your stupid simple guide to DISC styles

Read time: 3 minutes

hiiiiiiiiii,

back with part 3 of our deep dive into DISC where we’re learning to be a better friend by understanding the how & why to other’s behavior.

we now know the history, distribution, & key descriptors of DISC

as well as many colorful cultural comparisons for DISC

so we’re going back-to-school with DISC superlatives.

i’m sharing specific nuances to help you spot the 4 styles in that wild. learning how to see that cool blue precision, that fiery red directness, that earthy green patience, & that sunny yellow charisma.

most likely to ask

we all learn the 5 W’s & H in elementary school, but depending on our DISC we tend to have a default (that is once we’re out of the toddler asking why to everything phase)

🔴 dominant wants results, so they need to know the what?
what’s the goal? what’s the fastest route? what do i get out of this?

🟡 influential wants interactions, so they need to know the who?
who’s on the guest list? who can help me do this? who knows best?

🟢 steady wants harmony, so they need to know the how?
how do i help? how can we keep calm? how do we make everyone happy?

🔵 compliant wants facts, so they need to know the why?
why is this the goal? why did that happen? why not another way?

most likely to be

DISC is one of the most popular workplace personality tests. used in both interviewing & team building. DISC helps people understand their strengths & differences.

miscommunication & misunderstanding run wild, especially in the corporate world.

because working with other humans is hard.

so if you don’t know someone’s DISC, start by assuming the DISC style most associated with their profession.

and even if their style is different, they likely need their profession’s style to get the job done.

for example, a strong I-style engineer still needs you send them all the facts, they just prefer it with an emoji 🙂 

tangential but related, this week i stumbled upon a fascinating list of the professions we trust the most from @stats_feed.

i added the primary DISC style color to see if one profession was more trusted than the others. surprised to see that the I’s hold the most bottom spots.

most likely to read

in the same stumbling session, i found this fact:

and we all know we are more likely to read when books on our favorite topics.

so these are the top genre picks for the DISC styles.

🔴 dominants nerd out on negotiation, world leaders, & productivity.
🟡 influentials love trendy novels, creativity workbooks, & celebrity memoirs.
🟢 steadys relax with classic novels, mindfulness books, & historic fiction.
🔵 compliants study historical texts, investigative journalism, & nonfiction.

and here’s a few specific examples:

most likely to text

in my opinion, the easiest way to tell someone’s color is how they communicate.

especially in text & email.

🔴 dominant’s speedy, short replies. 🟡 influential’s many replies with emojis. 🟢 steady’s thoughtful, slow responses. 🔵 compliant’s step-by-step guides.

and each DISC has a go to imessage feature:

🔴 d’s love tapback replies
🟡 i’s love memes
🟢 s’s love group messaging
🔵 c’s love read receipts

most likely to want

for the holidays, i’ll be merrymaking gift guides for each of the DISC styles to help with all coworker, friend, & family shopping.

in the mean time, here are a few initial ideas:

🔴 for the dominant bosses:
power planners, optimal organization, & anything VIP

🟡 for the influential party animals:
trendy gadgets, customized flair, & concerts with friends

🟢 for the steady supporters:
sentimental scrapbooks, spa days, & heartfelt letters (cough from my stationery shop cough)

🔵 for the compliant thinkers:
brain puzzles, bespoke subscriptions, & skill workshops

all together now

the superlatives above highlight what makes each DISC style unique. this should help you more quickly recognize another’s style so you can adapt your communication accordingly.

shortly after i learned DISC, i started emailing my coworkers in a way that lined up to their style. 

i was to the point with 🔴 d’s , i added !!! for 🟡 i’s, i lead with sincerity for 🟢 s’s, & i linked all my resources for 🔵 c’s.

almost immediately our two-way communication improved.

they understood me more & were able to give better answers.

all i had to do was write the message FOR them in THEIR style, instead of TO them in MY style.

so give it a go and tell me what you think! better yet recommend DISC for your next team-building event. it’s a crowd pleaser & more impactful than any escape room or happy hour.

this wraps up our DISC series, next week we’ll move onto another personality framework & i want your help deciding. please vote below or reply back with other ideas.

until next merry monday,

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

p.p.s. my merry makery stationery store is now open for business to the 🇬🇧 uk & 🇨🇦 canada. can’t wait to make more international merry!