Fran Petties, director of Talent Development
The Talent Development department will spotlight one Wiley Everything DiSC communication style in the coming issues of the Broncho Beat to increase awareness of the different communication styles, work tendencies and preferences that exist within the workplace. Additionally, we hope to promote utilization of DiSC assessments as a tool to support a positive University culture and increase team member satisfaction, retention and productivity, and encourage UCO supervisors to use the Team Member Communication Style Guide to outline a communication plan for each team member. In this issue, we discuss the i-DiSC style.
i-DiSC style team members tend to be direct, fast-paced and outspoken, people-focused, accepting and warm when working with others and sharing ideas. The Wiley Everything DiSC® Culture Catalyst™ platform provides the following characteristics for you to leverage for effective communication and team success.
Wiley Everything DiSC Snapshot
| Goals: | Popularity, approval, excitement |
| Judges others by: | Openness, social skills, enthusiasm |
| Influences others by: | Charm, optimism, energy |
| Overuses: | Optimism, praise |
| Under pressure: | Becomes disorganized, gets overly expressive |
| Fears: | Rejection, not being heard |
| Would increase effectiveness through: | Being more objective, following through on tasks |
i-Styles put a high priority on enthusiasm and tend to maintain an upbeat attitude. They get excited about new possibilities and they may be very expressive when communicating their ideas.
They appreciate collaboration, usually enjoy meeting new people and may have a talent for getting everyone involved and building team spirit.
They are action-oriented, so they often focus on making quick progress toward exciting solutions. Since they tend to be fast paced, they may be eager to get going without spending a lot of time considering the consequences.
Considerations for Supervisors
As a supervisor you should first gain an un understanding of the characteristics and tendencies of your DiSC style and then consider how you can use this information to tailor performance feedback, task delegation, appreciation, meetings and coach sessions to match the communication needs of your i-DiSC style team members. A detailed communication guide for each team member and supervisor-to-team member comparison guides can be obtained through DiSC team assessment, training and use of the DiSC Catalyst platform. Contact Talent Development at talentdev@uco.edu or by calling (405) 974-2655 for more information.
Please note that DiSC should not be used to stereotype or pigeonhole team members. The way individuals work and interact with others is influenced by other factors such as life experiences, education, professional development, maturity, etc.
