A Language for EQ: DISC

The following is adapted from Solving the People Problem.

Imagine you went to China and you couldn’t speak or read the language. Although you may be incredibly eager to engage with the culture and the people who live there, it would be almost impossible to do so on any deep level without a shared vocabulary from which to work.

This is the problem we face with emotional intelligence (EQ). EQ is twice as important as either your technical skills or IQ in driving outstanding work performance, and a study by TalentSmart found that it accounts for 58 percent of job success. 

Even though we know EQ is important, we don’t always know how to talk about it. And just as a language barrier presents obstacles on a visit to China, without a language for EQ, you’ll struggle to develop your emotional intelligence. 

This is where the DISC model comes in. DISC provides a language to discuss EQ, opening you up to greater understanding and development of EQ.

The Power of Language

The need for an EQ language can’t be underestimated. For years, linguists have recognized that the languages we speak influence how we think and what we think about. Studies have shown that when we don’t have the words to describe a phenomenon, we often can’t even see it.

Take colors. Linguists have found that people who speak languages with more words for various colors can actually see more colors because of that more extensive vocabulary. For instance, those who are bilingual in English and Greek may recognize more shades of blue than those who speak English alone, simply because the Greek language uses multiple words for the color.

Similarly, in a study reported in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, the same researcher, Professor Panos Athanasopoulos, concluded that “by learning a new language, you suddenly become attuned to perceptual dimensions that you weren’t aware of before.” Their findings support “a growing body of evidence demonstrating the ease with which language can creep into our most basic senses, including our emotions, our visual perception, and our sense of time.”

Over the course of our work with thousands of teams and individuals, we’ve seen many people become more attuned to the elements of emotional intelligence after learning the language of DISC. Having that language helps people perceive realities they simply might not have been able to see before. 

Beyond perception, the language of DISC also makes it much easier to communicate around these concepts. After all, even if we could identify the various dimensions of emotional intelligence through intuition without the aid of words, how would we communicate those insights to others? So much of emotional intelligence revolves around relationships, so being able to communicate these concepts is critical.

The DISC Language

DISC provides us with a language about personality—as well as a visual guide—to explain how our varied personalities interact with one another. With DISC, we can immediately see why contrasting preferences and motivations lead to vastly different decisions and behaviors.

One of the great benefits of DISC is that the language is incredibly simple to understand. DISC starts by placing all personalities into a set of four broad categories: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness. 

Those whose personalities fall into the D style are often outspoken and results focused. They make sure their voices are heard in meetings and that something is accomplished by the time those meetings end. 

I-personalities are usually very relationship focused. They’re enthusiastic, friendly, upbeat, and talkative.

An S-personality is usually on the quieter side. Very friendly like their I-style counterparts, they are warm, accepting, and concerned for how everyone is doing. If someone is having a hard day, an S-personality will be there with a shoulder to lean on. 

C-personalities, on the other hand, tend to keep to themselves. They are often critical thinkers. They may not always be the life of the party, but when you want a complicated project done right, you can usually go to them.

This is just the broad-strokes overview—EQ Language 101, if you will. You can dive deeper into DISC and get into more nuance, but this easy-to-follow framework is already a great tool for upgrading your emotional intelligence. It allows you to better understand your own tendencies as well as those of people around you.  

Applying DISC in the Workplace

If you learn a foreign language but never speak it, you’ll probably never become fluent. Similarly, for DISC to best serve you as a language for EQ, you need to apply it in the workplace.

Start by estimating your own DISC style.

First, do you consider yourself more questioning and skeptical or more accepting and warm? If you consider yourself more questioning and skeptical, you will fall to the left half of the DISC wheel, putting you as either a D or C style. If you consider yourself more accepting and warm, you will fall to the right half of the DISC wheel, as either an I or S style.

Now, do you consider yourself more fast-paced and outspoken or more cautious and reflective? If you consider yourself more fast-paced and outspoken, you will fall to the upper half of the DISC wheel—either a D or I style. If you consider yourself more cautious and reflective, you will fall to the lower half of the DISC wheel, as either a C or S style.

Combine the two answers, and you have your DISC style. 

Then, start estimating your coworkers’ DISC styles, using the same strategy.

With DISC, you now have the language to explain your own and others’ preferences and motivations. With this language, you can better understand how you interact with varied personalities, leading to greater EQ.

For more advice on better understanding and developing your EQ, you can find Solving the People Problem on Amazon.

Brett M. Cooper and Evans Kerrigan help professionals like you build work relationships that really work. Over the last twenty years, they’ve influenced thousands of people in government, non-profits, and corporate America to work together in more productive, more effective, and more human ways. Through Integris Performance Advisors—the firm they co-founded—Brett and Evans have helped clients increase employee engagement, improve efficiency, and generate hundreds of millions in financial benefit. Brett and Evans are frequent speakers on team dynamics, leadership, and operational excellence. To access more great content and resources, and to connect directly with Brett and Evans, visit SolvingThePeopleProblem.com.