Personal Profile Inventory

Personal Profile Inventory 1

Personal Profile Inventory: DiSC Reflection

Jaclyn Bober K363- Collaboration Dr. Melissa Keller September 23, 2008

Personal Profile Inventory 2 The DiSC Personal Profile Inventory’s purpose is to provide individuals with an understanding of their behaviors and personal characteristics. These attributes are placed in categories by letter. There is Dominance (D), Influence (I), Steadiness (S) and Conscientiousness (C). Under each of these dimensions there are various tendencies that an individual within this category may portray. The inventory works by answering a series of personality based questions. After responding to the questions a DiSC profile (graph) is created. Each individual will have their own profile, but may tend to have a letter and classical pattern which stands out. It should be noted that each person has an array of tendencies, and the letter and specific profile provided may not represent each person perfectly. The reason for completing this profile is to be aware of tendencies one may have, to work to build on existing strengths and developing areas which will be referred to as overused strengths. Through analyzing the information given in the DiSC test, I will look at my letter profile and classical pattern to gather a better understanding of my own personality tendencies. When creating my DiSC profile, my graph expressed a “high I”, meaning that I shared most characteristics with those in the Influence category. According to Resources Unlimited (2001), I am described as a person who places emphasis on “shaping the environment by influencing and persuading others” (p. 7). I often try to persuade others through socialization, while I may not bluntly come out and announce what my intentions are. In addition to influencing people, I have the tendency to participate in groups, entertain others, bring people together, and remain optimistic and enthusiastic (p. 7). Within my environment I seek recognition for my abilities. I make a point to go the extra mile to help others and to be on top of my game, and I look for the approval and recognition of others. Furthermore, I enjoy helping

Personal Profile Inventory 3 others, even when my help may not be warranted. I thrive in social situations and I am the first to volunteer my time or efforts in and out of group settings. When participating in a group I am the idea maker. I start the ball rolling with the big ideas, but need others to implement them. My ideas may be unrealistic to the task at hand, and others in the group are needed to “take the logical approach” (Resources Unlimited 2001). Moreover, due to the fact that I seek the approval of others, I have a hard time making decisions. This can often lead to procrastination and poor management skills. As a result of my indecisiveness, enthusiasm and ideas, I tend to get off track and cannot control time. I often put too much time into something small, and then feel the pressure when the larger aspects are not completed. I am, however, very organized and the first to let other people know what is going on. Since my social personality and helpful nature are dominant for being a “high I”, according to Resources Unlimited (2001), my personal profile is closely related to the Promoter Pattern. Within the Promoter Pattern, it is stated that this type of personality influences others through praise and optimism, encourages people and teams, judges others by their verbal skills, has an extensive social network, and thrive in social atmospheres like meetings and conferences (p. 18). Looking at the information given, I agree that I do often use praise and optimism, almost too much. It is an overused strength when these reinforcements are given too often, and may become less meaningful. This attribute coincides with the goal of seeking approval of others. The willingness to please others, over compensating with praise and the need for social recognition moves towards this Promoter goal. As a Promoter, I thrive in the social atmosphere. I agree that I do my best work when I am working and leading others. Although this is an atmosphere where I feel most comfortable, I

Personal Profile Inventory 4 do tend to get lost in it. In accordance to Resources Unlimited (2001), the Promoter “would increase effectiveness though control of time” (p. 18). I agree with this statement, and within social settings time management does become an issue with the amount of chatter that I produce. It is something that I personally need to have more control over to have a successful professional meeting. In a school setting, which would be my personal professional setting, I am able to make contacts and form relationships well. Within the DiSC test, Resources Unlimited (2001) states that promoters “have access to the people who can help them” (p. 18), an attribute I feel that is important for being a teacher. With the ability to meet people, form connections and have access to the “right” people, the teams that I work with have a networked advocate. When someone is in the position to call in a favor, or know who to call when they need help, they are at an advantage. Having the knack for charming people and making contacts can be used to my advantage. Despite the fact that having a large social network can be a benefit to me, and the teams which I am a part of, it can also lead to unneeded pressure. Lending out favors and taking everyone else’s work onto my shoulders can be stressful. According to the Promoter patter, this profile deals with stress in an unorganized and careless way. This is a part of the profile which does not fit my personality. When under pressure, I become more organized and structured than I normally am. I start to make lists, piles and make sure that each detail is accounted for. In some ways I could see myself becoming emotionally disorganized when the stress is personal, but professional stress makes me assertive and structured. When working within teams, I can assume the leadership position or the role that picks up the loose ends. Being prepared and having a social network allows me to be the team member

Personal Profile Inventory 5 that knows how to work within the system. An example of this was when a group created a Rosa Parks storybook. While I am not the most art advanced student, I was able to organize the books pages, make sure that everything was in the correct order, all detailed items were present and that each group member had completed their portion of the project. Furthermore, because of my job and the people that I know in the School of Education Library, I was able to use their supplies, and have first pick of the books which were needed. These connections and the attention to arrangement made me a more valuable team member. When working with any group, it is important for me to recognize that the leadership role may not always be mine. There are other personalities which are more dominant than my own, or the person may have seniority. Thus, I have been in assistive type positions. For three years I was the assistant head coach of a youth tennis program. The head coach was a Dominant (D) personality, which caused the occasional conflict between coaches. As a “high I” (Resources Unlimited 2001), I was able to work with my boss, but still teach the students as I wished. I complied with his lessons and worked with his rules, but I also modified drills to make them my own. When he saw that my players were encouraged to try their best, excited to come to tennis and were improving in their skills, I received recognition and more freedom during my lessons. He still felt that he was in control of the situation, and I did not feel the strain of someone constantly breathing down my neck. When leaving an assistant type role and becoming a supervisor, or in an educational sense, the teacher, I am encouraging to others. I make the extra effort to help students and other teachers I may be collaborating with. As stated by Resources Unlimited (2001), the Promoter profile “creates enthusiasm” within group settings, a quality which can be powerful within the classroom. On the same level of enthusiasm is encouragement. While teaching I notice that I use

Personal Profile Inventory 6 praise too frequently. I am constantly saying “Good job!” “Awesome!” or raising my hand for a high-five. I realize that this is a form of overusing praise, and thus overusing reinforcements. Overtime, this excessive use of praise has less meaning than it had originally. Either way, while in a supervisor position I have my strengths and there are things that I need to work on. Every personality has its strong points and areas which could use development, and mine is no different. Being an Influencer and a Promoter I excel at getting people together and making connections. When someone needs a favor or an idea, I am a great person to come to. I understand that I have these positive qualities, but recognizing that in me is not enough. I need other people to approve the things that I do. As a result of needing this support, I lend myself out too much. I can spread my time so thin that all of the promises that I make cannot be completed. Also, with all of the ideas which I throw out, some may be unrealistic or I may not follow through. Although I am organized and live a structured lifestyle, I need other people around me to feel help me follow through. By using the DiSC assessment I am better able to see these qualities which I possess and use that knowledge to become a better professional.

Personal Profile Inventory 7 Works Cited

Resources Unlimited. (2001) DiSC classic: Personal profile system 2800. Minneapolis: Inscape Publishing.