Combining different styles in the workplace allows you to take advantage of complementary strengths. But it can also lead to stress and conflict if relationships are not considered. Using the comparison reports that come with the Everything Disc Profiles, can be an effective way to resolve that conflict and create productive relationships in the workplace.

Hello, My name is Bill Blake and today I would like to talk with you about something that can be very useful in developing better relationships in the workplace. More specifically, I want to discuss the use of the “Comparison Reports” that are available with Inscape publishing’s Everything DiSC profiles. These comparison reports are ideal for improving relationships.

First of all, a quote from Wynne Powell, President of London Drugs, London Air Services, and the recipient of several leadership awards. He said, “One cannot talk about leadership without talking about relationship building.” My own career would not be what it is without building trusted relationships.

The key to building better relationships is to: First of all understand your own preferred behavioral style; and then understand the preferred behavioral styles of others. Then secondly, follow the trusted principle: “Treat others as they would like to be treated” – not as you would like to be treated, but as they would like to be treated!

And so – to achieve an understanding of yourself and others, one of the best ways is to use the Everything DiSC Profiles: At present, there are four of them:

• Work of Leaders is for leaders;
• Workplace is for the work environment;
• Management is for managers; and
• Sales is for the sales force.

Each can provide you with a wealth of information about your preferred behavioral style- including an overview of that style, and an identification of your priorities, motivators, & stressors.

In addition to providing you with a wealth of information about your preferred behavioral style, each of the 4 ED Profiles also includes information and strategies to:

• Help you understand how your style reacts and relates to each of the other styles
• It will also help increase your effectiveness with each of the other styles,
• and above all, it will help to build more productive relationships in the workplace!

The second key to developing better relationships is self-evident, “Treat others as they prefer to be treated”

Comparison reports can be generated for any two people who have completed one of the four Everything DiSC profiles. These Comparison Reports are ideal for:
Two people working together, a sales person and his/her client, and amanager and his/her direct report, etc.

Let’s look at an example of one of these comparison reports. Here are the two people: A & B. First we can identify each person’s priorities from the labels around the perimeter of the circle:

• A’s priorities are: Results; Action; Enthusiasm
• B’s are Stability; Support; Collaboration

The second part of the exercise is to understand each other’s priorities, and the report has some suggestions for this.

Then in the balance of the report, 6 behavioral traits are identified and the two persons are compared on each trait using a 3 part analysis:

1. Discover where the two people fit on a continuum for each of 6 traits
2. Personalize the information, and then
3. Apply the learning and receive helpful tips

A suggested action plan is outlined for an improving the relationship between the two people.

In summary, the current Everything DiSC Profiles provide a wealth of information, tips, & suggestions about your behavioral style and its impact on others. Each comparison report indicates how two people fit on the DiSC Model, and will help to identify and understand their differing priorities. The Comparison Reports also provide suggestions on how to develop an action plan for greater effectiveness, and understanding, between the two people. The net result can be improved relationships, and that will lead to greater success in the workplace.

And so, thanks for watching our short video! And remember the words of Wynne Powell: “One cannot talk about leadership without talking about relationship building.”

If you would like further information on our Comparison Reports, please visit our website: www.DiscAndMore.com

Good luck in improving your relationships!

More than 30 Years ago DiSC started as a graph based instrument to assist in understanding behavioral styles. This instrument has been used by over 30 million people worldwide. Now there is a new version called Everything DiSC® that many people find to be more intuitive and easier to understand and remember. This video discusses this transition.

Hello, my name is Bill Blake and today I would like to talk with you about one of the most valuable learning instruments we carry – The DiSC Classic Profile, and its evolution from a graph based instrument to the newest Everything DiSC circular model; where a dot, and shading, represents your style on the DiSC model of behavior.

The DiSC Classic graph based model has been used for over 30 years by some 40+ million users – to help people understand themselves and others. It has become the traditional way to represent a person’s DiSC style. A person’s scores are shown on each of 4 scales –D, I, S & C. And this information is then interpreted based on one of 15 classical Patterns. This graph shows the “Persuader” pattern – one of the 15.

But in the last few years a new contender, the Everything DiSC model has been introduced and it uses a circle plus a dot and shading to present its data. In the model shown, the subject is the same as for the graph but now a dot represents the person’s position in the DiSC model, and shading indicates the extent of his/her style. This person tends towards the i style with a strong tendency to the D style, but with very little tendency toward C or S. The circular model is designed to be simple and intuitive, yet show a great deal of information. In the circular model the placement of the “Dot” conveys important information. The closer the dot is to the outer perimeter of the circle, the more committed the subject is to that style.

The shading reinforces this principle, and shows how the subject’s style extends into the other segments of the circle. Here the subject, while mostly i has a lot of D style, and very little S or C style.While this subject has some of all 4 styles, using his/her C or S styles for long periods might not be easy, since it is outside his/her comfort zone. This model also shows an added application layer of descriptive words around the perimeter of the circle.Thus, users are able to see the whole picture much more easily.

In the traditional graph model “Classical Patterns” are used to interpret the integrated nature of the four styles. In the graph shown the “Persuader Classical Pattern” indicates a person showing high i and D characteristics – with little S or C.The circular model presents this information in a simple visual way that says the same thing, yet is easier to understand and remember.

The Classic Model is a very powerful tool and will continue to be used by many people – over 40 million people worldwide have already experienced it! But, for others the Circular Model opens up new possibilities.

The four DiSC styles do not live in isolation and the circle shows this reality, and gives you the total picture at a glance. It will, therefore, be easier to understand & remember. In the DiSC Classic Assessment, participants are asked to make a forced choice in 28 boxes of 4 items each. In each box they must select the item that is most like them, and the item that is least like them.

In the Everything DiSC Assessment, participants are shown 79 adjectives and asked to rate how they apply to themselves on a 5 point Likert Scale – from most to least. In addition the Circular model is able to measure people on 8 points around the DiSC circle – instead of 4 in the DiSC Graph. Therefore, it is able to provide more precision on a person’s true DiSC style.

This Graph shows two people: The first person shows a DC pattern; and the second one shows an Si pattern. One of the many advantages of the new DiSC model is in helping build better relationships.
The DC style – values Results, Challenges and Accuracy. While the Si Style values Support, Collaboration & Enthusiasm. A complimentary “Comparison Report” of some 10+ pages can offer suggested solutions to improve the relationships between these two people.

In summary then, it is important to remember that DiSC is not about stereotyping, pigeon-holing or judging. It is a framework for understanding behavior & about growing and for building effective working relationships.

To accomplish this, the Key is to:

• First- learn about your own style;

• Second- learn about the other DiSC styles;

• Then Learn about other people’s styles through conversation with them;

• And then adapt your style to meet the needs of others.

And so – thanks for watching our short video. And remember: DiSC is about understanding behavior, and building relationships – not judging. For further information on Everything DiSC, please visit our Website: http://www.DiscAndMore.com

All the best on your journey to better relationships.

Work of Leaders is the newest addition to the Everything DiSC line of products by Inscape Publishing. Its purpose is to identify research based and validated leadership best practices. It is designed to help Leaders understand how their behavioral tendencies influence their effectiveness in Leadership situations. The report is a highly personalized report of some 23 pages containing context specific feedback tips and strategies to improve the Leader’s effectiveness.

Hello, My name is Bill Blake and today I would like to talk with you about something brand new.

It is a new DiSC profile that has just been released, and is now available for use. It is part of the Everything DiSC line of products, published by Inscape Publishing, and is called – “Work of Leaders”. We have been anticipating this profile for some 4 years now, and the final product, in my opinion, has been worth the wait.

First of all: Work of Leaders, defines leadership as having a one-to-many relationship, as opposed to management’s one to one relationship with their staff. For example – Leaders often may be responsible for staff for which they do not have a direct reporting relationship.

Secondly, Work of Leaders helps Leaders understand how their behavioral tendencies influence their effectiveness in Leadership situations. The focus of the profile is developing preferred behaviors – based on best practices.

How can Work of Leaders help in a company or an organization?

Well, it can provide context-specific feedback for the Leader as well as developmental suggestions for performance improvement. The profile provides an opportunity for Leaders to reflect on how they approach their work on an everyday basis. It can help Leaders take action, and improve results, with personalized tips and suggestions. And it also encourages reflection and discussion, by the Leader, on the work of the Team and/or the Organization

Work of Leaders is the product of extensive research – the intent of which was to identify and validate leadership best practices. This profile is the result of a four year effort by the developmental team who analyzed and distilled the work of prominent leadership researchers; to put it into perspective , the team received input from more than 300 subject matter experts, at over 150 organizations.

The assessment process involves two separate parts

•   the first is the regular 79 item Everything DiSC® assessment;

• and the second is the Work of Leaders’ assessment; involving 64 pairs of statements that measure leadership behaviors.

From this input, feedback and developmental steps are provided to indicate how progress can play out in the everyday “World of Leadership.” The resulting document is a highly personalized report of some 23 pages – with strong visuals to illustrate key messages. It contains context specific feedback tips, along with strategies to improve the Leader’s effectiveness. In organizing the data, the report employs a simple three step process: First Steps, then Drivers, and then Continua.

The 3 Steps embody the fundamental work of Leaders: Vision, Alignment, and Execution. Then Each step has 3 Drivers – that are of course related to the Steps and then each Driver is supported by 2 Continua.

Let’s take a look at an example-

Here Vision is the first Step

• It is broken down into 3 Drivers – Exploration, Boldness and Testing Assumptions

• Then each Driver is broken down into 2 Continua

• Exploration involves Remaining Open, and Prioritizing the Big Picture

• Boldness also has two continua: Being Adventurous, and Speaking Out

• And finally Testing Assumptions’ Continua are Seeking Counsel, and Exploring Implications

The other two steps (Alignment and Execution) also have their own distinct Drivers and Continua.

Work of Leaders has many advantages for the development of Leaders. The most important include:

• The opportunity for Leaders at all levels to reflect on how they approach each step of their work

• The report provides a simple three step process to help Leaders focus on their most fundamental work: – creating a vision, building alignment around that vision, and championing the execution of the vision

• The Bottom line is that the Work of Leaders Profile can develop better Leaders

And it can do the same for you!

And so –thank you for watching our short video. And remember, this product is brand new and not yet on our website. For further information on this product, use this link to ask your questions: http://www.DiscAndMore.com/ask-us/ or call me at 1-800-842-5857 – If I am not there, don’t forget to leave a message, and I will get back to you.

All the best.

People are different, in more ways than one! But using the DISC model to read and understand the behavior of others, leads to respect, trust, and a willingness to adapt behavior to meet the needs of others.

The result is greater effectiveness on the job and in our private lives.

One of the most common questions we get is “What is Disc?” and a second is “How can it help me?
Well, to help in answering those questions, we have prepared the following short video. It is less than 12 minutes in length, it will help in explaining what DISC can do for you.
Watch it here!

Inscape Publishing Company issued the following Press Release this week.

Independent Consultants Achieve Sales Award

April 4, 2011, Sarnia, ON – Business owners Doreen and Bill Blake have been honored as Inscape Publishing Ruby Award winners.
“In a time of high unemployment, many organizations are spending less on workforce development.  The fact that Doreen and Bill Blake set a sales record during this difficult time is really quite remarkable,” says Jeffrey Sugerman, president and CEO of Inscape Publishing. “We are proud to have Doreen and Bill Blake as leaders in our Inscape Publishing community.” Fewer than 1% of Inscape’s independent consultants worldwide earned the honor of Ruby Award.

Norquest Associates Inc. is a corporation founded in 1990 to provide excellence in consulting, mentoring and training resources. They offer individuals, teams and organizations the power to transform by increasing their performance levels and creating strategies for sustained growth. Norquest Associates Inc. is committed to provide high quality training resources for learning, leading and performing in the new workplace of the 21st century. 

Inscape Publishing products are sold exclusively through an elite network of over 2,000 independent consultants, trainers, and coaches.  For more than 30 years, Inscape’s DiSC® products have been used worldwide in thousands of organizations of all sizes, including major government agencies, local and regional businesses, and Fortune 500s.  Every year, over a million people learn to work more effectively with others using Inscape Publishing products.

Today, organizational success depends, more than ever before, on people working together effectively. To achieve Peak Performance you must;

• Communicate clearly,
• Turn ideas into action quickly, and
• Deliver results consistently.

A clear understanding of your personal strengths, a real appreciation of the difference of others, and how your strengths interact with those of others, provides the foundation of a successful performance management system. Our goal is to provide you with the skills you need to achieve your personal and business goals and to ensure organizational success.

Do you ever wonder why. . .

• You seem to get along so well with some people immediately, while with others it’s like mixing oil and water?
• You have friction with some folks, even though you’re both working for the same goals?
• Some people concentrate on the details and can’t see the big picture while others can only see the big picture and have no patience for details?
• Some people can’t keep up with the pace of change while others seem to thrive on creating change?

Many of us were brought up on the Golden Rule, and some still try to live by it. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. The basic assumption being that that other people want to be treated the same way that we want to be treated. But, as you know that doesn’t always work!

Tony Alessandra’s “Platinum Rule” takes a slightly different approach – “Treat others the way they want to be treated”. This involves a shift in emphasis from “This is what I want, so I will give others the same thing”; to first trying to understand what others want, and then trying to give them what they want. The goal of the Platinum Rule is productive professional relationships. You do not have to change your personality, or be submissive. You just have to try to understand what drives other people, and how to adapt your behavior to be more productive with them.

Wouldn’t improved professional relationships make a difference to performance?

In today’s change oriented society and team based approach to the work environment, the answer is often the difference between excellence and mediocrity. The foundation of personal and organizational success lies in an understanding of self and realizing the impact of personal behaviour on those around you. For more than 40 years organizations worldwide have embraced the language of DiSC®, pioneered by Carlson Learning Compnay, which was then purchased by Inscape Publishing.

The DiSC® model provides a non-judgmental language for exploring behavioural issues in the workplace in your personal life. The DiSC® Classic instrument helps you and your colleagues explore behavioural issues across four primary dimensions:

Every day, organizations use DiSC® to establish a common language, paving the way for successful training and coaching applications. Detailed, personalized information helps people apply DiSC® learning to specific business situations, including sales, leadership development, customer service, and conflict resolution.

DiSC® Solutions

Inscape’s DiSC® instruments have helped more than 40 million people, world-wide, gain the insight they need to be more successful, productive, and fulfilled at work. Widely recognized as a springboard for building a focused, aligned workforce, DiSC® has become a key component in the employee development and training strategies of leading organizations worldwide.

Developed and refined over decades of use, DiSC® instruments are based on a simple idea — that the foundation of personal and professional success lies in knowing yourself, understanding others, and realizing the impact of your actions and attitudes on other people.

Now there is Everything DiSC®

The Everything DiSC® Facilitation System is the most powerful tool ever built to help you succeed with DiSC. The result of over 25 years of DiSC research, the Everything DiSC Facilitation System offers a new versatility in crafting solutions for a wide variety of organizational issues. Its features include:

• Flexibility. The modular design helps consultants and trainers, from novice to advanced, create DiSC-based solutions of any scope — fast!
• Convenience. The powerful combination of Course Outlines and Insight Modules gets you up and running with a wide variety of DiSC solutions right out of the box.
• Experiential Learning. The Everything DiSC Facilitation System includes more than 20 individual and group exercises, plus alternative activities that let you tailor programs
  to your style and the needs of your audience.

Create Simple, Effective DISC-Based Solutions

The Everything DiSC Facilitation System is built on a series of Insight Modules that help facilitate
specific outcomes, or “insights,” using a broad range of DiSC-based reports and tools. With the
Insights Modules, you can:

• Create simple, effective DiSC-based training solutions
• Learn which DiSC tool works best for your desired outcome
• Discover how to combine DiSC resources for better results
• Customize your own unique DiSC-based training solutions

By using Course Outlines, it’s easy to organize Insight Modules into effective solutions. The
Everything DiSC Facilitation System includes pre-assembled Course Outlines on a number of
topics, including communication, conflict, interpersonal effectiveness, management
effectiveness, sales, and team effectiveness. You’ll also get tips on building your own custom
course outlines.

All of us have developed distinct ways of thinking, feeling, and acting. These, over time become our established behavioural pattern. The central core of our patterns tends to remain stable because it reflects our individual identities. However, the demands of the work environment often require different responses that evolve into a work behavioral style.

Everything DiSC® lays the foundation for peak performance in a wide variety of applications. Some ways you can use it to help people in your life and/or organization include:

• Discover behavioural strengths
• Value the strengths of others
• Manage effectively
• Foster teamwork
• Improve communication skills
• Increase sales
• Improve customer relationships
• Reduce conflict and stress
• Develop strategies to meet diverse needs

Using the Everything DiSC® Facilitation System will help to develop the new critical competencies companies need to prevail in the global business environment – skills like collaboration, integration and innovation. These skills are the vital key to competing successfully in the world today.

You get change on a deeper, more enduring level because it works from the inside out; and it means you get clearer, surer, more concrete results because your action is based on what has been proven to work in leading organizations.

And it means you have the ability to shape your workforce in alignment with your organization’s strategies.

Explore the Everything DiSC® Facilitation System today!

These are great examples of failures in the lives of famous people who we now consider successful. To live, is to fail, and we are reminded to try again.