The
difference between DISC and VALUES.
Are they the same? Why have two reports?
Straight
talk about each: The HOW and WHY.
Some type of four dimensional model
of behavior has been around since about 400 BC with
Empodocles (air, earth, fire, & water), Hippocrates
(sanguine, choleric, phlegmatic, and melancholic),
Galen in about 170 AD, Carl Jung in about 1921
(thinking, feeling, sensing, and intuiting), and
William Marston in 1928 (Dominance, Inducement,
Steadiness, and Compliance). Currently there are
over a dozen DISC-type models in the marketplace,
and since the DISC concept is in the public domain,
other iterations continue to emerge.
What each of the four dimensional
models have in common is that they attempt to
describe observable behavior, that is, HOW someone does what they do. If you are a sales
person, how do you sell? Do you sell
as a D, I, S, or C, or most likely, a combination of
the four? If you are a manager, how do
you manage? As a D, I, S, or C, or a combination?
The DISC model has been of
enormous benefit in determining the HOW of our behavioral choices or style preferences.
These uses include hiring, placement, management,
team-building, and numerous other venues. The DISC
model is not a personality test. It explores four
traits within our personality, but the term
‘personality’ goes far beyond the amplification of
four behavioral traits. As a result, relatives of
this four dimensional model have been called: Type,
Style, Preferences, and many other terms related to
components of personality. However, most of the
models avoid the use of the word ‘personality.’
The DISC model
itself is one of the most widely used non-clinical
behavioral instruments in the marketplace, and it
has gained wide acceptance in the US and Europe. Its
success comes in large part from its ease of use and
interpretation as well as the memorable and
pronounceable name, DISC.
What DISC doesn’t
tell us is WHY we do what we do, that
is, it doesn’t identify our internal motivators.
ENTER:
VALUES
Six Leadership Values:
Theoretical: The drive for Knowledge:
High:
Shows a high degree of curiosity; appetite for
learning; technical credibility.
Low:
Wants to learn enough to be practical and get
results; quick implementation of ideas.
Economic:
The drive for Money…
High:
Competitive, bottom-line orientation; wants
practical solutions; hears the ‘revenue-clock.’
Low:
Enjoys helping others; puts others before self;
service- or support-driven.
Individualistic:
Drive for Uniqueness
High: An
active, independent agent; self-reliant;
pace-setter; enjoys personal freedom.
Low:
Enjoys working with others in team situations;
supportive of the goals and project.
Altruistic:
The drive to help others
High:
Shows generosity in sharing their time & talent
with others; a willing teacher and coach.
Low:
Won’t be taken advantage of; maintains a
‘business guard’ on giving away talents.
Political:
The drive for Influence
High: Likes to take charge of projects; competitive; enjoys being a leader; will take the credit
or blame.
Low: Very good team player; supports the
project or cause; no hidden-agendas.
Regulatory:
The drive for Order…
High: Well-disciplined, detailed
problem-solver; high respect for rules,
procedures, and protocol.
Low: Very adaptable to new projects; sets new
precedent; sees the big picture.
Why
do you sell, or manage, or consult, or service your
customers and clients? What’s your ‘win?’ What’s your ‘rush?’ What
gets you charged up in doing your job? What
is your internal motivator that gets you out of bed
early in the morning so that you can get to work?
When something on the job happens in a very positive
way that makes you respond, “Yes!! This is
awesome!!” What is it that prompts that response? A happy customer? A big
contract landed? A tough problem solved?
Your own specific answers to those questions are
based on your Values. Values tell us why we do what we do.
Values are sometimes called the
‘hidden motivators,’ because values lie beneath our
behavioral style, and are usually not discovered
until we’ve known someone for a long period of time.
Values initiate and drive our behavioral style.
Values are abstract concepts of what is right,
worthwhile, or desirable. Values are principles or
standards by which one acts.
Values are beliefs held so strongly
that they affect the behavior of an individual or
organization.
There are many different values
categories. The Values model identifies six,
as listed on the front page of this article. These
six were selected because they are values that are
shared by corporations, non-profit organizations,
associations, education, and government agencies.
Values
drive our behavioral style: Knowing that a person is a “High
D” isn’t enough. What drives the High
D? Just because the typical High D wants to know the
bottom-line, quickly and directly, doesn’t mean that
the High D has a low appetite for knowledge. If that
High D is also a High Theoretical, then they have a
strong desire for knowledge… quickly. If we gloss
over some important information, then we haven’t
connected with that High D. If we don’t know what
drives one’s behavioral style, then we can’t build a
relationship based on three key ingredients: Trust,
credibility, and rapport.
Values are expressed in observable
behavior. Since values
are abstract, guiding principles, that initiate our
behavior, they can most easily be measured by a
carefully constructed instrument that probes ones
reasons for making decisions. That’s what the
Values model does. The
report expresses one’s Values in behavioral terms
because that is how one’s Values are manifested: In
why we do what we do.
Values are more difficult to
immediately identify than DISC, because we need to
know someone for a substantially longer period of
time to understand their Values. Why? Because one’s
values are demonstrated over a long period of time
based on a pattern of evidence in one’s behavior.
Multiple observations are necessary to observe the
enduring, intrinsic drives to one’s behavioral
style.
Values instruments identify six or
seven values with a high degree of statistical
reliability and validity. Knowing the Values drives
of individuals, teams, and organizations can reduce
conflicts, increase efficiency and productivity, and
energize any group working together. One of the
greatest impacts with companies is a remarkable
increase in discretionary effort between team
members. This results in enormous cost savings and
increased satisfaction of internal and external
stakeholders.
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