a fascinating DISCovery

Read time: 2 minutes

hey hey you,

we’re moving on from the love languages to behavior.

looking into the how & why a person does what they do.

true connection comes from understanding someone — their actions, reactions, & everything in between.

to do that, we’ll unpack the DISC.

a self-assessment tool that i first discovered at work, but now use in all relationships: friends, family, partners, clients, & even customers.

i’m such a better communicator because of it.

learn disc(his)tory

DISC was first published on ~100 years ago in 1928 by william moulton marston.

quick fun facts on martson: he created the comic book character wonder woman. and he invented the polygraph with his wife.

so he clearly was thinking about behavior from many different angles.

DISC is a psychometric model that is used for self-awareness, communication, leadership, & teamwork.

over the past century, a few different versions have emerged. it’s been adapted for & adopted by businesses, universities, & the likes of tony robbins.

despite the variations, the core ideas remain the same.

every individual utilizes all four behaviors, but we have natural preferences.

the differences really emerge when we compare ourselves to others.

DISC is commonly shown as a circle sitting on intersecting axes. a horizontal axis of introversion to extroversion. a vertical axis of feelings/people to facts/tasks orientation.

color coding our crew

if you don’t already know DISC or the colors, this table shows how the 4 energies vary across key dimensions from desires to fears to descriptors.

upon reading, two things like just happened:

1) you feel seen by the descriptions of your top 1 or 2 colors.

2) you instantly thoughts of someone that is that color’s textbook definition.

and if neither of these happened, don’t worry, i got you.

to discover your primary colors, you can take this free quiz here at truity or here with tony robbins 

and if no friends or coworkers come to mind, i’ll help you out next week when i provide memorable fictional comparisons with the help of a. a. milne & j. k. rowling.

personality pie charts

now lets look at the distribution of these colors in the world.

the below pie chart shows the % of the global population with each primary trait.

91% are in the ISC: influential, steady, & compliant.

and it’s a surprisingly even split amongst these three, around 30%

leaving dominant at 9%.

country & cultural differences do make a slight, but not substantial impact, especially when just looking at us, can, & uk.

a few trends that i align with the cultural stereotypes of each country:

🔴 more red in uk 🇬🇧 
🟡 more yellow in canada 🇨🇦 
🔵 more blue in us 🇺🇸 

we’re surrounded by idiots

thomas erikson, a swedish lecturer, speaker, & author, can be credited for really spreading the DISC gospel.

he’s spent 30 years helping people communicate by understanding & using the DISC model, most notably with his bestselling book.

written in 2014, translated into 55 languages, & one of the most widely read books on human behavior — “surrounded by idiots.”

the first book in what will soon be a six part series:

1. surrounded by idiots

2. surrounded by psychopaths

3. surrounded by bad bosses & lazy employees

4. surrounded by setbacks

5. surrounded by narcissists

6. surrounded by energy vampires (to be released on oct 3)

so if you’re eager to learn more about DISC, consider the above list your back-to-school reading.

and if reading isn’t your thing, deloitte made a very entertaining video. that happens to be one of their most watched youtube’s of all time. so i know i’m not alone in my appreciation for this tool.

putting it all together now

the real DISCoveries here are in understanding the colors & behaviors of the people around you.

it’s always important to understand yourself, but it’s even more important to understand how we are in relation to others.

what makes you unique. what makes them unique.

and how we can bring out the best in each other.

and if you’re wanting to go above & beyond, send them a card that matches their primary color & speaks to their core desires.

moments for merrymaking

stay merry friends,

p.s. whenever you need help, i’m always here for you from custom cards to corporate workshops to our merry membership. let’s make merry!