The ds personality type is called a marathoner for their unique ability to consistently keep on pushing on. This is one of the rarer personality types since it is a combination of the achievement-driven ‘Dominant’ style and the more caring ‘supportive’ style. If you scored 60% or higher in both the dominant and supportive category and below 60% in the inspiring and conscientious category then this is you!
If you have not taken our free DISC test yet, take it before reading on.
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.
The Professional Leadership Institute provides training on Personality Testing for Workplaces and offers a free preview.
An overview of the DS personality type
Your unique genius: You push past any obstacles to get the job done
Brief description: ds personality types (Marathoners) are persistent workers. The ds personality type displays tenacity and just keeps on pushing to get the job done, no matter how long it takes or what obstacles have to be overcome. They can be stubborn in their commitment to finishing what they’ve started. The ds personality type has a unique combination of wanting to be friendly with others, wanting to see harmony on the team, and wanting everyone to get back to work.
Strengths of the ds personality:
- Friendly
- Reliable
- Persistent
- Hard-working
- Determined
- Harmonious
- Pleasant
Challenges of the ds personality:
- Poor communicators
- Impatient
- Stubborn
- workaholic
The ds personality judges others by:
How committed they are to displaying a consistent work ethic and to getting the job done.
The ds personality is motivated by:
Completing practical jobs that lead to accomplishing larger goals.
The ds personality under pressure:
They stop talking and get working. Moreover, the ds personality type can’t relax until the job is done.
Fears of the ds personality:
They fear not being able to accomplish what they set out to do.
Possible work fits:
Entrepreneur (especially involving hands-on work), team leader, executive, tradesperson.
To increase effectiveness:
- Take time away from work to focus on family and other interests
- Make time to communicate goals with others
- Share feelings and emotions with intimates
- Show patience with people who are not as task-driven as they are
- Take time to exercise
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 tool is simple, easy to use, and highly effective. Complete it here for free:
https://www.professionalleadershipinstitute.com/disc-personalities-assessment/
