This is the conclusion to a series on the DISC theory. For an introduction and overview see here; for an in-depth look at D's and I's, click here; and for an in-depth look at S's and C's, click here.
To conclude our series on the DISC, I wanted to talk a little bit about some practical uses and tangible benefits that our clients have experienced from using the assessment. We have used the DISC in a variety of different ways with our clients: hiring, supervisory coaching, team building, employee development, conflict resolution. Here is a small sample of uses.
$2 million savings and counting
One of our clients uses the DISC as a screening tool for their hiring. They are a medium sized manufacturing company, and they employee a wide range of different roles: truck drivers, plant operators, salesmen.
They were having issues with miscellaneous damage to their equipment and assets: a driver backs into the plant wall; a loader misses the mark and crashes some steel into a truck. That kind of thing.
After talking with the HR manager, we made the recommendation that he hire C's for these positions. C's are careful, safe, and systematic. So that's what he did.
Speaking with him recently, he told me that the company had saved over $2,000,000 in insurance claims on their trucks and property, and he attributes much of the savings to hiring C's.
Moving on and getting over
One of our non-profit clients recently took advantage of our '100 Thousand Lives' initiative. They recently went through a reorganization of their company, and if you've had to be involved in a re-org, you know they can be tough sometimes as employees work to figure out their new roles and where they fit.
We had a full training session with the entire organization, and with an in-depth breakdown of their DISC. We discovered that most of their employees were high S's while the founding leader was a high D/C. Those styles are in conflict with one another, so we explored what they could do to understand and communicate better with their founder, as well as each other.
I'm pleased to say that, months later, they continue to report better morale and improved communication. As they've moved from annual reviews to ongoing performance reviews, the DISC has formed the foundation for those conversations.
'I want to be the best manager I can be, and this helps me do that'
Another of our clients is a start up. They use the DISC for hiring and job benchmarking, as well as building out their teams. But as they've grown, they are now using it for helping their managers improve their skills.
I recently had a coaching session with a new manager who was on-boarding a new employee. In small organizations, each and every employee is crucially important, so he wanted to make sure he understood his new employee and could communicate with her effectively.
We used the DISC as well as our Driving Forces assessment (using both gives you a full picture of a person). In addition to the quote above, he also said 'I can't believe how accurate this assessment is. It is amazing.'
I'm happy to report that the on-boarding is going smoothly.
These are just a small sample of the ways the DISC has helped our clients save money, save time, and make their lives easier.
It has improved their hiring processes, decreased their levels of conflict, practically eliminated their turnover, allowed them to build more productive teams, and greatly elevated their morale.
If those sound like things you want for your business or organization, connect with us. We help you hire, manage, and develop your most important assets: your people. We've helped dozens of companies, and we can help you too!