Using the DiSC Assessment and Group Coaching to Develop Leaders

In this issue…

• Using the DiSC Assessment and Group Coaching to Develop Leaders - by Joe Legatz

• Extra Insights- Underrated Career Skills from Russ Kathrein, LBM Journal

• Weekly Motivation Boost - Personal Mastery - Win In Silence - Eddie Pinero

• Action for the Week - Acknowledge & Validate Perspectives When Addressing Conflict

• Together with the Trusted Executive - Insights on Trust-Centered Leadership

🎯 EXPERT OF THE WEEK

📰 Using the DiSC Assessment and Group Coaching to Develop Leaders

By Joe Legatz

The combination of the DiSC assessment and group coaching is a powerful strategy for leadership development. DiSC provides leaders with insights into their behavioral tendencies, communication styles and interpersonal dynamics, while group coaching offers a sharing space to apply these insights in real-world scenarios. The combination of the two is an inside-out method for developing leaders.

Start with the DiSC assessment and individual reflection, then apply the assessment to interpersonal relationships through group discussions.

#1 - Start with Individual DiSC Assessments

Administer the Everything DiSC assessment to participants to identify their behavioral styles (Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness). Allow participants time for introspection. Then use debrief sessions to help participants understand their profiles, including strengths, challenges and blind spots. This creates a foundation of self-awareness for each leader.

#2 - Facilitate Group Coaching Sessions

Use the results of the DiSC assessments to design group coaching sessions that address common leadership challenges such as communication, conflict resolution and team dynamics. Encourage participants to share their profiles with the group to encourage transparency and mutual understanding. This helps each leader better understand the impact their style has on others and opens the door to seeing different perspectives.

#3 - Create a Shared Language

Leverage the DiSC framework as a common language for discussing behaviors and interactions within the group. This happens more naturally over time: without even being prompted, participants start to identify the primary style of colleagues who are not attending the group coaching session. This helps participants better understand and adapt to others’ styles.

Activities for Leadership Development

In the group coaching setting, use these activities to leverage DiSC for leadership development. These are just a few examples.

• Self-Awareness & Reflection

  • Personal DiSC Badge: Have participants create badges that display their primary DiSC style along with keywords or symbols that represent their leadership traits. This activity promotes self-reflection and helps others quickly identify each style.

    

    Courtesy Discprofile.com

  • Storytelling Session: Ask participants to share personal stories that illustrate how their DiSC style has influenced their leadership decisions or interactions. A powerful variation on this is to have them share personal stories, then tell each other’s story as if it was their own.

• Team Dynamics

  • DiSC Role Play: Simulate workplace scenarios where participants act out their leadership style. For example, a leader with a "D" style might demonstrate how they handle high-pressure decision-making.

  • Build-a-Team Exercise: Assign roles in a hypothetical project based on DiSC styles. Afterward, discuss how each style contributed to the team's success or challenges.

• Communication

  • DiSC Communication Swap: Pair participants with opposing styles (example: D with S) and ask them to discuss how they would approach a specific real-life situation using each other’s communication preferences.

  • Feedback Carousel: Rotate partners and practice giving feedback tailored to different DiSC styles. This helps leaders adapt their feedback approach based on individual needs.

• Conflict Resolution

  • Conflict Mapping: Analyze past conflicts within teams by identifying how different DiSC styles contributed to misunderstandings or resolutions. Discuss strategies for preventing similar issues in the future.

  • Style Mediation: Role-play mediating conflicts using insights from each participant’s DiSC profile.

Benefits of Using DiSC and Group Coaching

The benefits of using DiSC and coaching to develop leaders are numerous.

1. Enhanced Self-Awareness: Leaders gain a deeper understanding of their communication preferences, strengths and areas for growth.

2. Improved Team Collaboration: Understanding team members’ behavioral styles help leaders develop stronger relationships, assign roles effectively and build cohesive teams that leverage each person’s strengths.

3. Tailored Leadership Development: Leaders can apply personalized strategies based on their unique DiSC profiles while learning from each others’ experiences.

4. Conflict Resolution Skills: Leaders learn to navigate conflict by recognizing the behavioral drivers behind disagreements and adapting their approach.

5. Sustainable Growth: Ongoing coaching paired with actionable insights from DiSC encourages continuous development rather than one-time learning experiences.

Integrate DiSC assessments with group coaching to create a dynamic learning environment where leaders not only grow individually but also contribute more effectively to the team’s success. Structured activities and discussions help embed these lessons into daily leadership practices, encouraging long-term growth and adaptability.

_Sources:

_{https://www.discprofiles4u.com/blog/2023/disc-team-building-games/}

_{https://neillieleadershipgroup.com/disc-leadership-assessment/}

_{https://www.discprofiles4u.com/blog/2024/using-disc-assessments-to-coach-your-team-effectively/}

💡EXTRA INSIGHTS

Underrated Career Skills

From Russ Kathrein - LBM Journal

5-Minute Read

🏅WEEKLY MOTIVATION BOOST

Personal Mastery - Win In Silence - Eddie Pinero

15-Minute Clip

🏃🏽‍♀️Action for the Week

Acknowledge & Validate Perspectives When Addressing Conflict

💡 Think about a conflict or tension you are avoiding with another person. Prepare for that exchange by understanding what their perspective may be and how you can validate the emotion they feel.

Whether right or wrong, the person’s perspective matters, just as yours does. When we feel our opinions are not understood or validated, it creates tension and conflict. Disarming that conflict in a conversation is most easily achieved through validation, even with something as simple as, “You seem frustrated about the way this came about.” Give them an opportunity to be understood.

Preparing for those difficult conversations, and practicing them, helps ease those moments.

💎 TOGETHER WITH THE TRUSTED EXECUTIVE

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