Regardless of what your family business focuses on, people are guaranteed to be at the heart of what you do, which is why it’s essential to understand these individuals’ full, unleashed potential.
To do so, you can utilize the Everything DiSC® assessment, which examines where individuals are within the four behavioral types: dominance, influence, steadiness, and conscientiousness. Let’s dive into the specifics of the Everything DiSC® assessment and find out why this assessment matters.
The Everything DiSC® Assessment
Each person embodies a mix of all four DiSC styles, though typically one, two, or even three styles are more prominent. This creates a unique behavioral profile for each individual, characterized by distinct styles and priorities. No single style holds superiority over others. We recognize the immense value of these style differences. By understanding and leveraging them, we can foster improved workplace communication and cultivate healthier organizations.
Dominance: ‘D’ style individuals strive to compete, win, and succeed. They emphasize action, challenge themselves, and achieve their goals. These individuals are typically strong-willed and outspoken and fear being seen as vulnerable.
Influence: ‘I’ style individuals like to be recognized, participate in groups, and engage in numerous relationships. They collaborate with others, express enthusiasm, and enjoy taking action. These individuals are often warm and optimistic and fear rejection and the loss of influence.
Steadiness: ‘S’ style individuals prioritize cooperation, supporting others, and appreciation. They can be described as consistent and calm and value loyalty. These individuals love helping those around them but fear change and letting people down.
Conscientiousness: ‘C’ styles individuals strive to gain knowledge, produce quality work, and ensure accuracy. They are careful and analytical individuals who fear being wrong and facing criticism. ‘C’ styles maintain stability and enjoy challenging broad assumptions.
Family Businesses & Everything DiSC®
Families and businesses are complex systems. Therefore, family businesses can sometimes face more challenges than non-family businesses. It can be difficult for family members to switch between familial and professional business relationships, which is where the Everything DiSC® assessment comes in as a helpful tool.
Communicating with family members is the key to a healthy relationship and a strong business. Suppose each family member explores their own and each other’s behavioral styles and preferences using the Everything DiSC® assessment results. In that case, they understand each others’ tendencies and weave this knowledge into their interactions.
The Everything DiSC® assessment results allow family members to avoid sensitive topics and understand each family member’s unique ways of thinking, values, fears, motivators, stressors, and methods of communication. Delegating work based on Everything DiSC® results allows teams to work well together, like a well-oiled machine, with each member fulfilling a role that perfectly suits their needs.
The Everything DiSC® assessment fosters a particular language that family businesses can use to communicate with each team member.
For example:
- A dominant behavior would likely prefer clear, direct feedback, as they enjoy taking action and challenging themselves with their strong-willed demeanor.
- In contrast, conscientious behavior would typically prefer a kind and appreciative critique of their work, as they are careful, methodical individuals who fear criticism.
Understanding how certain team members communicate, think, and behave allows for positive workplace interactions and boosts collaboration in a new and improved light.
It Really Works
Over the years, millions of individuals have adopted the language of Everything DiSC®. Simultaneously, many businesses, especially family businesses, have also used the Everything DiSC® assessment to improve company-wide communication.
For example, Saline Lectronics, an electronic contract manufacturer, faced productivity issues and turned to the Everything DiSC® assessment for help. After just six months, they claimed each manager’s awareness of their communication styles had improved drastically and that they’ve used their results to truly understand the dynamics within their team.
Next Steps
The Everything DiSC® assessment may be swift and easy, but it opens the gateway to years of enhanced communication and understanding of yourself and others. In just 10 minutes, your family business’ productivity, morale, and communication can be completely transformed. Contact us today to learn more about the Everything DiSC® assessment and how it may help you better understand your family business.
