In a previous post I described how the DiSC test is used – in a nutshell, this test helps determine your inborn temperament type.
This test may be useful to your company but how can you benefit from the results? First off, I believe strongly that understanding your underlying temperament is highly valuable in every aspect of life. It helps you understand why you react the way you do to situations and others. It helps you understand why others react to you the way they do. It gives insight into why you like or dislike certain individuals.
Some things to consider as you take the test and get your results – first, it is comletely possible to “game” the test by choosing answers to the questions that don’t reflect your actual way of thinking and reacting. So you could be a calm Phlegmatic (High S in DiSC) but come out as a hard-driving Choleric (High D) based on how you answer the questions.
So if for some reason you want to give your company or group a mis-leading impression you certainly can. But if you take the time to answer thoughtfully, the results can benefit you beyond their original purpose.
Secondly, as in any personality test, your answers are subjective. I’ve had people tell me they’ve taken the test numerous times but gotten different answers. This is because of a couple of factors – depending on the circumstances of the test, you may answer differently. In a job interview you’ll want to put on your best “face” based on what you think they want to hear.
In a team building exercise, you may react to the questions in relationship to the group — work, social, personal.
For these reasons I encourage people to take the test more than once — not sequentially but over time — so that you can spot trends in your own reactions.
Learning your basic temperament type can assist you in improving all types of relationships — personal, social, work, team. If you are interested I have an e-book on how the different temperament types react to each other. You can find it on the Amazon Kindle bookstore.