The DISC Personality tool is a really useful self-assessment that helps you understand your natural areas of strengths and weakness, and those of others around you.
You can (and should) take the assessment, which you can write for free in under 10 minutes here:
https://www.professionalleadershipinstitute.com/disc-personalities-assessment/
But even without seeing how someone scores, you can get a very good indication of their personality type just by looking at their office or work space. Here’s how each DISC personality type tends to organize their surroundings:
- How the Dominant DISC Personality type keeps their work space: Efficient and orderly
- How the Inspiring DISC Personality type keeps their work space: Messy and interesting
- How the Supportive DISC Personality type keeps their work space: Homey and warm
- How the Conscientious DISC Personality type keeps their work space: Organized and (sometimes) clean
How the Dominant DISC Personality type keeps their workspace: Efficient and orderly
The Dominant person comes to work for one reason, and one reason only: to get things done, fast!
As a result, their their desk facilitates their work. Any work tools they use on a regular basis will probably be on display. There is no clutter on their desk; clutter gets in the way and slows things down.
If you see family pictures or personal items on display, it will most likely be because their spouse or significant other put them there!
They may have whiteboards or calendars, but not a lot of extra personal items. Their work space won’t feel warm; it will feel efficient
.Here’s an example of a Dominant’s office space:
How the Inspiring DISC Personality type keeps their workspace: Messy and interesting
Because the Inspiring personality type isn’t interested in structure and order and values being spontaneous, their work space looks to other personality types like a disaster. There are files stacked on the desk and post-it notes stuck to the top of their computer monitor.
They also view their workspace as a way to express their creativity. You will find works of art and mementos that give you insight into who they really are. It’s isn’t orderly, structured, or clean.
Also, if you find a couch with nice lighting and a person touch that enhances their ‘personal brand,’ you’re in the workspace of an Inspiring type.
Here’s a (bad) examples of an Inspiring’s office space:
How the Supportive DISC Personality type keeps their workspace: Homey and warm
The Supportive person values family and relationship. You’re will see lots of pictures of family, quotes and sayings, and personal touches like plants and homey items. The Supportive person sees their work space as an extension of their home. They don’t function best in stark, efficient surroundings.
Unlike the ‘I,’ they aren’t interested in impressing anyone. They just want their surroundings to feel homey to them and to others.
Here’s an example of a Supportive’s office space:
How the Conscientious DISC Personality type keeps their workspace: Organized and (sometimes) clean
The Conscientious personality type is a bit tougher to spot because they can go one of two ways:
- Neat and very clean: In this version of a ‘C’ type, their workspace is perfect. It’s uncluttered and orderly. No unnecessary thing is sitting on the desk. Everything has its place, and is put away once it’s been used.
Files are color-coded, and books are put in alphabetical order. Everything is… perfect.
- Cluttered but ordered: The ‘C’ type may also have a cluttered workspace. There are stacks of files on the desk or the floor and product samples stacked against the walls.
The difference between this person and an Inspiring type is that the ‘C’ knows where everything is. If they come in in the morning and someone has cleaned everything up the night before, they are devastated because all their systems are lost.
While it looks chaotic to the untrained eye, to the ‘C,’ it’s all where it’s supposed to be!
Here’s an example of a Conscientious’s office space:
In summary:
One way to find out someone’s DISC personality type is to have a look at their work space. The way someone keeps their surroundings is a major clue to their personality type.
Here’s how the four DISC personality types keep their work spaces:
- How the Dominant DISC Personality type keeps their work space: Efficient and orderly
- How the Inspiring DISC Personality type keeps their work space: Messy and interesting
- How the Supportive DISC Personality type keeps their work space: Homey and warm
- How the Conscientious DISC Personality type keeps their work space: Organized and (sometimes) clean
Additional resources
Thanks for reading this article on ‘Find out someone’s DISC personality type just by looking at their workspace.’ Below are additional resources from Professional Leadership Institute, the global provider of online human resources and leadership tools:
- Don’t kid yourself: the DISC personality tool can never measure this https://www.professionalleadershipinstitute.com/resources/dont-kid-yourself-the-disc-personality-tool-can-never-measure-this/
- Without these 5 principles, the DISC personality tool is useless https://www.professionalleadershipinstitute.com/resources/without-these-5-principles-the-disc-personality-tool-is-useless/
- What is the ideal job fit for my DISC personality type? https://www.professionalleadershipinstitute.com/resources/what-is-the-ideal-job-fit-for-my-disc-personality-type/
- How to spot someone’s DISC personality type in under 60 seconds https://www.professionalleadershipinstitute.com/resources/how-to-spot-someones-disc-personality-type-in-under-60-seconds/
Trevor Throness is a speaker, consultant, and author of “The Power of People Skills.” He is also co-founder and senior instructor at www.professionalleadershipinstitute.com https://www.professionalleadershipinstitute.com/
Find more about “The Power of People Skills” here: https://www.amazon.com/Power-People-Skills-Dramatically-Performance/dp/1632651068
