I had the privilege of Coaching three Vice-Presidents of an USA company which provides traditional and innovative environmental and infrastructure solutions around the world.
The first phase of this process lasted for 3 months. It began with an introductory session covering the DiSC framework and exploring how it can benefit both individuals and organizational teams. Thereafter the Team completed their assessments online and received their comprehensive reports. One-on-one coaching sessions followed, where each of the three VPs were able to explore the 2 DiSC graphs and their descriptive profiles.
Thereafter the team met together to study their strength areas as well as areas of potential risk. Meeting together helped them to explore the dynamics of leading together as well as the strengths each of them bring to the leadership team. They were able to verify each others’ descriptors in the report by examining real-life work scenarios. They also received some practical tools to help them with personal development as well as improve employee engagement.
In this phase their profiles were also plotted on the Team Wheel and we vlooked at the overall leadership dynamic of the team, the resulting organizational culture as well as any potential areas of growth for the leadership team. There were many aha moments as they were able to understand the unique strengths each of them brought to the table as well as encourage each other to develop their strengths as super-strengths. In a sense I was no longer the coach, but rather a facilitator helping a peer-coaching process.
In the next phase some of the areas the Leadership Team is exploring to continue the process using DiSC Coaching are:
- IMPROVING LEADERSHIP TEAM PERFORMANCE
- SMOOTH SUCCESSION PLANNING
- ENHANCING COLLABORATIVE CULTURE
- DEVELOP STRONGER, MORE PRODUCTIVE TEAMS
- SUSTAINING BUSINESS GROWTH PLANS
This is what one of the VPs said:
“It was also good how you used some specific well known individuals as case studies to demonstrate the different characteristics, this gave the evaluation more context for the real world. It is helpful to show how there are many successful people in the world with very different DISC profiles. People can be successful and effective managers regardless of their behavior profile. It was important that you emphasized that there are no right or wrong characteristics, although individuals who exhibit strength in one style can present “stress” when trying to work towards expectations.The comparison between who I am and what is expected of me at work was interesting to reflect on. It helps identify the areas where I need to focus. I agree with the list of my strengths but I’m not sure I would have been able to articulate all of them before the assessment. It is also good to look at the strengths because it is human nature to focus on weaknesses. Examining the potential risks were helpful as well.”
DiSC is a personal assessment tool used by more than one million people every year to help improve teamwork, communication, and productivity in the workplace. The DiSC model provides a common language people can use to better understand themselves and those they interact with—and then use this knowledge to reduce conflict and improve working relationships. DiSC is an acronym that stands for the four main personality profiles described in the DiSC model: (D)ominance, (i)nfluence, (S)teadiness and (C)onscientiousness. DiSC assessments are used in thousands of organizations around the world, from sprawling government agencies and Fortune 500 companies to nonprofits and small businesses.
Working through the comprehensive report which is assessment-generated, makes the coaching process data-based and quite objective, eliminating the need to ask hundreds of exploratory questions. The report gives an accurate description of both the coachee’s personal behavior style as well as their adapted behavior responding to their perceived current environment.
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Paul Navamani
Director LEADERSHIP IN ACTION (PVT) LTD | ||||
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