Give DiSC Learners A Fair Chance
Jerome Consulting is asked this question frequently:
Can DiSC be "done" in a few hours? Yes. Has it? Yes. Should it? NO!
Here's why...
Determine the purpose of your DiSC training, by deciding:
A. LEVEL OF LEARNING
1. Awareness (1-2 hours of training to achieve success, on average)
2. Knowledge (3-4 hours)
3. Understanding (6-8 hours)
4. Skill (8+ hours)
We're assuming you want learners to achieve LEVEL 3 or more.
B. STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT
1. Internal (self-awareness)
2. Interpersonal (recognizing and respecting differences of others)
3. Team (communicating and working more effectively with others)
4. Organizational (influencing others, e.g., without authority)
5. External
(applying DiSC for business results w/ customers, suppliers, etc.)
We're assuming you want learners to achieve STAGE 3 of more.
Conclusion: Organizations can only achieve an Awareness Level Of Learning, & an Internal Stage Of Development, with 1-2 hours of DiSC training. This falls very short of the greater purpose & potential of DiSC.
Avoid Common Mistakes
Doing DiSC in only 1-2 hours is the most common mistake made by inexperienced DiSC facilitators. No question you’ll find someone who will say “yes,” but if you ask them about the serious considerations we're covering in this weblog, you’ll soon see why. They simply don't get it.
A quick, limited, and short-sighted approach can do much more damage than help, especially if its "sold" as “fast and fun team building.” Participants of inadequate briefings often "learn" misleading generalizations, hurtful stereotypes, and/or complete misunderstandings about DiSC. They leave without respect for style differences, and without a practical understanding of how to apply this knowledge on the job.
Worse yet, ineffective behaviors are actually reinforced by inadequate learning. You’ve heard it, and we've seen it: A poorly-trained participant says, "Sorry for being blunt, but I’m a D. I can't help myself. So, get over it.” Or, “You can’t do anything fast since you’re an S.” Bad programming in. Bad processing out. Damage done.
Sure, primary “i” and “D” learners may often push for less time up front (until they experience the whole program), but primary “S” and “C” learners often suffer with a rushed and inadequate approach. And, as you know, the most common DiSC styles for some of our most loyal and sophisticated professionals are primary “S and/or C.” This includes large majorities of engineers, scientists, & professionals in customer service, accounting, manufacturing, administration, R&D, etc.
Furthermore, primary "C" and "D" devil's advocates, skeptics, and those that assumed DiSC would be "light-weight" have their preconceived ideas reinforced by shallow introductions. Comments like, "It's like a horoscope" and "It puts people in a box" are often the result. Now, your uphill battle is steeper.
Apply DiSC At Your Organization
Jerome Consulting's clients have offered 1 full-day program (8 hours) to all employees at all levels. When time challenged, they have arranged for 2 half-days (4 hours each) over several weeks, to allow for deeper understanding and skill development, knowledge retention, on-the-job application, and follow up. And, when time constraints are tightest, a full-day program is scheduled into 4 two-hour blocks spread throughout a month.
Our clients have also agreed not to short change employee learning based on their job title (i.e., They avoid giving leaders a full-day of training, and everyone else just a few hours.). We’ve been retained to offer an 8-hour approach with hourly, administrative staff, professionals & executives worldwide, so "leaders at all levels" receive similar messages, learning & value.
Our clients proper, enlightened approach also provides today’s multicultural and multigenerational professionals a direct and value-added benefit. Yes, cultural and generational differences will arise within the program, and we address them directly (e.g., A primary “D” from New York may act very differently then a primary “D” from Tokyo or Bengaluru; A 55-year-old primary “S” may act very differently than a 25-year-old primary “S”).
Jerome Consulting has been applying DiSC worldwide since 1979. We recommend "experience training DiSC with multicultural/multigenerational participants" as another key decision criteria when selecting a DiSC facilitator.
We encourage you to read our Testimonials from clients who participated in our full-day program, "Influencing For Business Results." They have a completely enhanced understanding of and new-found appreciation for DiSC as a valuable business tool for all levels of the organization.
Regarding DiSC business applications, "Influencing For Business Results" is packed with customized, real-world case applications for immediate on-the-job transfer of learning. If other DiSC facilitators don’t demonstrate how DiSC directly applies to your participants’ jobs, look elsewhere.
Take Talent Development Seriously
In summary, if someone requests "a quick and fun 1-2 hour DiSC team building experience," we strongly recommend you patiently educate them on the full purpose and potential of DiSC, explain the risks of an inadequate briefing, and offer workable options to meet their needs.
If he/she still insists on the 1-2 hour time constraint, respectfully decline. We would. Quickly. And we'd be more certain that our Approach does not align with theirs. They're not looking for a strategic business partner in Talent Development. They're looking for a "light" entertainer. Hire a clown?
During these challenging, recessionary times, we must focus more on how we're spending everyone's time and money. We must stop supporting wastefully inadequate high-risk low-return training efforts. We must be smarter to get more with less, and avoid the novice trap of getting less with less. The ROI for your organization's Talent Development efforts must be high.
Jerome Consulting hopes that you seriously consider your time constraints, purpose, needs of your target audience, and DiSC facilitator, when introducing DiSC to your organization.
Give DiSC — and any other powerful learning tool that you may introduce within your organization — a fair chance to be properly learned & fully applied. Position DiSC as a cultural initiative with proper Sustaining Mechanisms, not just an assessment & training program. Give your learners a fair chance to be successful. Give your organization the ROI it needs, and deserves.
Please contact us if you are interested in learning more about DiSC.
DiSC®, Everything DiSC®, and Everything DiSC® Workplace® are registered trademarks of Inscape Publishing, Inc.