We often observe our children’s personalities and behaviours in a bid to understand them better.
Something that has always been at the back of my mind is whether certain personality types are more likely to succeed than others. It is a tricky question because there are many factors other than personality that would contribute to one’s success. But can we determine the probability of someone’s success just by analysing their personality?
After taking and researching so many different types of personality tests such as Enneagram, the MBTI and Strengths Finder, I have found the DISC personality assessment tool to be the most accessible and easy to apply to daily life. Based on the DISC, there are 4 main quadrants- Dominant, influential, Compliant and Steady.
All of us have traits in all 4 quadrants in varying degrees. Some of us might be more influential, while others might be more compliant. We may assume that someone with a high D in his/her personality profile would make a good leader. However, this may not always be the case, as people with a high “D” (for dominance) are not known to be people-oriented, which is a significant trait for strong leadership.
Likewise, we may think that someone with a high “I” (for influence) profile would be a naturally good salesperson. While they are people-oriented, the high “I”s tend to gloss over finer details, which may not bode well with potential customers.
The trick is to be aware of our personality profiles so that we can harness our strengths while working and growing from our areas of improvement. After all, awareness is always the first step to improving or becoming better.
The beauty of the DISC profile is that it can change over time because of the environments that we are in or the changes that we go through. Also, no profile is good or bad, but every profile has its strengths and weaknesses.
So what has this got to do with our children? If they are aware of their own personality profiles, they will be able to communicate their needs better. For example, a person with a high “C” (for compliant) profile may need a lot of details before getting started on something.
And if we are aware of their personality profiles, we will be able to understand them and meet their needs better and set them up for success.
All it takes is a 7-minute test.
Click here if you’d like to find out more about the DISC profiling for you and your children.
