After twenty years working alongside sports organizations, I’ve noticed some key trends as I transitioned from playing on the field to now consulting athletes and teams. Collegiate teams place so much energy on managing personalities on and off the field, it’s important to remember, it’s more than just a game. Teams are constantly searching for ways to leverage their teams’ strengths while reducing the learning gaps. Meanwhile coaches are simultaneously recruiting and onboarding new athletes. It’s no secret, identifying new athletes’ and new coaches’ strengths and how to leverage them takes time. In certain cases, it could take an entire season just to understand that individual. 

Fortunately, these teams are beginning to implement systems that drastically decrease the learning curve. It also helps them recruit ideal athletes without worrying about putting on the dog and pony show for recruits and their families only to realize they...

The C stands for Cautious. Your preference for established protocol / standards. Listen closely, EVERYONE needs a C on their team. While I’m confident some of you just read “listen closely” and paused for a second. It’s highly likely a C  just thought to themself, “I’m reading, why in the world would he write listen closely?”. 

C’s are highly detailed oriented and structured.I like to compare C’s to Robocop, completely ruled by logic not emotion. You will never sell them on an idea based on the experience they’ll have, always support every statement with facts. They’re systematic in their approach, striving for perfection in all that they do. This can result in nothing being done on time because they don’t operate in a mindset of better before best, they pride themselves on perfection not an attempt of it.

It’s not unusual for a high C to receive a deadline and miss it without a concern. To them...

The S stands for Stabilizing. How you tend to pace things in your environment. Contrary to both the D & I, the pace of a high S is typically more steady and consistent. In my personal opinion, these individuals are the most misunderstood people in the world. They can't be read by their facial expression; keeping the standard straight face regardless of what's going on. 

Last year, I spoke to a college football team about Life after the Game. During the speech I noticed an athlete in the room that was unmoved during my presentation (so I thought). By observing his body language, I assumed that he was counting down the minutes to when the speech was over. After my speech, I noticed that he would slowly walk near me and then go back to practicing.  During a break in practice, he finally walked over and asked to speak with me after practice. Not only did we spend two hours talking after practice, he asked the most engaging questions out of everyone I spoke with. 

He...

The I stands for Interactiveness. Measuring how you tend to interact with others and share opinions. As a high I, these individuals have yet to meet a stranger. They have no problem approaching anyone to discuss anything. These individuals have a knack for being persuasive; others may notice them by their gregarious ways and the energy they bring  to any room. 

Expect them to embrace all things that allow for an amazing experience. Contrary to a D who may focus on the problem, an I won't allow that energy to enter their space. They breathe optimism and easily lose interest in those that take life too seriously. 

There’s no such thing as a dream too big for an I. If they’re not self aware, they won’t notice their urge to jump on the next big idea. Resulting in a ton of open projects and no results to show for it. 

When communicating with an I, it’s beneficial to paint a picture for them. Be open-minded to their ideas and goals while...

The D stands for Decisiveness. It measures how you tend to approach problems and make decisions. A high D is solution-based; they will stop at nothing to identify and SOLVE the problem. It’s common to confuse a high D with being ”negative” or seen as someone that's “always focused on the problem” when in reality, it’s the complete opposite. 

Picture and imagine a firefighter that smells smoke. This firefighter begins to aggressively search every room to identify where the smoke is coming from. When he or she enters the room, they discover that a small fire has started. After extinguishing the fire, they think to themself “had I not been quick to identify the problem and put out the fire, the entire building would've caught fire.” I don’t think you’d find one person to disagree with that firefighter. 

Now let's take this same scenario, but only change one thing. After the firefighter’s aggressive search, they...

The DISC has resurged as one of the most popular tools amongst organizations, schools, sales, sports teams, and entrepreneurs. The amount of self-proclaimed experts that are eager to coach and consult anyone willing to pay them has also increased. This has resulted in the coaching equivalence of malpractice. Without accurately reading and comprehending results from clients’ assessments, these self-proclaimed experts are telling clients that they either need to change who they are or retake the assessment.  My sole purpose in these articles is to create awareness and understanding so that you’re able to identify the proper coach for you.

Studies have been performed throughout history on both the top successful individuals in their industries and on those who aren't. These studies identified two major factors that contributed to their results, which is the ability to be Self-Aware and Authentic. The DISC is one of three tools that allows you to become one step closer...

The DISC is resurfacing as one of the most used tools amongst athletic organizations, corporations, classrooms and individuals. Founded in 1922 by Dr. William Marston, he’s known as the “Father of DISC”. He’s also responsible for the creation of polygraph test and Wonder Woman.

Since 1922, the DISC has yet to change. What has changed in large numbers is the ease of accessibility to the public. This ease of access has allowed a new sense of confidence in self proclaimed gurus that have not taken the time to master their craft before going out and trying to sell their new found knowledge to the masses. 

As a consumer who may be looking to learn more about the assessment and help take them to the next level. Allow me to equip you with what to be on the lookout for.

• People who can’t effectively explain what the DISC is utilized for.
  
  • The DISC measures behaviors. In your natural and adaptive state, your tendencies and how you prefer to use them. It...