As one of Australia’s largest corporate DISC Facilitators and DISC Profile suppliers, we wanted to learn more about how each behavioural style has been reacting to our current global COVID-19 pandemic to better understand our clients and their needs. One of our senior corporate partners interviewed people in their network who fitted into the D, I, S, and C behavioural styles. Here are their reactions, actions, and results from their initial weeks of remote working in the wake of the current global pandemic.   D – Dominance   Fast Paced, Task-Oriented, Results Driven Initial Reaction: Fight or Flight If you have a high D score, your initial reaction was probably one of stark realisation. This might have triggered you into a ‘fight or flight’ response, feeling like you needed to defend yourself and your loved ones, or flee. Focused Reaction: Innovation After the initial shock wore off, our High Ds made a plan. “We work with people,” they said. “We have some of the best tools to leverage how best to deal with people during this crisis, so let’s pull together a package that can appeal to the masses in being better able to lead their talent from a bad situation to a more positive outcome.” Personal Practices Our advice for high D scores? Slow down at home. Your housemates, loved ones and families probably have different scores than you, and they might be hesitating to react as quickly as you are inclined to. It’s ok to take a breath! Rely on others who are more structured than you. Some of our Ds partners are a High S, and they are letting them take the lead on household procedures. They found themselves grateful for the structure in such an uncertain time. Business Best Practices If you have a high D score, you are a trailblazer and an innovator. That’s exactly what businesses need right now! “Innovation happens during interesting times,” said our High Ds. “This is certainly an interesting time that we plan to optimise and have a positive impact on our clients.” Help your clients focus on a bigger picture for their business without emphasising the ‘doom and gloom’. Don’t be insensitive, but a lot of people are looking for inspiration right now, and you’re a natural leader. Next Step for High Ds What’s your next step? A great idea for High Ds is to connect with others and seek out their points of view. Your willingness to charge forward is a great strength, but make sure you have all the facts before you do.  

I – Influence

  Engaging, Flexible, Optimistic Initial Reaction: Loss of Connection The high Is were initially very concerned with how the pandemic would affect their connections with others. Since they are people-oriented and fuelled by interaction, they were concerned about social distancing and restriction. Focused Reaction: People-First Support People with high I scores are excellent influencers. They can use that talent in difficult times to help others come around to necessary changes. If you’re a high I, your great attitude and ability to talk through issues will be a huge benefit for you in this time. Personal Practices Our high Is where having a hard time adapting to our new social norms, so they are focusing on keeping spirits high. Inspirational content is a great source of comfort for them, so they are enjoying favourite quotes and seeking out inspiration on social media. Try keeping a ‘victory file’: a collection of notes, cards and messages you’ve received over the years. That way, you can be reminded of the good you have done over time to get inspired for the good you will do! Business Best Practices You know putting people first is the best way forward. Do this by providing exceptional service to reduce waste and reserve profits. It might be hard to adapt without the in-person interaction that a high I prefer but make face-to-face time a priority with tools like Zoom and Teams. Your role in this time is one of support and guidance for your clients. That means you might not be in the spotlight where you thrive, but you can do a lot of good. Next Step for High Is Make sure you’re making future plans. Daydreaming about everything you want to do after the quarantine isn’t a bad idea — it can help you appreciate your loved ones and favourite activities.  

S – Steadiness

  Stability, Patience, Great Listening Skills Initial Reaction: Awareness, Not Panic Our High Ss took the changes in stride and noted that it didn’t really affect their day-to-day as much as it might have affected others. The Steadiness that is their hallmark trait became very useful in this confusing time. Focused Reaction: Sustain Business, Don’t Grow It This High Ss are already prepared to do business from anywhere, remote work included. Their goal is to continue to provide dependable, predictable service while they wait for changes in direction. This reliability is a great comfort to clients. “Great things will come out of this and make all of us more aware of things,” they said. There was no evident sense of urgency when interviewing the Ss, just confident awareness that this too shall pass. Personal Practices While you might have the benefit of big picture thinking and a cool head, others are panicking. Their reactions are not less valid than yours, even if they are less logical. Work hard in this time to acknowledge others’ points of view and shift your own communication style to reflect their urgency when appropriate. The Ss ran into a challenge when trying to express the seriousness of the situation to their offsprings. Since they were calm and prepared, their children weren’t fully understanding the gravity of sheltering in place and the importance of social distancing. Shifting communication to match his style helped the Ss break through. Business Best Practices While your levelness and approach of a process is crucially important to your clients, you need to be careful in this time not to withdraw. It can feel easy for you to carry on, business as usual, but if you aren’t working outside of your comfort zone, you might fall behind your competition. Push yourself to try new challenges! Your patience and awareness are great tools as you pursue new goals. Next Step for High Ss Make sure you don’t withdraw! A challenge that High Ss often face is fear of conflict or challenging situations and working remotely presents lots of opportunities to shrink away from both. Make sure you’re setting goals outside of your comfort zone to keep up with your competition!  

C – Compliance

  Data Driven, Methodical, Risk Averse Initial Reaction: Social Distancing? No Problem! Our High Cs started the conversation by noting that High Ds and High Is were probably already missing interaction, while they were welcoming the distance. Their task-oriented nature made the shift to virtual much easier than it had been for their peers. Focused Reaction: New Opportunities for Engagement High Cs are at risk of withdrawing, especially with an isolated environment. This High C recognized a need to engage deeper on new platforms and put in high amounts of effort to connect with others virtually. The risk of disconnect is high, but many businesses might stick with a virtual model when the pandemic is resolved. High Cs can help their clients adapt to new protocol and procedures, but the relationship needs to be there. Personal Practices Focus on what you can actually control. A global pandemic is an unprecedented situation, so you need to be kind to yourself and think hard about ways you can realistically improve your situation and acknowledge the ways you simply can’t. Losing your in-person brainstorming in a team has a large effect on people with High C scores. It’s worth it to put in effort to over communicate, rather than under communicate with your team. While the dynamics are different, virtual meetings just to connect and bounce ideas off each other are still very valuable. Business Best Practices Your clear head as a High C is great for your customers right now— you are well positioned to help them figure out the logistics of working virtually. Help your clients focus on the positive aspects of working remotely, like saved money and resources, and help them re-evaluate their business structure to come out of this crisis in the best position possible for them. Next Step for High Cs You might not be used to helping others look on the bright side, but your ability to see the advantages of our current state of business is crucial right now. Use your reasoning skills to help others!  

Move Forward with Awareness

The one thing that you can be certain of is that the state of the world and businesses are changing every day. Hopefully, you can become more aware of your own behaviour by learning from our high D, I, S, and Cs. If you’re looking for a next step, try The Free Working from Home Report. This free assessment offers quick tips to communicate with every DISC style as well as personalised remote work options for you. Here’s the link or click on the image. https://www.ttisi.com/wfh   If you would like to explore DISC in more detail including our suite of Corporate DISC Profiles or have your team undertake one of our facilitated workshops by an accredited Behaviour Analyst (CPBA), please contact KONA Training today on 1300 833 574 or email info@kona.com.au to organise a free discovery session. DISC Profiles available include – Sales, Management/Staff and Executive Profiles