I had heard of the DISC personality test from some colleagues in the OD field, but had never taken it myself. Students in my OB course are teaching a class on personality on Monday and they have asked us to take two personality tests - the Big 5 and the DISC. We took my personal favorite, the MBTI, last week. I'm working with a group now that favors the SDI - which I have never taken, but would like to at some point.
I like personality tests, even the ones that ask stupid stuff like, "What kind of ice cream are you?" The reason I like them is they are great for starting conversations (which you will see from the Big 5, I really like). The main limitation of any self-report tool like these is the data source - meaning you. How accurate these are depends on 1) how self-aware you actually are and 2) how important it is for you to answer truthfully. I've tried to answer as truthfully as I can.
I think as leaders, the process of self-reflection is critical. These tools are useful for stimulating self-reflection, and so they are very valuable. Except may the ice cream flavor type ones.
A trick for overcoming the two errors I mentioned above is to have a couple of people whom you trust and who know you well take the test as if they were you. Sometimes they can help you gain real insight.
DISC
Free version of the DISC: https://www.123test.com/disc-personality-test/
For the DISC, my results were Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, Compliance.
I have to say, the results were pretty close to how I look at myself.
"You have a strong inner motivation to influence people and circumstances. You thrive on competitive situations and challenging assignments. The stresses and pressures of everyday work and life are unlikely to reduce your effectiveness and enthusiasm."
Some descriptors:
I like personality tests, even the ones that ask stupid stuff like, "What kind of ice cream are you?" The reason I like them is they are great for starting conversations (which you will see from the Big 5, I really like). The main limitation of any self-report tool like these is the data source - meaning you. How accurate these are depends on 1) how self-aware you actually are and 2) how important it is for you to answer truthfully. I've tried to answer as truthfully as I can.
I think as leaders, the process of self-reflection is critical. These tools are useful for stimulating self-reflection, and so they are very valuable. Except may the ice cream flavor type ones.
A trick for overcoming the two errors I mentioned above is to have a couple of people whom you trust and who know you well take the test as if they were you. Sometimes they can help you gain real insight.
DISC
Free version of the DISC: https://www.123test.com/disc-personality-test/
For the DISC, my results were Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, Compliance.
I have to say, the results were pretty close to how I look at myself.
"You have a strong inner motivation to influence people and circumstances. You thrive on competitive situations and challenging assignments. The stresses and pressures of everyday work and life are unlikely to reduce your effectiveness and enthusiasm."
Some descriptors:
- goal orientated and want to be recognised for their efforts.
- aim high, want authority and are generally resourceful and adaptable.
- are usually self-sufficient and individualistic.
- may lose interest in projects once the challenge has gone and they tend to be impatient and dissatisfied with minor detail.
- are strongly interested in meeting and being with people.
- are generally optimistic, outgoing, and socially skilled. (not sure about that last one - I said pretty close)
- are quick at establishing relationships. (not sure about this one, but I try)
- tend to enjoy change and variety in their work and non-work life. (absolutely.)
- are expansive by nature and tend not to like routine and repetitive work/activities.
- are independent and uninhibited. (sometimes to a fault)
- resent rules and restrictions. (really have a hard time following rules - not necessarily intentional)
- prefer to be measured by results and are always willing to try the untried. (yes and I do a lot of weird stuff)
Big 5
I've done the Big 5 before, but I didn't save the results. Here are my results with some comments, along with what I think are the downsides of my scores:
Open-Mindedness
High scorers tend to be original, creative, curious, complex; Low scorers tend to be conventional, down to earth, narrow interests, uncreative.
You enjoy having novel experiences and seeing things in new ways. (Your
percentile: 98)
Comment: I think this is accurate. Or at least, it is how I see myself. I try a lot of things and I really love trying new things. Downside of this is that I get bored easily and tend to seek change for change's sake.
Conscientiousness
High scorers tend to be reliable, well-organized, self-disciplined, careful; Low scorers tend to be disorganized, undependable, negligent.
You are neither organized or disorganized. (Your percentile: 44)
Comment: I think this is probably a bit low vs. how I actually behave. I'm sloppy, I am not especially organized, but I have very reliable, and feel very badly when I don't follow through on something I have promised to do. I generally have issue with the fact that they lump together things like neatness and reliability. The questions seem to point toward anal retentiveness rather than how I think of conscientiousness.
Extraversion
High scorers tend to be sociable, friendly, fun loving, talkative; Low scorers tend to be introverted, reserved, inhibited, quiet.
You are extremely outgoing, social, and energetic. (Your percentile: 90)
Comment: I think of myself as a quiet extrovert, meaning I don't care for big crowds, don't flit about aimlessly, but do really like being sociable.
Agreeableness
High scorers tend to be good natured, sympathetic, forgiving, courteous; Low scorers tend to be critical, rude, harsh, callous.
You tend to consider the feelings of others. (Your percentile: 65)
Comment: I think this is about right. The weakness here is that I am sometimes a bit of a pushover.
Negative Emotionality
High scorers tend to be nervous, high-strung, insecure, worrying; Low scorers tend to be calm, relaxed, secure, hardy.
You are a generally anxious person and tend to worry about things. (Your percentile: 87)
Comment: I do think of myself as higher on the anxiety scale, but I don't think I would be in the top 1/8th of the population. I suspect people tend to over report this response, meaning, the more anxious you are, the more anxious you perceive yourself to be. So I would guess my true score is in the low 70's. That's a weakness I have had my whole life. Sometimes I can channel it to motivate myself; sometimes it just kicks my ass.
saving my result here: https://www.outofservice.com/bigfive/results/?o=100,100,100&c=25,81,63&e=75,88,69&a=88,75,44&n=69,50,81&y=1970&g=m
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