Why I Became a Certified DISC Coach

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My Experience Working with a DISC Coach

For the past 10 years, I have been working with a certified DISC Coach to continually develop and grow my professional career. In times of change and challenges, working with a coach has allowed me to recognize my reactions and behaviors, view situations more objectively, and then choose the appropriate reactions.

Utilizing behavior analysis tools, such as DISC, has increased my understanding of what actions I take in different situations and and when working with different people and why I take them.

What is DISC?

DISC is a measurement of observable human behavior. What this means is that the actions you take or the things that you do, from the way you deal with conflict, set goals, the books you choose (or don’t), and even how you talk on the phone can be observed by one person or another.

What does this understanding do for you?

When you become more self-aware of your own behaviors, you are then able to adapt those behaviors to the people and environment around you improving your communication and influence.

When you better understand yourself, you can:

  • Respond to problems and challenges appropriately given the situation.
  • Influence others to your point of view.
  • Choose how to respond to the pace of an environment.
  • Choose how to respond to rules and procedures set by others.

“Behavioral research suggests that the most effective people are those who understand themselves, both their strengths and weaknesses, so they can develop strategies to meet the demands of their environment” (Target Training International, Ltd. 2015).

How I Used DISC to Make Career Decisions

Early on in my career, I was looking to make a decision on moving from being self-employed (consulting) to accepting a permanent hire position. Knowing my DISC profile, help me interview the company to determine if the position would be a good long-term fit.

DISC helped me get clear on my needs as an employee so that I could confirm that my needs matched what the organization had to offer. As a result, I ended up securing a position that I remained at for over 6 years, receiving multiple awards and promotions along the way. It was a great fit!

Conversely, if I had interviewed at a company that had vague expectations, emphasized quantity over quality, and moved a rapid pace that did not allow for issue resolution, this would like not have been a good fit for me and I would likely be unhappy in the position over a long period of time and not been as successful.

DISC is not rocket science and it does not give you all the answers. However, it can help you create awareness to your ideal preferences, make decisions and adapt to unique situations.

How I Used DISC to Improve Communications

Understanding how you prefer others to communicate with you as well as understanding how you may come off to other people is extraordinarily important in both personal life and relationships as well as career.

For example, one time when driving in a car with a friend trying to find a restaurant, they thought we should turn left. I didn’t believe them because they had no facts, no map, no “real” data as to why they thought the restaurant was left. Their insistence caused me frustration. They became frustrated because I didn’t listen to them and their instinct.

However, taking a step back and looking at the situation objectively through the lens of DISC, I could see that we just have different communication preferences. I shared what I could see happening with my friend and we both got a chuckle out of it. Know that we know our preferences, it makes it much easier to work towards a compromise. (It also allows us to have more laughs about how different our own individual and unique styles are).

Knowing my DISC and how I communicate allows me to be clear on my needs as well as understand the needs of others. This allows me to respond to communication challenges objectively and work towards a satisfying resolution.

What is the DISC Certification?

To become certified to distribute and coach on assessments, you must complete the TTI Success Insights® DISC and 12 Driving Forces® (Motivators) assessments through TTI Success International. I am extremely excited to have completed these and bring this service to others!

If you are interested in speaking to me about DISC and how it may benefit you, please contact me.

Have you completed a DISC profile before? If so, I would love to know how it has changed your life.

Please let me know in the comments below.

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