The D/I disc personality type is called the achiever. If you scored 60% or higher in both the dominant and inspiring category then this is you!
What is the DISC test?
The DISC test is a self-administered, self-scoring personality assessment of how a person responds in predictable ways to time, tasks, and other situations at home and at work.
Technically, the DISC test it is not a ‘test’ because you won’t pass or fail when writing it. There are no right or wrong answers, and there is no bad or good score. Everyone is a mix of all four personality dimensions, and each mix is equally valuable.
While the DISC test provides insight into a person’s interaction with their environment, there are things that it does not measure. Some of these include a person’s:
- Intelligence
- Morality/character
- Levels of ambition or motivation
- Self-esteem or lack of it
What are the origins of the DISC test?
Personality testing is not a new concept. The word ‘personality’ itself comes from the Latin word ‘persona’ which referred to the masks worn by stage actors in Greek theatre. These masks helped the audience identify which character played the tragic figure, which was the hero (or heroine), which was there for comic effect, and which was the antagonist.
The first recorded use of four quadrants of personality comes from Empedocles in the 5th century BC. Hippocrates in the 4th century BC believed that the four personality characteristics came from four fluids within our bodies. Galen (2nd century AD) first came up with the terms choleric, melancholic, phlegmatic and sanguine to describe the four dimensions of human personality.
1928 was the year when William Marston published his landmark book “Emotions of Normal People.” Marston was a lawyer and a psychologist; he also contributed to the first polygraph test, authored self-help books, and even created the character “Wonder Woman!”
Industrial psychologist Walter Clark developed these ideas into the first DISC profile in 1956. Clark created the ‘Activity Vector Analysis,’ a checklist of adjectives on which he asked people to indicate descriptions that were accurate about themselves. The assessment was intended to be used by employers trying to find qualified employees.
What does DISC stand for?
In 1928, William Marston would label the four personality types:
- D: Dominant
- I: Influential
- S: Steady
- C: Compliant
Based on administering personality assessments to approximately 10,000 people over a 25-year span, www.professionalleadershipinstitute.com updated these four categories to:
- D: Dominant
- I: Inspiring
- S: Supportive
- C: Conscientious
These categories have been updated to better reflect Marston’s original theory and are also more in step with modern culture. Few people today wish to self-identify as ‘compliant’ for instance. Nor is the ‘S’ personality type necessarily steady in all circumstances.
An overview of the D/I personality type
Your unique genius: You inspire the team to achieve more than they thought possible!
Brief description: Achievers are verbal and quick on their feet. They welcome debate and enjoy engaging in competition. They have forceful, dominant, larger-than-life personalities, and often rise to significant leadership roles. They are happiest when they’re on an exciting new adventure. They are both soft-hearted and hard-headed and can switch quickly between the two depending on the situation.
Strengths of the D/I personality type:
- Charming
- Visionary
- Adventurous
- Bold
- High energy
- Results-focussed
- Exciting and fun
Challenges of the D/I personality type:
- Can appear to be interested only in their own advancement
- Listen to and involving others only when it helps their cause
- Can discard people when their usefulness to them is over
- May appear arrogant and cocky to others.
Judges others by: How quickly they get jobs done, their level of personal power and status, and personal chemistry between them.
Motivated by: An exciting new bold project. They get bored easily and seek out new experiences.
Under pressure: They may become manipulative, lash out, and treat others in unreasonable ways.
Fears of the D/I personality type: Losing their status and the respect of others, losing control of the team due to their lack of managerial ability.
Possible work fits: Entrepreneur, (especially company founder) executive, entrepreneur, public speaker, salesperson, team leader.
To increase effectiveness:
- Engage in exciting projects
- Be willing to show genuine concern for others
- Reduce the pressure put on team members
- Be careful with their blunt use of words; treat others with respect
- Show appreciation to team members who help achieve results
How is the DISC personality test used?
The DISC personality test is used for a variety of purposes including:
- Learning how to communicate better with others
- Understanding the motivations of others
- Hiring the right person for the right job
- Coaching people to recognize their natural areas of strength and weakness
- Self-reflection and personal growth
Summary of the DISC Test
In summary, the DISC tool is a reliable, simple way to:
- enhance communication on your team
- increase your knowledge of your strengths and weaknesses
- learn the strengths and weaknesses of those around you
- understand the motivations of yourself and others
- improve success in hiring and promotion
- dramatically increase your effectiveness working with people
The DISC assessment is simple, easy to use, and highly effective. Complete it for free today!
