Bringing the DiSC to Life

Working with Game On since 2010, I've witnessed their brilliance in impacting people and cultures in every possible way. Game On provides a stage for people to depart from normal comfort zones, engage in psychologically safe experiences, and appreciate themselves and others differently. The accumulation of these moments shapes organizational behavior, relationships, and ultimately cultures.

Game On has written these elements directly into the Rules of the Game:

1. Laugh With, Not At

2. Have Each Other’s Back

3. Celebrate Small Wins

These Rules of the Game resonate broadly. I’ve witnessed professional baseball players share from their Game On experience long after their playing days have concluded - encouraging colleagues to “Celebrate It” or encouraging the nonverbal cue to “Laugh With”, providing subtle reminders that Game On’s impact far exceeds the time confines of the session itself.

Another avenue for bringing these Rules of the Game to life was unlocked through an opportunity to partner with Game On to align Game On’s foundational principles and improv-based approach with the DiSC personality assessment.

DiSC is a tool for understanding yourself and others. It is not a silver bullet, but a prism to speak to and through your people. By understanding ourselves and others, we can better appreciate what makes us unique in working together.

A well-led DiSC experience has the capacity to permeate language within an organization:

To provide insight that shapes how we treat one another.

To remind us that our lens is uniquely ours.

To recognize that consideration of others is paramount to effective collaboration. 

Sound familiar?

Last week, Game On brought together a team to take and experience the DiSC assessment and facilitation, engaging in thought provoking conversations and moments of connection. And in the spirit of growth and continued learning, some reflections and key takeaways stood out from the time:

Three DiSC Lessons for More Authentic Workplace Relationships

1. See Yourself...See Yourself in Context

Processing the DiSC feedback report is often humbling. Audible laughter is commonplace as individuals realize how accurate the findings are. As these same people realize they are in a room full of people humbly laughing with themselves, the stage is set for magic.

When people feel authentically seen, they become disarmed to better appreciate similarities and differences with others.

2. A Tool for Dialogue, Not Diagnosis

One more time for the people in the back! DiSC is a tool. It is not a silver bullet. It should never support stereotyping, pigeonholing, or labeling. DiSC can, however, reduce guesswork in relationships.

By understanding our priorities and the priorities of others, our team was better equipped to pursue each other authentically. This understanding leads to curiosity and long term thoughtfulness rather than misunderstood judgment.

3. Not Everyone Sees the World the Way You Do

All DiSC styles are equally valuable. We are all capable of the behaviors associated with each quadrant. Stretching from our preferences comes down to energy burn.

This insight allowed us to understand how to appeal to one another. How to demonstrate empathy for motivators and stressors. And ultimately how to build better relationships with one another.

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We laughed together... as we reminded each other not to laugh at ourselves too harshly.

We had each other’s backs... as the room chose vulnerability and empathy as a path to growth.

We celebrated countless wins... as insights were revealed.

DiSC provides a visual, tangible, and straightforward perspective without being overly simplistic. It is the user friendliness of the feedback that unlocks the conversation and makes the learning sticky.

The elegant simplicity enables sustained learning and thoughtfulness. Like ballplayers a decade removed from their last at bat, reminding each other to laugh with through a simple, nonverbal hand gesture.

It was written right into the Rules of the Game.

DiSC On!

Want to learn more about how Game On is bringing DiSC profiles to life? Our team is working to align the DiSC assessment with our interactive facilitation approach to support teams as they move these concepts into action in how they interact and engage in the workplace. Contact Erin Watson at [email protected] to learn more!