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Business DISC behavior

04 April 2009

As a business coach and mentor working in the Midlands and London, one of the many subjects that I discuss with all my business clients is the different business behaviors and personalities that abound in business, what they all mean and the sort of business behaviour that can be associated with each personality. This article explains the basic types and what they do naturally by default, using the numbers on a clock to identify the relationship with the DISC profile report.

After reading this article you will:

  • know exactly what sorts of behaviour exist in business and how they can be identified
  • have a good idea of the sort of questions you should ask yourself and staff when deciding who to employ
  • recognise that different business processes require different behaviours
  • be able to discover where the gaps are
  • understand better why some processes are working better than others in your company

Business Behaviours

Goal orientated – where are we going (12 o’clock) - hard management

1. Business is assertively responding to Opportunities

  • Regular quarterly meetings, when people bring at least three ideas about new products, systems improvement, waste reduction, labour saving ideas, etc.
  • Ideas do not come out of the blue
  • Positive spin on going forward is present.

2. Pricing and packaging are easily selling the product

  • Customer value metrics are high
  • Imagine why customers are deciding to buy in your favour
  • Quality and price are easily identified

3. Customer satisfaction metrics exceeds targets

  • Critical to success strategy is high
  • 90 day proactive targets are in place
  • End goal is improved customer retention

4. Profitability targets are being met

  • People > Products > Profits are focused upon
  • Immediate and future objectives are balanced

5. Strategic Plan energises the Organization

  • Employees have a sense of direction
  • No-one is complacent
  • Management creates the future state

6. Mission is meaningful to all the Players

  • Where are we going and why
  • Use change as a motivator
  • Everyone is involved
  • All agendas are included


Job and System Orientated – what are the success criteria to help us get there @ 3 o’clock

7. Continuous innovation has been systemised

  • Measure, measure, measure
  • Plan > Do it > Study > Act
  • In house creative process
  • Owner and customer connect

8. Business model is updated on a regular basis

  • Understand how the company creates and adds value
  • See the business model as a complete system
  • Model includes all elements – HR, Marketing, Production, Finance, Admin
  • Great systems ensure success

9. Roles are larger than the Personality

  • See success comes from the job, not the person
  • Every employee needs to know how the job helps them grow
  • Match job specification to the person and not the other way around

10. Systems are in place to execute the key metrics

  • Essential checklist for key players
  • 90 day upgrade forever
  • Insist on self-set goals and self-evaluation

11. Opportunity costs are low

  • Uses risk reduction as a guide
  • Set payback expectations as a guide
  • Forced to be creative by low cost
  • Forces the readiness level to increase


People Orientated – who is involved and what is their motivation @ 6 o’clock

12. Staff are inspired, involved and motivated

  • Managers insist on personal goals
  • Motivation is very apparent
  • Rewards are part of the process

13. The mission is meaningful to all of the players

  • Everybody is involved
  • All agendas are included
  • Change is used as a motivator
  • The mission will offset forces that support the status quo

 

Management Orientated – what are the feedback and control systems that keep company on track @ 9 o’clock)

13. The owner does not micro-manage

  • The vision must be bigger than the owner
  • Who or what is driving the action
  • Asking and listening
  • Business acts as a platform to growth

14. The Enterprise has been operationally failsafed

  • How is the company going
  • What are the systems that pick up on innovation and improvements?
  • How, who, when, where and how is it all being measured, monitored and managed?
  • Control is maintained over success behaviour – assumptions, objectives, planning, resources and processes

15. Sabotage is not occurring within the organisation

  • Sabotage is a symptom created by the absence of X
  • Tends to reflect management’s low attention to group needs