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The Power Playbook: How to Harness the Bases of Organizational Power to Build a Trust-Fueled Workplace
Trust in the workplace is like grease to a wheel—it keeps things running smoothly. From driving more effective communication and …
Most leaders work with a variety of different people with different personalities. Every team member’s personality includes a behavioral style, or a consistent way of doing things, which impacts how they interact, collaborate and respond to leadership.
Leaders who understand the various behavioral styles within their teams have an advantage. They know how to assign tasks that align with an individual’s strengths and preferences, which empowers employees to do their best. They also know how to pair team members who complement each other’s styles to enhance collaboration. Overall, when leaders understand how and why employees act a particular way, they can lead with clarity and intentionality to build a strong, high-performing team.
That said, decoding each employee’s style can be challenging, since human behavior is complex and dynamic. Fortunately, leaders do not have to become psychologists to understand their teams better. Using the DiSC® framework is an excellent way to collect these insights.
DiSC® helps leaders understand team dynamics by grouping common traits into a certain behavioral style. It’s one of the most widely used research-backed assessment tools in the world.
It’s important to note that DiSC® is not a personality test that places a rigid label on someone. Instead, it’s a tool for understanding behavioral preferences so leaders and their team members can communicate and collaborate more effectively.
DiSC® provides a framework for understanding the behavioral tendencies of oneself and others. This understanding can bring many high-value benefits to an organization, including the ability to transform interpersonal conflict into productive collaboration.
In workplaces, conflict rarely arises from a lack of skills. Rather, it’s often the result of misaligned communication styles.
Imagine a team member who values action and quick results, while their colleague prioritizes accuracy and details. Without a framework for understanding these differences, the “speedy” employee might view the detail-oriented team member as “slow.” Meanwhile, the employee who values attention to detail might accuse the other worker of being careless.
By seeing conflict through a DiSC® lens, leaders can resolve issues by helping employees recognize and understand their differences as well as the value each style brings. This understanding lowers tension, increases self-awareness, and helps team members put themselves in each other’s shoes. In other words, when leaders and employees understand the “why” behind each other’s behaviors, they can stop judging each other and instead start working together toward a shared goal.
To truly understand the impact of DiSC®, it helps to know how it works. The framework is based on an assessment that measures where employees land within two dimensions of human behavior. From there, they can be placed into a behavioral style. The dimensions include:
The above dimensions produce the following DiSC® styles:
Understanding each of their team members’ dominant DiSC® style allows leaders to adapt their approach to fit the needs of each employee without losing their authenticity. Adapting isn’t about being “fake” or changing who they are but about temporarily adjusting their communication style to ensure their message gets across. This intentional flexibility helps leaders build trust and reduce friction, and lets them lead teams toward results rather than misunderstandings.
It’s important to note that no style is better than another. All four styles have the power to be extremely beneficial in organizations. Also, no person is completely one style or the other. Instead, everyone is a unique blend of all four styles, with one or two tendencies standing out as dominant.
DiSC® is built on core principles of human behavior that, when understood, can positively change how leaders influence their teams in all situations. Its underlying principles include:
Human behavior is often highly predictable if the observer looks at the specific individual rather than general behavioral trends.
DiSC® simplifies the science of human behavior by focusing on what’s observable, or what people say and do. In a workplace setting, leaders can observe employee behaviors and look for patterns to predict what they’ll do in certain situations. For example, a leader might notice that a particular employee is always the first to speak up in team meetings and tends to focus on big picture ideas rather than small details. If this happens repeatedly, the leader has identified a behavioral pattern indicating this person might be a “D” style. An assessment can help confirm this.
When leaders use DiSC® to anticipate what team members will do, they can plan how they’ll communicate with employees to be the most effective. If a leader knows a “C” employee values accuracy, for example, they can intentionally prepare detailed instructions before assigning a project, rather than give a quick verbal directive. This small adjustment builds trust because the employee feels understood and set up for success.
A common trap organizations fall into is valuing outspoken “dominant” styles while overlooking the quiet, steady ones. Consider that leaders are more likely to think extroverted employees are passionate, even if it’s not true. The principle of equal value emphasizes that a strong organization requires a variety of perspectives and behavioral tendencies to thrive, and no style is better than the other.
Consider a product launch. A leader needs a “D” employee to ensure deadlines are met and the product actually ships. However, if the leader only has “D” styles on their team, they could have some blind spots that might cause them to launch a flawed product. They could benefit from a “C” employee who would carefully check the product’s details and make sure it actually works.
One of the ideas of DiSC® is that everyone has a “home base” or comfort zone, that is, a style that requires the least amount of energy to maintain. However, no one is permanently bound to their default style. Anyone can “stretch” outside of their comfort zone to practice new behaviors to meet the needs of different situations. That’s because human beings are highly adaptable. Scientific research confirms that the neuroplasticity of the brain is capable of forming new neural connections at any age.
Therefore, a leader who is naturally an “S” can learn to exhibit “D” behaviors when a situation demands decisive action. Similarly, a “D” can practice “S” behaviors in situations that call for a calm presence and active listening. While it’s true that stretching requires energy and intention, it’s well worth it if it means improved communication and stronger relationships.
Any type of professional growth requires awareness first. DiSC® increases awareness of self and others by providing a simple framework for identifying specific traits and categorizing behavioral styles, which makes different behavioral preferences easier to understand.
Consider someone who uses DiSC® to learn more about their own behavioral tendencies so they can become a more effective leader. Imagine they discover they lean toward “i” preferences, and with that, struggle to follow up with team members. With that insight, they can take steps to make sure nothing’s overlooked, like scheduling more frequent check-ins. By doing so, they’ll show employees they are reliable and committed to supporting them, winning their trust.
For leaders who want to understand themselves and their teams better, DiSC® is a strategic tool. It provides a clear framework for decoding behaviors so leaders can approach communication and collaboration with greater clarity and intention. As a result, they can help reduce friction, build stronger relationships and improve workplace effectiveness overall.
That said, knowing that DiSC® is available is only the first step. To truly impact your organization, leaders must learn how to apply DiSC® in real-world interactions. The Center for Leadership Studies (CLS) offers Leading With DiSC®, a course designed to help leaders adapt their leadership styles to their team members’ unique DiSC® style. Our course blends the principles of DiSC® with the Situational Leadership® Model, equipping leaders to influence others effectively and drive performance.
Contact us today to enroll your leaders in our Leading With DiSC® course and begin building stronger, higher-performing teams.
