they allow time to think through, regain calm before dealing with the issue face to face.

When did you last have a rant?

Wishing you Lots of Success

Beverly

A client needed to appoint an office administrator to replace someone who had left. The job was a high ‘C’ role. After the initial group interview process, two candidates seemed to have the skills needed and the attention to detail required.

Both candidates, let’s call them Diane and Susan, were DISC profiled. Both had high ‘C’ profiles, around 90% in fact. So which one do we choose? The difference was in their scores for the other behavioural styles.

Diane also had a ‘D’ score of 50%, with the other two styles lower. Susan had ‘S’ at 80% while her ‘D’ was 20%. We looked at the characteristics of these scores and the implications to the job.

Although Diane can work independently, she is more ambitious so there is a risk she might leave if there aren’t enough new challenges. While Susan’s profile indicates she will be a steady loyal worker but will require clear guidelines and frequent reassurance.

The candidate you would choose does depend on your specific requirements. In this case the person needed to be able to work independently so Diane was offered the job and accepted the position. In a different office with more “hands-on” management Susan would have been a good choice.

If you have any case studies or queries about recruitment please drop me an email.

Wishing you Lots of Success

Beverly

Over the next few weeks we’ll look at the function of DISC Behavioural Profiling in Recruitment.

Do you hire based on Skills or on Behaviour?

How often do we hear of a situation where a new employee starts with great enthusiasm but after a few weeks the exuberance wanes? This results in a performance which is very “average”, followed by a further deterioration in effectiveness.

Many recruiters focus on the sets of skills required for a position. Obviously a certain level of skill is important in any job, but provided the person selected has a behavioural style that suits a specific role, they can be educated for that task.

Some research completed by the Stanford Research Institute and Harvard University showed that 85% of the reason people get a job, keep that job and move ahead in that job is to do with their people skills and people knowledge, which is based on understanding behavioural styles.

So it’s not so much about finding people with the right experience but more about hiring people with the right mindset. Hire for attitude and train for skill.

An easy to read book about DISC “DISCovering the Ultimate Tool” can be purchased direct from me by replying to this email
Or from the publisher http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/discovering-the-ultimate-tool/8922122

wishing you Lots of Success

Beverly