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Great Tips For Managing Workplace Conflict

May 21st, 2013

Conflict Resoultion - Opposing Forces When you work together in an organization, there is always going to be conflict. There are conflicts of personality, conflicts of ideas, conflicts of values, or perhaps someone just has a bad day and feels the need to take it out on someone else. Regardless of what the reason for conflict is, it is essential that it is resolved before something gets out of hand. This requires quite specific skills, and here are some great tips to make sure you can deal with any sort of conflict that may arise in your workplace.

Do Not Solve The Problem

This seems like strange advice. After all, isn’t the only way to resolve conflict to find a solution? The issue is, however, that immediately jumping to a solution may seem like you are being dismissive of the conflict in the first place.

”It’s easy to want to take sides to move a decision along. Take the time to listen to the complaints. I tell my folks not to bring me an issue with another employee until they tell me they have already talked to that person and tried to work it out independently.” The Culture Gap by Paul Spiegelman

You must remember that your role is to resolve the conflict, not solve a problem. That is something the parties involved in the conflict must come to by way of discussion and agreement. They need to learn to communicate in such a way that they can understand each other’s points of views and come to a decision that is mutually acceptable. Your role is to facilitate that.

Lauren Mackler at Harvard Business School – Managing Conflict

Do Not Let Emotions Drive Decisions

The reason why conflicts arise is usually due to emotions. People feel strongly about their point of view. They have feelings towards and issue. If someone then disagrees with those emotions, it feels like a personal attack. As a result, people become defensive or either offensive, trying to maintain their personal position, rather than being more altruistic in their decision-making process.

”While having a conflict resolution structure is important, effective utilization of conflict resolution processes is ultimately dependent upon the ability of all parties to understand the benefits of conflict resolution, and perhaps more importantly, their desire to resolve the matter.” 5 Keys of Dealing with Workplace Conflict by Mike Myatt

Let Everybody Speak

As the mediator in a conflict situation, or even if you are involved in a conflict yourself, it is vital that everybody has a voice. If you silence someone, you are dismissing their opinion and creating greater conflict. Besides that, silencing someone means you are choosing sides.

“Merely silencing a co-worker or refusing to even consider the situation from his or her perspective rarely leads to a lasting resolution. So don’t turn a basic conflict into a one-sided monologue. Take the time to listen and try to learn something from the situation.” 10 Tips for Managing Conflict in the Workplace by Nathan Chandler

You must understand that different people have different ways of communicating. Not everybody is highly eloquent and some people struggle with face to face communication. Perhaps one of the parties even has a speech impediment. Hence, you have to ensure that all possible modes of communication are allowed as well, be that face to face or via email or other forms of non-verbal communication.

Understand The Bigger Picture

Last but not least, you must always understand the bigger picture. On the surface, it may seem that a conflict is just between two people, but the reality is that it affects far more people and situations than just the two that are at loggerheads. As the one who is resolving the conflict, you must be able to look deeper.

“Everyone in your office and every employee with whom the conflicting employees interact, is affected by the stress. People feel as if they are walking on egg shells in the presence of the antagonists. This contributes to the creation of a hostile work environment for other employees.” Workplace Conflict Resolution by Susan M. Heathfield About.com

Tags: Conflict Resolution, Leadership, Management, Workplace Conflict
Posted in Blog Categories, Conflict Resolution, Leadership, Management | 3 Comments »

How Leaders and Managers Earn Trust

May 17th, 2013

A good organization understands the vital importance of leadership and management, and leaders and managers understand the vital importance of those they supervise and mentor. It has to be a top down-bottom up approach, where everyone has an equal say, but leaders and managers are there to make sense out of all the information they receive, as well as to guide and steer others within the company.

Good managers are mindful of the simple fact that they are in relationships with their employees. And those relationships require tending. They must demonstrate excellent people skills and interpersonal interactions. Managers who fulfill their relationship responsibilities will have more informed, and more productive, employees.

The Biggest Mistake A Leader Can Make – www.HarvardBusiness.org

Power Corrupts

One of the problems that leaders and managers face is that there is an almost ingrained distrust, or suspicion. There is distrust of the leaders and managers—suspicions of their abilities, their integrity and their agenda. Trust means confidence. It is the small, day-to-day things that build trust or lead to a sense of betrayal among employees. And trust is the backbone of any relationship, personal or professional. Strong organizations and managers know that people and the relationships get the work done. Business is conducted through relationships.

Leaders and managers sometimes have to make difficult decisions that not everybody will be happy with, and if there is a lack of trust it is all too easy to assume they made those decisions for personal gain, rather than the greater good of the organization.

Important psychological research has indeed demonstrated that there are corrupting factors within power. High-powered people hold others to a higher standard. They are more likely to cheat and are less tolerant of others breaking the same rules.

Management Map Not everybody in power will succumb to corruption. Some of us are fully immune and from those that aren’t, a large proportion actively chooses not to be corrupt. However, the distrust is automatically there and one of the main challenges faced by leaders and managers is how to overcome that.

Furthermore, our leaders and managers are encouraged at all times to pursue excellence. The idea is that in doing so, in fighting to achieve excellence at the top, achieving excellence at every point will follow automatically. Some, however, think that this is a huge mistake.

Managers should take aim at things we hold dear, such as excellence, fairness and collaboration. There are seven so called “sacred cows,” being:

balance
creativity
collaboration
excellence
fairness
passion
and preparation

Only by getting all of these right will managers not become – or appear to have become – corrupt.

An Example of Best Practice

The company Gen Y is known as a dynamic, creative and optimistic company. Their staff members regularly provide feedback on leadership and management and on how they feel things could be done better. They feel leaders should be able to offer constructive criticism.

Spotlight on Leadership Leaders should be kind but firm when delivering these comments and offer to explain further if needed. They should also offer positive feedback whenever possible, as well as offering constant feedback. It is these processes that make employees feel valued and understand that there is no corruption in the top echelons of their organization.

Personal credibility is the foundation of leadership and being trustworthy is a core component of credibility. It begins by saying what you are going to do, then doing what you say you will do. They should be active listeners and consider others’ input. Knowing how to communicate, get things done and make decisions within the culture at hand will make or break a leader in his or her role.

Many organizations now know that they have to create what is known as an “ethical workplace.” The key to success is that there is trust between the different levels. There is a need for leadership and management, but their tasks can only be performed appropriately if the rest of the workforce trusts that what lies at the heart of their decisions is the good of the company and the good of the workforce. Hence, defining what trust is should always be the first step towards restoring confidence in the leadership and management of a company. Trust is telling the truth, even when it is difficult, and being truthful, authentic, and trustworthy in your dealings with employees.

Restoring workplace trust requires that three questions be answered: What is trust; why is it important; and how do organizations build it. Interestingly, few of the responses indicated that our economic crises and their aftershocks were the actual cause of rising distrust.

The Financial Aspect

We continue to go through times of tough financial austerity and companies try to save money wherever they can. However, sometimes it is necessary to spend money in order to make money, and it seems that having trust in leadership and management is worth around $305 billion each and every year. That is a serious amount of money and shows the importance of investing in the best leaders and managers money can buy. It seems that a key is that those at the top need to find ways to engage the full workforce in decision making processes.

To restore productivity HR needs to stop being “an advocate of people” and become “an advisor on productivity.”

There are a few things that companies have to bear in mind. First of all, different age groups have differing motivations. Secondly, the role of HR is to be operational and strategic. Last but not least, it is about being engaged across the board, which gives that top down and bottom up approach that is so incredibly important.

The Personal Issue

One last problem is that many managers feel they have lost their identity through their work. When working for a certain company, they slowly but surely start to live, breathe and be the identity that comes with the organizational culture. For instance, a company that is all about the profit will produce leaders and managers that focus solely on the profit. They may be fantastic managers, with the right people skills and the right experience, but place them in a different company with a different ethos, and they will no longer be able to perform, even if they claim that the new ethos is one they would actually support far more so than that of the previous company.

Companies that recruited top talent away from successful organizations often found that their leaders could not transfer their formula for success.

This is why it is important that any leader or manager defines a style or approach that is particular to them. They should learn how to tell their own story and never stop in their own path of growth and learning. In turn, they should foster continuous learning by developing their employees. They must display professionalism at all times and role model the company culture. Last but not least, they have to understand the bigger picture – the fact that they are mentors and guides. Put all of this together, and you will have a leader or manager that will never corrupt and will instead carry their workforce to greater levels.

Tags: Leadership, Management
Posted in Leadership, Leadership Development, Management | 7 Comments »

Conflict Resolution – Hints and Tips to Build Workplace Harmony

May 13th, 2013

How Does Workplace Conflict Occur?

Any workplace will know its fair share of conflicts.

Conflicts can happen due to a variety of reasons:

opposing personality traits

poor communication skills

opposing values

misunderstandings

poor interpersonal skills

and many other reasons

What matters, particularly within management, is that there is someone available who can deal with conflict resolution.

Some companies now advocate that each employee should take part in some form of conflict resolution training, thereby hopefully reducing the number of conflicts that take place. The Everything DiSC Workplace Profile along with Everything DiSC Comparison Reports are excellent tools that are used to understand each others behaviors and priorities when in conflict situations, highlight pitfalls to avoid when working through conflict, and provide specific strategies for resolution. Companies get the most value out of Everything DiSC Workplace Profiles by adding effective conflict resolution courses using the Everything DiSC Workplace Training Kit and setting up an EPIC Account that provides a way to issue and manage all EPIC Online Profiles.

The Problem with Unresolved Conflict

Conflict is unavoidable. What is avoidable, however, is for conflict to become a full-blown argument or shouting match, or even for it to become physical. What is also avoidable, and incredibly important, is that conflicts are resolved.

When conflicts go unaddressed, they can have a negative impact on productivity and teamwork. Using conflict resolution strategies in the workplace will help maintain a healthy work environment. These strategies will help employees understand their reactions to conflict and how these reactions affect those around them. It also helps them discover more constructive ways to deal with conflict.

Kantola Productions – www.kantola.com

Hints and Tips for Conflict Resolution

One of the most important ways of dealing with an emerging or even established conflict at work is by asking the right questions.

Your focus needs to be on resolving the conflict and improving the situation. Invite the other person to sit down with you, and ask questions.

These questions include what they would like to see happen, how that can be made possible, whether they are willing to listen to another perspective and share the impact of the experience on themselves, whether there are ideas that could create a compromise, and what the most important issues are within the conflict. While you ask these questions, you should, under no circumstances, agree or disagree with what the person is saying. You are there to listen and to gather facts, not to express an opinion. If you do express an opinion, you will have chosen a side and someone who resolves conflicts has to remain neutral at all times.

Understanding Conflict

As you may well have imagined, resolving conflict is all about having excellent listening and communication skills. Your goal is to find out what the root of the conflict is, and coming to a solution that is suitable for all the parties involved. You have to be able to listen, communicate and ask questions in a non-judgmental way, as well as showing a great deal of empathy and care, while at the same time staying neutral. However, before you even start this, you have to be able to define exactly what conflict is.

Conflict arises from differences, both large and small. It occurs whenever people disagree over their values, motivations, perceptions, ideas, or desires. Sometimes these differences appear trivial, but when a conflict triggers strong feelings, a deep personal need is often at the core of the problem. These needs can be:

a need to feel safe and secure

a need to feel respected and valued

or a need for greater closeness and intimacy

In order to regulate and resolve a conflict, particularly if you are involved in that conflict, do not let your actions be guided by your feelings. During a conflict, you will feel threatened and under attack, which releases a range of hormones in our body, essentially triggering the fight or flight response. A good conflict resolution professional is able to separate themselves from that feeling, in order to create a neutral ground in which conflict can be solved.

The natural response to conflict is “Fight or Flight.” But in reality there are more than just these two responses to conflict. Each of us reacts to conflict in a unique way. We have our own goals, our own fears, and our own ways to get what we need. DiSC Profiles help us to not only understand ourselves better, but also to give others what they need so we can get what we want. We can learn to discuss and resolve our differences using the non-threatening language we learn from DiSC Profiles.

Tags: Conflict Resolution, Everything DiSC Workplace Profile
Posted in Conflict Resolution, DiSC Profiles, EPIC Account, Everything DiSC Workplace Profile | 10 Comments »

Developing Teamwork Using The Philosophy Of Phil Jackson

November 19th, 2012

On a recent episode of “Bones” Dr. Temperance Brennan, played by Emily Deschanel, became intrigued by a book from Phil Jackson that outlined his management philosophy and style. As a result she pulled her team of interns together to work on an unsolved, cold-case murder. This murder occurred over 10 years ago and it seemed an impossible task to solve it now. Using the legendary basketball coach’s philosophy she challenged her team to take a look at solving the mystery through fresh eyes. This caused the interns to come together as a team, put aside egos and solve the mystery proving to them that when they pulled together as a team they could accomplish the impossible. An excellent object lesson for all of us trying to develop strong teams.

That’s When The Light Bulb Went Off

This started me thinking about teamwork and how it can energize an organization or doom it to repeated failure. Can we as business owners and leaders learn anything from a basketball coach? As organizational development consultants we at Intesi! Resources are always helping our customers tackle the issue of building, fostering and sustaining effective teamwork. We, as consultants, are always looking for knowledge and inspiration. How about you?

One often used tool is our Team Dimensions 2.0 Profile. This assessment helps individuals discover and work from their strengths by identifying their most natural team role, while providing them with added appreciation for the contributions of other members of their team. The results of an individual Team Dimensions 2.0 Profile map the flow of assigning team roles, how individuals complete tasks, and handing off tasks to other team members through the “Z Process” inside the assessment results. In this relay process, tasks are passed from Creators to Advancers, from Advancers to Refiners, and from Refiners to Executors. Flexers fill in the gaps to keep the process moving forward.

Using the Team Dimensions 2.0 Profile gives you critical insights into how individuals fit into a team. But is that enough…NO! You have to commit, as a leader, to use that information in a positive way to help you craft that highly effective team and be vigilant to help them maintain that high level of team performance. It’s not easy but it can be done and it will benefit everyone.

Is there more…you bet.

What Can We As Business Leaders and Owners Learn From Phil Jackson

Phil Jackson has demonstrated throughout his long and successful career an innate ability to structure winning teams and understand the abilities and contributions of all the members of his teams. You can’t argue with success, so let’s take a look at Phil Jackson in an attempt to glean some nuggets of wisdom.

Phil Jackson – From Wikipedia

Philip Douglas “Phil” Jackson (born September 17, 1945) is a retired American professional basketball coach and former player. Jackson is widely considered one of the greatest coaches in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was the head coach of the Chicago Bulls from 1989 until 1998, during which Chicago won six NBA titles. His next team, the Los Angeles Lakers, won five NBA titles from 2000 until 2010. In total, Jackson has won 11 NBA titles as a coach, surpassing the previous record of nine set by Red Auerbach. He holds the record for the most championships in NBA history as a player and a head coach, after breaking the tie with Bill Russell when the Los Angeles Lakers won the 2009 NBA Finals. He also has the highest winning percentage of any NBA coach (.704). Jackson was a player on the 1970 and 1973 NBA champion New York Knicks.

Jackson is known for his use of Tex Winter’s triangle offense as well as a holistic approach to coaching that is influenced by Eastern philosophy, earning him the nickname “Zen Master”. Jackson cites Robert Pirsig’s book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance as one of the major guiding forces in his life. He also applies Native American spiritual practices as documented in his book Sacred Hoops. He is the author of several candid books about his teams and his basketball strategies. Jackson is also a recipient of the state of North Dakota’s Roughrider Award. In 2007 Jackson was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. In 1996, as part of celebrations for the National Basketball Association’s 50th anniversary, Jackson was named one of the 10 greatest coaches in league history.

Jackson’s greatest strength is his ability to create strong culture, leadership and group harmony/chemistry. Because of this the talent he has had at his disposal (Jordan, Pippen, Shaq, Bryant), and the famous “Triangle Offense” system have combined to produce 10 NBA Championships.

Two quotes that sum things up nicely:

“He’s absolutely brilliant in bringing a group together to accomplish one common goal” – Kobe Bryant

“Jackson was the student, with Winter teaching him over the years during film sessions, organizing his practices, explaining all the details. Jackson soaked it all up, and then provided that special touch of genius that Winter lacked — a masterful ability at team dynamics and group building. Winter often said the triangle would never have gone far in the NBA without Jackson’s ability to elevate it to relevance and sell it to the players, especially superstars such as Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.” – Roland Lazenby

Take home message from Phil Jackson’s coaching – number one priority in coaching is to create a strong culture by developing such things as leadership, empowerment, communication, care for others, relationships, trust, and motivation.…From: TeamSportCoaching.com

Some Memorable Phil Jackson Quotes:

“The strength of the team is each individual member…..the strength of each member is the team.”

“In basketball — as in life — true joy comes from being fully present in each and every moment, not just when things are going your way.”

“Like life, basketball is messy and unpredictable. It has its way with you, no matter how hard you try to control it. The trick is to experience each moment with a clear mind and open heart. When you do that, the game–and life–will take care of itself.”

“Once you’ve done the mental work, there comes a point you have to throw yourself into the action and put your heart on the line. That means not only being brave, but being compassionate towards yourself, your teammates and your opponents.”

“Love is the force that ignites the spirit and binds teams together.”

In Conclusion

It’s unreasonable to think we can all become Phil Jackson just by studying his management philosophies….but there are definitely lessons to be learned. In business we need to use all the tools available to create success and also help those we manage succeed.

Additional Reading about Phil Jackson:

The Power of Selflessness and an Empty Mind: Phil Jackson’s Coaching Philosophy

‘Very spiritual, very intellectual’ Jackson a heady head coach

7 Leadership Lessons From Phil Jackson’s Coaching Career

Tags: Team Development, team dimensions, team dimensions 2.0 profile, team dimensions profile
Posted in Team Development | 16 Comments »

Key Quality Characteristics Of An Effective Business Leader

November 14th, 2012

Having great leadership abilities is very important in business but what specific qualities do you need to be an effective leader? We’ll examine the qualities that help to inspire and motivate everyone that works with you. It doesn’t matter if you are presently struggling with leadership skills, anyone can develop the ability and become an excellent leader.

Leading By Example Is the Key

A great leader is actually someone who can lead by example. It’s important that you commit yourself to a purpose before you can get others to follow you. The first thing that should happen is you have to know the subject matter or required skills very well. With your specific knowledge of the job, you can help to assist and motivate your fellow team members to get optimum results. Don’t be somebody who simply hands off responsibility to others without any involvement or guidance. You will not have to know every last detail but you should have enough understanding to guide your team to a successful conclusion.

About 2600 years ago the great sage Lao Tzu said: “A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.”

You share wisdom, compassion and vision. You share knowledge and power. Power is “your ability or capacity to act or perform effectively.”

An effective leader knows that nobody can do it all. The only way to become more powerful as a leader and as an organization is to create a culture in which everyone is striving to become more effective…more powerful.

In the martial arts traditions, respected leaders are referred to as “Sensei.” The relationship between a Sensei and his followers is intimate. The Sensei shares wisdom, experience and leadership.

Sharing, however, is not an abdication of your responsibilities as a decision maker. Part of your role is to be the central arbiter of the shared intelligence of the people in your organization. Ultimately, someone has to establish a vision and make a final decision….Read More at: Out with the old? Are older models of business leadership vestigial …

It’s Important To Share

Also a wonderful leader will give and share credit to the members of the team. Someone who takes recognition for the success of the project without acknowledging the work of others on the team will not inspire loyalty. As a leader, you’ll need to try to acknowledge and show genuine appreciation for people’s accomplishments. You won’t need to provide fake flattery but be truly genuine for what they accomplished. Your team will greatly value your comments and will know that you are true to your word. As a result, your team will eagerly continue to work hard and stay focused when projects arise.

Improve Your Leadership Qualities Through Assessment

You can assess current leadership qualities and get guidance on how to improve your leadership qualities by taking a Everything DiSC Work of Leaders Profile.

A 360° assessment is also available for leaders called the Everything DiSC 363 for Leaders Profile.

Don’t Forget Flexibility

Flexibility is yet another important quality to becoming a great leader. It doesn’t imply that you will be changing your mind all the time but to be able to make a change quickly if the situation calls for it. If you stick too strongly to a protocol and refuse to make a change when it looks like it will fail, you will experience dissension. Be open to any feasible opportunity so that you have the choice to either stay on track or change direction. As an example, when a newer software offers more features and capabilities than the software your business is currently using, you should be open to using it. If you don’t think it over, it’s possible your competitors can pass you.

In Conclusion

These are just a number of the many qualities that make an effective leader. Your leadership abilities should be based on who you are as a person. Don’t try to be somebody who you are not. It doesn’t matter if you happen to be very aggressive or easy going, you should just be yourself. It’s important to make use of your traits to inspire the members of your team.

Tags: DiSC Leadership, DiSC Leadership Development, Everything DiSC 363 for Leaders, Everything DiSC Work of Leaders
Posted in Leadership, Leadership Development | 18 Comments »

Adaptive Testing Activated For All Everything DiSC Profiles

July 23rd, 2012

This post is a follow-up to our original announcement, on May 30, 2012, about Adaptive Testing.

Beginning July 21, 2012, Everything DiSC assessments will use Adaptive Testing (AT) and a new, more sophisticated scoring algorithm to give participants the most precise DiSC® style assignment possible.

AT is more aligned with contemporary psychological testing—it’s frequently used in aptitude tests, so you may be familiar with the AT assessment method. With AT, respondents are presented with questions and their responses determine the next questions they’re given.

How is the Everything DiSC^® AT assessment better than the 79-item assessment?

In addition to thorough beta testing of the Everything DiSC^® AT measurement, we hired two independent agencies to perform multiple rounds of analysis focused on construct validity. Two of the most well-respected academic assessments in the psychological community were used to establish construct validity of the Everything DiSC AT assessment: NEO PI-R™ and 16PF^®. The agencies also compared the construct validity of the Everything DiSC AT assessment to the Everything DiSC 79-item assessment and the DiSC Classic 28-item assessment.

Here’s what we learned:

People who responded inconsistently averaged 35% improvement on scale reliability
The AT measurement is 12% more accurate than the 79-item assessment
The AT measurement is 32% more accurate than DiSC® Classic

Will the Everything DiSC^® Profiles change?

The only profiles that will be different on July 21 are the Everything DiSC® Supplements for Facilitators. The adaptive testing data allows us to include additional information to help the facilitator better understand when participants have atypical profile results.

The Everything DiSC Supplement for Facilitators will now include an “umbrella graph” (left) that is used to calculate DiSC style and dot placement. Two other new graphs (below) show scores on the Priority Subscales for the eight priorities (subscales) specific to the Everything DiSC product taken.

Everything DiSC Priority Subscales

These subscales indicate whether the respondent has any extra priorities. While the majority of respondents will still have only three priorities, our improved measurement allows us to show up to two extra priorities. The extra priorities will be shown using advanced shading. In the examples below, there are four priorities: the three typically associated with the i style (Action, Enthusiasm, and Collaboration) as well as one extra priority (Results) shown by the striped shading on the circular map.

Also, since participants will be responding to product-specific questions, a unique Supplement for Facilitators will be generated for each Everything DiSC product using data and priorities specific to the product. So, it’s possible to have a high priority subscale in one product but not another, depending on the responses to the application-specific questions. Otherwise, nothing will change in the profiles at this time—more data means a participant’s dot placement will become even more precise, though this isn’t something the average participant will notice.

Please refer to these two documents for more information:

Everything DiSC Research Report for Adaptive Testing Assessment

Everything DiSC Adaptive Testing Information and FAQ’s

Tags: DiSC Assessment, DiSC Personality Profile, DiSC Personality Test, DiSC Profile, DiSC Profiles, Everything DiSC Profiles
Posted in Blog Categories, DiSC Profiles, Everything DiSC Profile News | 47 Comments »

Everything DiSC Profile Family Continues To Improve!

May 30th, 2012

The foundation of the DiSC Model, as described by William Marston in his book, The Emotions of Normal People, was a circle as is represented in today’s Everything DiSC Profiles—the third generation DiSC Profile. The dot placement and shading in the circular model provides a clear visual of the continuous nature of DiSC in a more simple and intuitive manner that is incredibly straightforward and powerful.

What Is Changing?

Currently the Everything DiSC Profiles ask the participants to respond to 79 items on a 5-point likert scale determining how frequently each item or adjective describes them. That 79-item assessment will no longer be available after mid-July 2012 when Adaptive Testing (AT) will launch for any Everything DiSC assessment providing a new, more sophisticated scoring algorithm to give participants the most precise DiSC style assignment possible. Adaptive testing will maximize the precision of the style assignment, participant confidence and personalized feedback. Based on extensive validation research conducted by two independent agencies that specialize in psychometric testing, the AT measurement is 12% more accurate than the 79-item Everything DiSC profile and 32% more accurate than the DiSC Classic Profile.

The New User Experience

Everything DiSC AT assessment participants will see two major differences when responding. First, adjectives will be replaced with phrases. Research indicates that people resonate and relate more with a phrase than a word. Phrases eliminate the need for adjective definitions and set the stage for more precision in responding and scoring.

Second, if participants respond inconsistently on a specific scale (sometimes a high endorsement of S items, sometimes a low endorsement of S items) the EPIC System will send additional questions to clarify the correct score of that scale. If responses indicate the participants have two equally strong styles, tie-breaker questions will be given to help clarify between those two competing styles. The respondent may be given five to ten extra items that will more precisely measure the scale.

How Many Questions Will There Be?

The number of questions in the Everything DiSC profiles will be different for each participant depending on how they respond to the previous phrases. As the participants respond, EPIC will adapt the questions given based on the individual’s previous responses. Response time will not change—it will still take about 15-20 minutes to complete an Everything DiSC AT assessment.

What Will Be New?

The only report that will be updated on June 2 is the Everything DiSC Supplement for Facilitators. The map (see below) will have advanced shading that will show whether the respondent has extra priorities (no more than two). The typical priorities for the respondent’s style are shown by the solid shading in the map; extra priorities will be shown by the advanced shading. Unexpected items will be listed as phrases rather than adjectives. More data from the adaptive testing means that a participant’s dot placement will be more precise.

As each Everything DiSC product was introduced, the older profiles look dated. The decision was made to update the look and feel of the existing reports rather than allocating resources to develop new applications. Since the Everything DiSC Workplace and Everything DiSC Comparison Reports are the most widely used, they will be the next reports to be updated.

The updated reports will be released later this year when beta testing has been completed. Immediately after, work will begin on updating the rest of the profiles in the Everything DiSC Profile family. For registered Everything DiSC Training Kit owners, the facilitation updates, including the videos, will be available for download prior to the launch of the updated profiles. Please make sure you’ve registered your Training Kit to get these updates as they are released!

Please refer to these two documents for more information:

Everything DiSC Research Report for Adaptive Testing Assessment

Everything DiSC Adaptive Testing Information and FAQ’s

Tags: DiSC Assessment, DiSC Personality Profile, DiSC Personality Test, DiSC Profiles, Everything DiSC Profiles
Posted in Blog Categories, DiSC Profiles, Everything DiSC Profile News | 45 Comments »

Becoming An Effective Leader

May 3rd, 2012

In order to lead effectively you need to provide motivation and inspire people to do things they don’t believe they can accomplish. It’s very important for every aspiring leader, a leader is not a manager. Leadership is a different animal all together. It’s much easier to learn leadership than management when you understand the difference. The insights outlined below will start you on the path of becoming a strong leader. One tool, we find to be very useful to fully understand how you currently lead so you can improve those leadership aspects you currently have and improve your weak aspects of leadership is the Everything DiSC Work of Leaders Profile.

Learning To Communicate Properly

Effective communication is an essential skill that will put you on a path of improving you leadership abilities. Effective leaders talk directly and honestly to every member of their staff. Than means everybody; not just the team leaders and managers. Try to find some way to encourage everyone especially if you are correcting bad behavior or disciplining an individual. Through effective and honest communication you build lasting trust with everyone you come into contact with. Tools we find effective in improving communication and listening in the work environment is the Everything DiSC Workplace Profile and the Personal Listening Profile.

Listening is an effective component of communication, it isn’t just about talking. All the individuals on your team have life/work experiences and skills that drive their behavior, something you must always keep in mind when you interact with them. Remember anyone can come up with that “killer” idea that could change your team for the better, if you don’t hear it you can’t act on it. When you listen to everyone on your team they will be inspired to improve their behavior and individual performance given that they will want to stand out. Finding areas where they can improve and giving them the assistance they need will inspire them even more to grow in their business pursuits and in life.

Proper Delegation

Delegation is a tricky subject and you might be hesitant to assign tasks to members of your team. You might be afraid to lose control or because that team member might do a better job than you…don’t let that stop you. That’s not the behavior of a great leader, only an ineffective manager. It is the duty of every leader to be aware of every situational aspect concerning the needs of the team and to act effectively. It is not only incumbent on you as a leader to ensure that the business is operating like a well oiled machine but also that your guidance is steering the operation in the right direction and to constantly reevaluate the current strategies. This defines the critical nature of delegation, because no leader has the time or energy to watch every aspect of an operation. Effective delegation gives you those additional eyes and ears to make sure the defined course is maintained.

Delegation is also a vital key to increasing team morale and displaying the confidence and trust you have in every member of your team. It becomes critical if you desire to become a great leader because among your many responsibilities the main one is to help team members develop and improve in order to go beyond the high standards you have laid out for everyone.

Developing A Positive Work Environment

Sometimes an overly strict work environment can become counter productive because people will can become intimidated to communicate their individual wants and needs. Your team members can become reluctant to tell you certain things that they believe you might not want to hear, which could negatively effect reaching the goals set for a project or assignment. You must learn to maintain the necessary flexibility to ensure that team members can feel comfortable to approach you with their concerns or suggestions. It is not enough to motivate people to be more productive and efficient so they will achieve the results you desire, but you need to create a work atmosphere that everyone feels comfortable in and wants to become a part of.

In Closing

Never forget you are not a manager, that’s the key to becoming a great leader. A great leader’s job is something totally different. It is the ultimate task of a great leader to maintain long lasting results from their team, while keeping an eye on making sure that the daily operation runs smoothly day to day. This requires a driven leader. The general ideas outlined in this article are meant for you to learn to become a motivated, driven, effective manager that your team members will gratefully follow.

Tags: DiSC Leadership, DiSC Leadership Development
Posted in Leadership, Leadership Development | 263 Comments »

Intesi! Resources Achieves Highest Sales Honor

February 28th, 2012

PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Intesi! Resources Achieves Highest Sales Honor

February 28, 2012 - Phoenix, AZ– Local Phoenix business Intesi! Resources has been honored as an Inscape Publishing Diamond Award Winner, Inscape’s highest award level. In 2011, less than 1% of Inscape Distributors earned the honor of Diamond Award.

Intesi! Resources brings insight and practical tools to help individuals be more effective in the workplace. To be successful in workplace relationships, people need to have a memorable framework to understand themselves and others,” says Jeffrey Sugerman president and CEO of Inscape Publishing.

Intesi! Resources’ work is helping people learn to be better leaders, managers, and individual contributors,” Sugerman says. “Organizations are becoming stronger and more efficient as a result. We are proud to have Intesi! Resources as a partner.”

About Intesi! Resources

Intesi! Resources excels in helping you develop your Human Capital with the critical competencies individuals and companies need to prevail in our ever changing global business environment using the DiSC Profile and our other diverse training tools. Human Capital is defined as “The set of skills which an employee acquires on the job, through training and experience, and which increase that employee’s value in the marketplace.” Skills like: Collaboration, Integration and Innovation are absolutely key to competing successfully in today’s world. These skills can never be outsourced, replaced, or made obsolete. Think of Intesi! Resources as your In-Sourcing Partner helping you develop these critical interpersonal business skills and making them an integral part of your business and personal processes. Intesi! Resources can help any individual or business integrate the DiSC Personality Test into their individual needs. Change begins with insight, takes shape through action, and is fueled by ongoing success. Intesi! Resources has the expertise and focused products to help you create those insights, actions and ongoing successes.

In addition, Debbie Giles, co-owner and co-founder of Intesi! Resources was among the first independent consultant to earn the prestigious Certified DiSC® Trainer designation from Inscape Publishing. Debbie achieved Certified DiSC Trainer status almost 5 years ago by completing extensive coursework on the DiSC behavioral model, applying her knowledge in the market, and successfully completing a rigorous one-on-one practical examination. The Certified DiSC® Trainer designation has been achieved by less that 10% of the nearly 1,800 independent distributors worldwide.

About Inscape Publishing

Inscape Publishing, Inc. is a leading developer of DiSC^®-based corporate training and assessment solutions. Inscape recently launched Everything DiSC^®, its third-generation applications that combine online assessment, classroom facilitation, and post-training follow-up reports to create powerful, personalized workplace development experiences. With a global network of nearly 1,800 independent distributors. Inscape’s solution-focused products are used in thousands of organizations, including major government agencies and Fortune 500 companies. Every year, more than a million people worldwide participate in programs that use an Inscape assessment. Inscape products have been translated into 30 different languages and are used in 70 countries.

For more information about DiSC solutions visit the Intesi! Resources website at: www.IntesiResources.com.

Contact Information:

Debbie Giles
Intesi! Resources

14230 N. 20^th Way, Phoenix, AZ 85022

Office: (602) 482-6422

Toll Free: 1-866-3INTESI (1-866-346-8374)

Info@IntesiResources.com

Tags: Intesi! Resources, Press Release
Posted in Press Release | 151 Comments »

Develop A “Killer” Resume That Gets Interviews and Job Offers!

August 30th, 2011

First: Some Words Of Wisdom From A Corporate Warrior

I can hear some of you now, words of wisdom for someone I don’t even know; but please bear with me for a moment. The one thing I ask of you is to not succumb to the temptation to pad your resume so you can save time and take the first offer that comes and get off the rolls of the unemployed. I know, I know it’s tempting…I’ve been there. But take this for what it’s worth…the only thing worse than being unemployed is working day in day out at a job that makes you miserable. It will be the hardest money you will ever earn and rarely leads to career success. Stay with me here I’m trying to help you be both successful and happy.

Develop That “Killer” Resume and Get More Interviews and Prepare for Them More Effectively!

I will not be able to give you a complete guide to writing that “standout” resume because entire books are written with just that goal in mind. But I can give you one or two golden nuggets that will likely not be found elsewhere. For one great guide on resume writing visit: www.money-zine.com/Category/Resume-Writing/.

It is vitally important to develop your resume so it stands out from the “big stack” of similarly qualified resumes. Not only does it make you stand out, it also helps a recruiter understand how you will fit into a team, and naturally begin to come up with questions they want to ask you. This is exactly what you want! A recruiter with questions and curiosity – they schedule interviews! This is an easy statement to make about developing that “killer resume” but it is much harder to accomplish. Again stay with me and I’ll explain!

The Stress of Looking For A Job

I really understand the stress and strain of trying to find a job. In my career I have been out of work for more than a year. It is especially stressful and frustrating in this economy. But let’s face facts, unless you have a resume that stands out from the massive piles of resumes recruiters get each day your chances of getting an interview, much less offers, diminish greatly. So “Job #1″ create that resume that catches the eye and delivers information that is unique and increases your odds of getting that all important interview.

Rules To Follow When Creating Your Resume

Follow the great words of Shakespeare, “To thine own self be true.” Never paint a picture of yourself that is untrue or cannot be substantiated. You don’t want to accept a job based on “false claims” or a position you are unprepared for or you will not be happy in. I know it is tempting to fudge your resume or stretch the truth about yourself in order to get back into a job. But look at it this way, you will have taken yourself off the market based on false information and that next opportunity will pass you by, not to mention the risk of ruining your reputation. It is one thing to falsify your experience it is another to misrepresent who you truly are as a person.

So Exactly Who Are You?

Good question, huh? This is by far the most difficult information to characterize and put on paper. Consider these questions that potential employers are seeking answers to and will undoubtedly be raised in an interview:

What are your strengths?
What are your weaknesses?
What motivates you?
What demotivates you?
How do you develop and maintain relationships?
What are your life and work priorities?
What are your work habits?
How do you overcome challenges and prioritize work?

If you are not self-aware these questions can be almost impossible to understand, quantify and answer about yourself. What makes having answers for these questions even more important is that recruiters and potential employers are paying more attention to the intangible “soft skills” exhibited by prospective candidates above and beyond education, experience, etc. Most companies will perform a “behavioral” portion to your interview in addition to a skill-based one. They’re likely to ask tough questions about you to see how well you know yourself – questions you might not have thought much about. That is because it is just the information that will tell them if you will fit into their “corporate culture” and if you will be an effective and successful team player.

So How Do You Discover These Qualities and Tendencies About Yourself?

One way to find out more about you is to complete a DiSC Personality Test. It will help you understand yourself and how your behavior affects others making your resume more effective! It was developed by leading psychologists, has been used by more than 44 million people, and is used by more than 70% of Fortune 500 companies to develop solid, effective teams. It will provide you with valuable information about you.

So How Do I Add Value To My Resume?

With more applicants than there are jobs, employers can be very picky. When you apply for a job, your resume is likely to be one of hundreds the employer has received – all with similar intellectual and experiential qualifications. A properly developed resume makes it stand out from the crowd, and highlights your unique behavioral style. Employers are concerned with your skillset and experience. They’re also just as concerned with how well you’ll fit into their company culture and the team you would be working with. Because you’ll be more self-aware, you’ll more easily develop a unique resume and ace the behavioral portion of your interviews. You’ll know how to maximize on your strengths and minimize your weaknesses as part of your resume. By adding the information you get from the DiSC Profile to your resume you will stand out from the crowd.

The All Important Interview

After all the work of discovering who you are, developing that “killer” resume, and sending it everywhere you can think of you get a hit and you are offered an interview. I know, you get a knot in your stomach just thinking about it. So there you are sitting in the room and the easy part of the interview is happening, the “tell me a little about yourself” portion. I know some of you are saying “that’s the easy part” but consider the dreaded question…”what are your weaknesses?” Now comes the time when your mouth goes dry, your armpits get sweaty, and your stomach lurches. Take heart, if you followed my recommendation about using a DiSC Profile to become self-aware the entire interview will be a breeze. Because you have answers, in affirmative language, for any behavioral question you might get asked. You are prepared. Refer to that data and you should be fine.

You will be able to answer those tough questions with ease. You may even find that your behavioral interviews are much shorter because the hiring manager already has had his behavioral questions answered by your resume and interview. Companies hire not just for talent but for cultural fit – they want both head and heart! So answer from your heart and you will be fine.

So What’s Next?

Thoroughly research the best ways to develop a resume from many sources. But in the end add behavioral information employers are seeking and get the right “fit” for both your experience and “who you are” to maximize your success and happiness.

Tags: Building Better Resumes, DiSC Assessment, DiSC Personality Profile, DiSC Personality Test, DiSC Profile, DiSC Profiles, DiSC Test
Posted in Better Resumes, DiSC Profiles | 233 Comments »

Using The DiSC Profile to Train and Develop New Hires

June 14th, 2011

What Makes Them Vital To Human Resources and Managers?

The DiSC Profile remains a very valuable tool when developing training and development programs for newly hired personnel. By using these assessments prior to hiring candidates, organizations are ahead of their competition in understanding how candidates might fit into their culture and how they can cultivate them in the post-hire process of training and development.

While it seems impractical to believe that every person you hire will possess every skill necessary to be successful in their prospective position, you can plan to help these people learn and utilize new skills to help them grow in the future and succeed.

How Can They Affect The Post Candidate Selection Process?

These assessments will assist human resources and managers to develop a customized and focused curriculum of post-hire training for the new employees. By discovering their unique personalities and behavioral styles during the pre-hire process, human resources and senior management can gain a clear understanding of each person’s potential strengths and weaknesses in regard to the business culture and the position for which they are being considered. By analyzing and understanding the results of these assessments, human resources and senior managers, can more easily understand how they can organize and develop more effective groups and teams. When these assessment results are used to evaluate and understand each person’s individual personality and behavioral styles you gain an organizational advantage and your entire business benefits. These assessment results can also assist human resources and senior managers to develop a smooth and carefully thought out approach how to assimilate new hires in their organization.

The Reason Why Effective Training Is Critical?

The development of strong, cohesive teams is critical to organizational success and training is key to that achievement. If human resources and senior management can develop new employees while proactively addressing areas of development they can save significant time and effort because these new hires will get training specifically tailored to their individual needs. One of the most strategic benefits management realizes is the leverage provided by these assessment results when developing specific training programs that are based on the specific needs of those new employees.

What Occurs Following The Initial New Hire Training?

After the initial new employee training has been completed senior management can monitor their progress and make adjustments in the areas that need improvement. They also need to make sure that consistent and continuous improvement is made to secure overall success. It is important that human resources invest time, energy, and most of all money so as not to constrain productivity.

The Way They Impact Other Areas Of Employee Development

These assessments provide both a powerful learning and a vital gateway for human resources and senior management to understand the behavioral styles of all their employees. In the end, understanding behavior will lead to better overall communication. These reports will help individuals to adapt their natural styles so they can more successfully interact with others because behaviors are not easily changed without the right guidance. These reports can be used in a multitude of areas including discovering and valuing others strengths, and helping them find and develop their own strengths. Furthermore, by helping employees develop their strengths and limit their weaknesses, senior managers can help to limit unproductive internal communication and simultaneously reduce conflict.

Finally, using the DiSC Profile in an organization’s workplace will improve the overall productivity levels in all areas of the environment. If human resources and senior management will focus their time and efforts in continuously improving the training and development of all employees, that organization will achieve more success, reduce turnover, and boost overall team satisfaction.

Tags: DiSC Hiring, DiSC Profile, DiSC Profiles, DiSC Training
Posted in DiSC Profiles, Hiring, Job Satisfaction, Team Development | 21 Comments »

The DiSC Profile Helps Create Successful Teams

May 18th, 2011

Every company and organization maintains varying opinions and concepts concerning the methods and desired goals pertaining to the creation of organizational teamwork. If managers and leaders within your organization can get access to effective tools, like The DiSC Profile, their probability of success increases substantially.

Several Unique Suggestions To Cultivate Teamwork

At this point, I’m certain most of you will be wanting to know exactly how you accomplish this seemingly monumental undertaking. Probably the most daunting problem you must deal with is how to comprehend and contend with all of the individual personalities, behavioral tendencies, along with the egos associated with them. The introduction of a DiSC Profile into any team building program will offer team managers personalized information on each team member. If there are significant communication issues the use of an Everything DiSC Workplace Profile could be warranted. By analyzing everyone’s DiSC Profile the manager will quickly realize what motivates, demotivates, what they tend to avoid, how they react to stress, their natural behavioral tendencies, and much more. This is exceptionally beneficial information for the manager given that they might also discover their particular group culture and exactly how they function as a team by grouping the individual DiSC Profiles into a Group DiSC Report.

Whenever addressing team discord that develops it is imperative to identify individuals with strong personalities and viewpoints that compete for dominance within each and every team and discover how to effectively interact with these individuals. Competition and discord within almost all teams might also adversely impact individuals as they make an attempt to impose their particular personal agendas on the team. Considering that we have now identified and reviewed the obstacles to creating teamwork we should discuss what we are able to do to influence effective teamwork within an organizational work environment.

Creating Effective Team Performance In Every Organization

The very last thing a company needs and desires is individuals that will not gel with others as a cohesive unit. All organizations ultimately make an attempt to retain the services of individuals that will effectively perform the duties that are required of their position or role as well as contribute to the corporate mission. Unfortunately at times those individuals fail to perform their vital responsibilities and the team suffers in addition to every single member of the team.

Teamwork is very important because within organizations, all departments and divisions are interrelated and a smooth coordination between every aspect of an organization is critical to its success. Promoting teamwork is an important responsibility of all levels of management and leadership because doing so will help strengthen total workplace productivity and efficiency. It’s not easy to cultivate cohesive teams because the needs and wants of individuals within those teams are often in conflict with one another. However, if a concentrated attempt is undertaken to bring those competing forces together and understood it can easily transpire.

Just What Impacts Individual Performance?

It cannot be overemphasized for leaders and managers to clearly define and communicate the organizational goals and objectives that need to be attained and the factor that individual performance represents. The contribution of each and every team member in setting goals and their accountabilities in achieving the defined goals can certainly motivate all of them. Deliver the maximum amount of information, project goals, along with the resulting deadlines that you can to each and every individual while including all of them in that course of action. Finally, it cannot be over emphasized, that leaders and managers should make it crystal clear that each and every member of the team is accountable to play an important part in the successful outcome. These uncomplicated factors will inspire all to be vigilant in delivering their steady best efforts for the team to be ultimately successful.

The Role Of Leadership

Without effective, conscientious, diligent leadership you will risk having individuals lose focus, go off in different directions, thus leading to the team coming apart. Uncover those individual team members with leadership characteristics and delegate them with responsibilities as team managers to observe as well as motivate their team mates. Select these individuals very carefully and only pick those who will lead by example and be viewed by the others as role models to be emulated by their fellow team mates. Designating a leader that will inherently lead others to accomplish a common goal will be a fundamental component of achieving a high functioning team.

Clear Goals Create Clear Communication

There is absolutely no place for doubt and uncertainty within your team because it is vitally important that each and every team member clearly understands their own individual roles within your team and how they each can achieve success. As the leader you must plan and execute individual meetings to evaluate their particular progress toward achieving their goals and correct them if they stray from that goal. Encourage them to prioritize their work activities. Frequently communicate to each and every individual how achieving their individual goals will affect their fellow team mates and their job evaluation. Check to ensure that doubts are not developing and they do not feel that there are any barriers developing to hinder their success. Communication breakdowns are one of the key factors that will lead to team ineffectiveness developing. Ensure that each team member has a clear understanding of the organization’s mission and vision and the part they individually play in achieving those stated goals. Have an open door policy so each individual feels comfortable giving feedback when they experience challenges. Finally, rinse and repeat, to keep everyone on track.

Some Activities To Help The Teambuilding Effort

Keep it informal, fun, and engaging in order to create an accommodating environment of camaraderie among all the team members. The mere fact of the group discussing the results of their individual DiSC Profile will promote understanding, deliver insights, and lead to that effective teamwork that you are seeking. Develop and deploy activities and games that promote interaction and sharing that is quite different from their particular normal workplace. These types of things help promote communication, understanding, and appreciation toward all the team members. Furthermore, taking some time away from the workplace environment for casual activities like barbecues, lunches, etc. will also promote your team building process mainly because it gives all individuals the opportunity to interact with each other in a very different light and form those important personal bonds required for strong cohesive teams.

One closing thought; don’t forget to develop attractive recognition and rewards programs so everyone has an opportunity to feel appreciated for what they do. The DiSC Profile can also help with this because it will give you clues as to how individuals like to be recognized. This will likely go a long way to creating an environment of belonging and a sense of acknowledgment for everyone’s efforts. The effect of those small things goes a long way to motivate the whole team and create a unified feeling of success.

Much Teambuilding Success!

Tags: DiSC Profile, DiSC Profiles, Team Development
Posted in DiSC Profiles, Team Development | No Comments »

The DiSC Profile Will Improve Your Recruiting and Hiring Processes

May 17th, 2011

The Procedure Corporations Currently Utilize Is Defective

American businesses determine 80% of their total hiring and recruiting decisions around the “intellectual” element of the individual, in other words their resume, abilities, education, as well as their working experience. The resulting outcome of these practices is an 85% turnover rate as a result of Behavior or Style incompatibility – the individual could get the job done, however for several reasons, it wasn’t getting accomplished. Everyone knows employee turnover costs every company big bucks.

This substandard approach brings about very poor employee retention, insufficient overall performance as a result of inadequate job match, as well as very high turnover expenses and makes clear the reason why US companies average percentage of successful hiring is lower than 50%. The men and women supervising these recruiting/interviewing/hiring/promotion operations, without having “tools” to help, tend to be making very subjective judgments hoping that the “intellectual element” of the person will furnish adequate information to guarantee a high quality job match. The DiSC Profile is an excellent “hiring tool.”

The individuals that would be happy to join your company and make a contribution are sadly not on the market. They are not looking for a new job like the one they have they are looking to move up their career path. In the old days you could place a “help wanted” ad, but those days are gone forever. You can’t expect to attract highly qualified individuals you seek by only publishing a small ad in the newspapers. So this requires a new strategy on your part to change your current “business as usual” approach to recruiting and hiring. You need to show your potential candidates that your organization does things differently and that you are interested in who they are and how they will successfully fit in your organization. That is where a DiSC Personality Test comes in as a distinguishing factor.

Highly qualified individuals are out there its just tougher to find the right ones today for your specific need. To accomplish this more companies are contracting professional recruiting agencies. Those recruiting firms that use DiSC Profiles are distinguishing themselves with their clients. Executive recruiting firms are increasingly reporting that companies are striving to develop efficiencies and better processes with an eye to bring the services they offer as an internal function to their company. When you contract with these external experts; companies are reporting that their hiring process is faster and streamlined and they are able to interview a wider variety of highly qualified individuals for each open job. Especially those recruiting firm that use the behavioral profiles as part of their services.

In addition, when you hire professional recruiting firms they are able to give their full attention to what you need to accomplish. In today’s economy there are not a lot of jobs available so hiring has slowed. In the event the economy accelerates, hiring activities will increase and professional recruiting firms that have streamlined and innovated their processes could help those hiring companies find the right candidates for the right job quickly.

Hiring The Right Person For The Right Job

DiSC assessments, any time they are implemented appropriately, will certainly supply much more objective information and facts and the potential capability to enhance and improve the results of the recruiting and hiring system. Absolutely no approach is “fool-proof” however it is usually better to make judgements based on much more data and understanding rather than less data and “gut instinct.”

They also enhance and improve the effectiveness of the recruiting, interviewing, hiring, and promotion processes. They help ascertain how participants compare to what you have determined best fits the job or role you have specified.

Good Luck in your hiring and recruiting activities!

Tags: DiSC Profile, Hiring
Posted in DiSC Profiles, Employee Retention, Hiring | No Comments »

What Is An EPIC Account?

January 6th, 2011

What Is An EPIC Account
An EPIC Account is an online, password protected, platform that provides a simple way to deliver DiSC Profiles and other assessments via the internet. From added features to an enhanced personalized narrative style, EPIC-based DiSC Profiles offer advantages even our paper instruments can’t match — this is what we call the “EPIC Edge.”

One of the most exciting things offered by Intesi! in recent years is not a product, but a product platform.
EPIC (Electronic Profile Information Center) provides a simple way to deliver a DiSC Profile via the internet, using email.

Here’s How An EPIC Account Works
As an EPIC Account Holder, you have access to (18) DiSC Profiles and (11) other Online Profiles through EPIC. From your PC, you can administer access codes that allow people to complete the DiSC Profile or other assessment online. Once a respondent finishes answering the questions, the resulting report goes to the respondent or to you…you decide!

Watch the Video: Learn How An EPIC Account Helps! for additional helpful information.

EPIC Account Users Save Money and Time!
Using an EPIC Account, organizations can use their training or consulting time more effectively. You save MONEY with our volume pricing approach for the initial account setup and additional EPIC Credits when needed. Your employees and customers can complete assessments online in advance of training sessions, ensuring that every minute of training time is used to its full advantage. Plus, the EPIC Account takes care of scoring the profiles, saving time and increasing accuracy.

For EPIC Account Pricing see: EPIC Account Starter Options.

Products Available on EPIC
View the Online Profiles available on EPIC at: EPIC Online Profile Sample Reports.

EPIC Credits
Credits is the term used to describe the “currency” used in the EPIC system. Credits are needed to issue access codes for individual reports and generate group/facilitator reports. EPIC credits are sold with Volume Pricing so you decide on the discount you want based on volume. See our credit pricing at: EPIC Credits.

Getting Started
Take advantage of EPIC’s many features and benefits to revolutionize the way you do business:

Gain Administrative Control

Deliver reports where and when you want
Manage just-in-time inventory
Address the needs of multi-location businesses
Run reports on customer purchases and response information
Provide larger clients with sub-accounts, giving them administrative control

Power Your Brand

Feature your logo and contact information on-screen and in print
Associate your brand with high-tech delivery
Cross-sell other profiles available on EPIC

Improve Your Bottom Line

Build ongoing relationships with large customers
Regenerate reports as team members change
Up sell your clients to higher margin products
Reduce costs by eliminating shipping and handling charges

Good for your Clients
EPIC will quickly become your clients’ preferred way to take delivery of online assessments. Why?

Increased Productivity

Improved accuracy and ease of scoring
Added training time
Supports blended learning initiatives

Enhanced Report Options

Get unique reports and features not available in paper profiles
Build group reports from stored data
Easily regenerate group reports as staff changes

EPIC Account Availability

Administrative control in your clients’ hands
Online help available 24 hours a day, seven days a week

Tags: DiSC Profile, DiSC Profiles, EPIC Account, EPIC Credits
Posted in DiSC Profiles, EPIC Account, EPIC Credits | 139 Comments »

Comparing The Work Expectations Profile to The DiSC Classic 2.0 Profile.

December 1st, 2010

Research was conducted to determine what relationships, if any, existed between the ten work expectations that impact today’s employment relationships—structure, diversity, recognition, autonomy, environment, expression, teamwork, stability, balance, career growth—and the four DiSC Dimensions of The DiSC Classic Profile—Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness.

Respondents to the Work Expectations Profile with high Dominance “D” or Influence “i” have high expectations in the following areas:

Career Growth because of their desire to control or influence their environment.
Expression and Autonomy because they perceive themselves as more powerful than their environment, therefore they prefer an environment that allows them to be themselves and want to make their own decisions.

High “D” respondents also have high Diversity and Recognition expectations. High “D” respondents want to be in charge of their situation and may seek recognition from colleagues as an affirmation of their power. Additionally, the correlation between diversity expectations and High “D” respondents may be explained by the fact that people with high diversity expectations realize that different views can lead to conflict, and they are eager to face challenges and overcome obstacles. Handling multiple perspectives from diverse sources may offer High “D” respondents new opportunities for challenges.

High “i” respondents have high Diversity expectations. They see their environment as favorable and tend to expect and enjoy interactions with different types of people.

Respondents with high Steadiness “S” and Conscientiousness “C” consider themselves less powerful than their environment and prefer to work within existing systems. Additionally, these respondents dislike change due to their lack of control over their environment. Respondents with High “S” and “C” tendencies have high Structure and Stability expectations.

High “S” respondents tend to see their environment as favorable and also expect their personal time to be valued by the organization. They have high Environment and Balance expectations.

Finally, because respondents with both High ”i” and “S” tend to focus on their interactions with others, they have high Teamwork Expectations.

Tags: DiSC Profile, work expectations profile
Posted in Blog Categories, DiSC Profiles, Work Expectations | No Comments »

How To Sell To A DiSC Profile “C” Style.

November 11th, 2010

“C” CONSCIENTIOUSNESS DiSC Profile STYLE

The “Conscientiousness,” or “C” DiSC Profile Style individual, is quality-focused, slow-paced, methodical, and task-oriented. They focus on the details and are primarily concerned about doing things the “right” or “correct way” every time. These individuals are overly analytical and frequently set much higher standards for themselves than others and are detail oriented to a fault.

You can recognize them as being very reserved and more indirect than other styles. These people present a formal front, with a closed posture and “can’t read” facial expressions. They don’t like to express their feelings readily.

Selling to the “C” Style:

When selling to the “C” style, make sure you have your facts straight. You’ll need to answer analytical questions, showing references where possible. These individuals don’t need you to socialize with them – they really don’t want you to. These people want you to provide detailed information in order to make a correct buying decision. Then they will thoroughly assess your information before coming to a conclusion. Be slow-paced and formal in your approach with them – don’t become overly enthusiastic or animated. Focus instead on facts, logic, and detailed analysis.

Do’s & Don’ts

Most salespeople tend to sell to others the way they would like someone to sell to them. That’s not going to work! In sales it’s important to remember this rule: “Do unto others as they would have you do unto them.”

Focus on “why”
Use a logical approach
Answer questions accurately
Provide evidence of quality

Don’t

Be overly enthusiastic or social
Be unprepared or lack product knowledge
Appear disorganized
Rush decision-making

For help in understanding your sales style and to improve your selling See: Everything DiSC Sales Profile.

Tags: DiSC Profile, DiSC Profiles, Everything DiSC Sales Profile, Sales
Posted in Blog Categories, DiSC Profiles, Everything DiSC Sales Profile, Sales | 1 Comment »

How To Sell To A DiSC Profile “S” Style.

November 9th, 2010

“S” STEADINESS DiSC Profile STYLE

The “Steadiness,” or “S” DiSC Profile Style individuals, is also people-oriented – but at a much slower pace than the “i” style. The “S” person doesn’t like to be forced into making changes or quick decisions. They’re patient, loyal, and calm, making them excellent listeners and “peacekeepers” when conflict breaks out. Their focus is on being overly cooperative with people.

You can identify these individuals by their reserved, indirect, but people-oriented approach to others. Their speech may appear softer, with an open posture. They will have relaxed, warm facial expressions and prefer a casual approach.

Selling to the “S” Style:

When selling to the “S” style, it’s important that you listen to them. They need to feel you understand their needs. Assure the individuals that you and your organization are customer- and service-oriented. Just don’t push them into quick buying decisions. Show how you’re interested in a long-term relationship with their company, and that they can depend on you whenever necessary. The “S” style customers are more loyal to you when other vendors come knocking on their door.

Do’s & Don’ts

Focus on “how”
Assure client’s buying decision
Provide excellent attention and service
Patiently listen to needs

Don’t

Rush client into quick buying decisions
Forget to regularly follow-up
Have an “I don’t care” attitude
Be abrupt or fast

For help in understanding your sales style and to improve your selling See: Everything DiSC Sales Profile.

Tags: DiSC Profile, DiSC Profiles, Everything DiSC Sales Profile, Sales
Posted in DiSC Profiles, Everything DiSC Sales Profile, Sales | 1 Comment »

How To Sell To A DiSC Profile “i” Style.

November 4th, 2010

“i” INFLUENCE DiSC Profile STYLE

“Influence,” or “i” DiSC Profile Style individuals are frequently thought of as “people persons.” They’re enthusiastic and upbeat – enjoying the interaction with others in a humorous, lighthearted way. These individuals can appear to be the eternal optimists, usually seeing the glass as half-full rather than half-empty, and can be quite persuasive about things they’re passionate about.

You can identify them as being outgoing and direct, very talkative and interactive. These people tend to speak quickly, use animated expressions, and express their feelings freely. They can appear to be casual and friendly in their interactions with others and love to express themselves in a jovial, humorous way. Sometimes you’ll notice trinkets or fun gadgets in their office – it’s their way of adding levity to the work environment.

Selling to the “i” Style:

When selling to the “i” style, match your pace and presentation to their energetic approach. Be friendly and sociable – let them know you like them personally. Where appropriate, take them to lunch. You need to provide testimonials and personal stories on how other people have responded to your company’s product or service. Show enthusiasm for the benefits your product or service can provide. Also, make sure you support the individuals by providing whatever detailed follow-up work is necessary; don’t ask them to do it. Make it easy for them to buy from you.

Do’s & Don’ts

Focus on “who”
Provide testimonials
Be upbeat and friendly
Handle details when possible

Don’t

Emphasize technicalities of product
Be overly formal and reserved
Add to client’s workload
Leave decisions unclear

For help in understanding your sales style and to improve your selling See: Everything DiSC Sales Profile.

Tags: DiSC Profile, DiSC Profiles, Everything DiSC Sales Profile, Sales
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How To Sell To A DiSC Profile “D” Style.

November 2nd, 2010

“D” DOMINANT DiSC Profile STYLE

“Dominant,” or “D” DiSC Profile Style individuals, are usually results-oriented. They thrive on the challenge of solving problems and making quick buying decisions. These individuals are fast-paced and like to be in charge. They can become impatient with people or situations that hinder them from accomplishing their goals. This is one of the reasons why they’re more task-oriented than people-oriented.

You can recognize these individuals as being fast-paced and direct when speaking – they’re more interested in telling you information than in asking your opinion. They tend to think in terms of the bottom line. These individuals may have more formal, “can’t read” facial expressions than other styles.

Selling to the “D” Style:

When selling to the “D” style, don’t bog them down with excessive socializing or details – get to the point quickly. Directly focus on how your product or service can help them achieve their goals. Emphasize the results you can help them obtain, while always letting them feel they’re in charge. In other words, don’t waste their time. Make your sales presentation direct and meaningful toward helping them achieve their objectives.

Do’s & Don’ts

Focus on “what”
Provide options
Be efficient
Focus on results

Don’t

Assume without getting an opinion
Over socialize
Emphasize unnecessary details
Waste time

For help in understanding your sales style and to improve your selling See: Everything DiSC Sales Profile.

Tags: DiSC Profile, DiSC Profiles, Everything DiSC Sales Profile, Sales
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Effective Selling Into Your Client’s DiSC Profile Style.

October 27th, 2010

What’s Your Client’s Style?

When it comes to effective selling, one simple fact never changes: Selling is a relationship business. You already know all about your company’s products and services – and you’ve learned the fundamental aspects of the sales cycle.

But have you ever asked yourself … What helps one salesperson develop immediate rapport with prospects, and not others? What is he or she doing that is leading to long-term client relationships? How can I learn to do the same thing? The Everything DiSC Sales Profile can help.

Research shows that prospects are more likely to buy when they unconsciously trust, and feel at ease with, the salesperson. They are more willing to open up and provide information critical to closing the sale. It appears that they are almost “helping” you make the sale, as opposed to fighting you in the process.

So how do you build this rapport? Understanding the behavioral style of their DiSC Profile and effectively selling into how they buy.

About DiSC Styles

The first key is to recognize that different behavioral styles do exist among prospects. You’ve probably seen from your own experience how one sales approach worked great with one person, yet you got a very different reaction from someone else using that same approach.

Behavioral Styles Impact:

How a prospect wants you to sell to them.
How a prospect wants you to present information.
How much information you present.
How a prospect makes buying decisions.

The same approach won’t work with everyone. As you learn to adapt your approach to make the customer feel more at ease, the relationship will improve and more sales will eventually result.

You can identify an individual’s behavioral style preference by using the DiSC Profiles distributed by Intesi! Resources.

Tags: DiSC Profile, DiSC Profiles, DiSC Sales, Everything DiSC Sales Profile, Sales
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