By Sandra Rowell: Associate of DISCsimple
Most leaders don’t wake up thinking they have a personality problem in their business.
They think about missed deadlines.
Slow decisions.
Tension in meetings.
Capable people not quite pulling in the same direction.
On the surface, these look like operational or performance issues.
Dig a little deeper, and something else usually sits underneath.
Behaviour.
Not bad behaviour.
Not intentional behaviour.
But unexamined behaviour.
This is where DISC, when used properly, delivers value, not insight for insight’s sake, but measurable shifts in how work actually gets done.
The Mistake Leaders Often Make
DISC is often introduced as a personality tool.
People complete an assessment.
They receive a report.
They learn a few preferences.
And then… very little changes.
That’s because insight alone doesn’t improve performance.
Performance improves when leaders understand how behaviour affects:
- communication
- collaboration
- pace
- trust
Used well, DISC is not a labelling exercise.
It is a performance lens — one that helps leaders see what is really happening in day-to-day leadership moments.
Outcome 1: Improved Communication
Most communication breakdowns are not caused by a lack of information.
They are caused by mismatched expectations.
One person wants brevity.
Another wants context.
One wants to talk it through.
Another needs time to think.
Without a shared behavioural language, leaders often default to:
- repeating themselves louder
- assuming others are being difficult
DISC changes this dynamic.
When leaders understand different communication needs:
- messages are adapted, not repeated
- meetings become clearer and shorter
- misunderstandings reduce
The biggest shift isn’t that people communicate more.
They communicate more effectively.
Outcome 2: Improved Teamwork
Teams rarely struggle because people don’t care.
They struggle because:
- intentions are misread
- differences are personalised
- pressure amplifies friction
A direct style can feel aggressive.
A cautious style can feel resistant.
An enthusiastic style can feel unfocused.
A steady style can feel passive.
Without context, these differences quickly turn into stories.
DISC gives teams a way to replace stories with shared understanding.
When behavioural differences are understood:
- conflict becomes less personal
- collaboration becomes easier
- strengths are used more deliberately
Teamwork improves not because everyone agrees —
but because people understand why others work the way they do.
A Leadership Moment: When Performance Slows Under Pressure
Consider a leadership team under pressure.
A deadline is slipping. A decision needs to be made.
One leader pushes for speed.
Another asks for more data.
Someone wants to talk it through.
Another tries to maintain harmony.
Each response makes sense.
But without behavioural awareness, frustration builds.
The decisive leader feels blocked.
The cautious leader feels rushed.
The supportive leader senses tension.
The structured leader worries about risk.
Nothing is said — but everyone feels it.
Over time, these moments compound.
Decisions slow.
Ownership weakens.
Energy drains from the room.
DISC doesn’t remove these differences.
It helps leaders anticipate them, navigate them, and prevent style from becoming silent resistance — before performance stalls.
Outcome 3: Improved Productivity
Productivity isn’t just about effort.
It’s about energy, flow, and decision clarity.
In teams without behavioural awareness:
- decisions are revisited unnecessarily
- work is over-checked or under-checked
- leaders’ step in when they don’t need to
- ownership becomes blurred
DISC helps leaders understand:
- how decisions are best made
- who needs what level of detail
- where pace matters — and where it doesn’t
When this becomes explicit:
- decisions speed up
- rework reduces
- accountability becomes clearer
The Commercial Cost of Behavioural Friction
When behavioural friction goes unaddressed, the cost rarely shows up as a single visible issue.
It appears in time lost.
In decisions delayed.
In leadership energy drained managing tension instead of driving progress.
DISC doesn’t create performance on its own.
It removes the invisible barriers that stop capable people from performing at their best together.
Over time, those small inefficiencies compound into missed opportunities, slower execution, and avoidable frustration at leadership level.
Outcome 4: Better Relationships and Trust
Trust is not built through good intentions.
It is built through consistent experience.
People trust leaders who:
- understand them
- communicate clearly
- respond predictably under pressure
DISC supports trust by helping leaders:
- stop assuming intent
- recognise behavioural triggers
- give feedback in a way that actually lands
This doesn’t make leadership “soft”.
It makes it cleaner.
Why DISC Sometimes Gets Dismissed
DISC is often dismissed as “soft” when it is treated lightly.
One-off workshops.
No follow-up.
No integration into leadership routines.
In those cases, the problem isn’t DISC.
It’s application.
Used properly, DISC strengthens strategy, process, and capability by reducing behavioural drag.
The Leadership Responsibility
The value of DISC is not found in knowing your style.
It is found in leaders asking:
- What is working better because we understand behaviour?
- Where has friction reduced?
- What conversations are easier now?
- What decisions move faster?
If nothing has changed, insight has stayed theoretical.
When outcomes improve, DISC has moved into performance. And that is where it belongs.