67
Chapter 8
The Language of DISC
When they returned, Charles had a big circle on the
screen with colors, spokes, and the letters D, I, S, and C
at the perimeter.
C
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S
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I
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D
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ProceduresProblems
Pace
People
DISC Behavioral Model
68 ◾ Transforming Teams
“This is the DISC wheel. It is based on the behav-
ioral model developed by William Moulton Marston.
Marston was an interesting guy. He was a Harvard-
educated psychologist and PhD. In 1928, he wrote The
Emotions of Normal People, which describes the DISC
language that we will be discussing today. He also
developed the rst lie detector test and, best of all, he
was the creator of the Wonder Woman comic book
character. Who can remember her magic power?”
“Oh, I know! Her magic lasso and her bracelets!”
came the response from one of the participants.
“Not just a magic lasso, a lasso of truth!” shared
Carlos, Dave’s close friend and second in command. “I
had no idea it was related to DISC or to a lie detector,
but come to think of it, it actually makes sense.”
“He was a pretty fascinating guy,” continued Charles.
“William Moulton Marston developed the DISC lan-
guage, which is based on people’s observable behav-
iors—what can be seen by others. DISC doesn’t explore
why people do what they do, or whether they’re good
at what they do, or their intelligence. It only assesses
how they are observed. So if I’m sitting down on a
park bench, I can observe the people around me and
make some guess as to their DISC behavioral style. And
again, the purpose of doing this is to be able to better
coordinate action and collaborate with others.
“Marston’s model looks at people’s behaviors as they
relate to four factors: how they solve problems, how
skilled they are at relating to people, the pace at which
they work, and their need for processes or procedures.
The Language of DISC ◾ 69
We call these the ‘four P’s’—Problems, People, Pace,
and Procedures.
“So, starting in the upper right quadrant, we have
the ‘high D.’ ‘D’ stands for Driver or Dominance.
People who are considered a ‘high D’ are natural prob-
lem solvers. They are competitive, have a high sense of
urgency, have a need to lead others, can be impatient,
and are loud. They have a loud tone of voice; they have
loud body movements; and they can be highly con-
frontational. Their natural mood is anger, meaning that
under stress or duress they will express their emotion
in anger. Their natural fear is of being taken advantage
of, and they want to be assessed on their results, not
on how they achieved those results. You can expect
them to be blunt and to the point, and you can expect
that they want you to be that way, too.
“How many of you know and can recognize a ‘high
D’?” Charles asked.
Kirby raised his hand and said, “Scott Baker, my
predecessor.”
“No kidding!” exclaimed Claire, as others nodded in
agreement.
“Is Donald Trump a good example of a ‘high D’?”
asked one participant.
“He absolutely is, without a doubt,” Charles answered,
projecting a table on the screen.
70 ◾ Transforming Teams
D = Driver
Descriptors
Adventuresome
Competitive
Decisive
Innovative
Problem solver
Risk taker
Authoritative
Daring
Entrepreneurial
Persistent
Results-oriented
Self-starter
eir Style
Strong, clear voice
Loud volume
Direct eye contact
Points nger
Leans toward you
Value to the Team
Bottom-line organizer
Forward-looking
Challenge-oriented
Initiates activity
Innovative
Emotion: Anger
Fear: Being taken
advantage of
Need: To direct
Looking for: Results
Tendency Under Stress
Impatient
Lacking tact
Aggressive
Argumentative
Opinionated
Demanding
Ideal Environment
Freedom from controls,
supervision, and details
Evaluation based on
results, not process
Innovative, future-
oriented environment
Non-routine work with
challenges
Forum to express ideas
FromTarget Training International, Ltd. With permission.
“Next we come to the ‘I,’ which stands for
Inuencer. ‘High I’s’ are natural extroverts whose
natural domain is working and relating to people. They
are friendly, sociable, highly talkative, and not detail
The Language of DISC ◾ 71
oriented. They talk with their hands and are naturally
trusting. They smile and laugh a lot, and their natural
mood is optimism. They always see the bright side of
a situation and are very trusting. Their greatest fear
is social rejection. “High I’s” should be put in posi-
tions where social interactions are necessary. You can
expect them to be warm and friendly and to be social
butteries.
“Are there any ‘high I’s’ in the group?” asked Charles.
The group laughed and a number of them pointed
to Dave, who was smiling broadly and pointing at
himself.
“I’ve been told I chase shiny-things,” he said with a
chuckle. “Is that part of the DISC behavioral prole?”
“Absolutely. Most ‘high I’s’ have to work hard at their
organizational skills because they are easily distracted
by the people and things around them. They also like
to start things but aren’t too great at nishing them.
Sound like you, Dave?”
“Who me?” asked Dave, feigning surprise.
“Yep, that looks about right,” laughed Claire.
“I also think of Ellen DeGeneres when I think
about famous Inuencers, so you’re not in bad com-
pany,” said Charles, who proceeded with his explana-
tion of the chart.
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