A formal assessment process is essential to successful coaching. Choosing the right instrument for you begins by determining what you want to assess and ensuring that the assessment chosen has strong theoretical underpinnings and is a match for what your client needs. There are many personality and behavioral assessments such as DISC-Values, Strength Finders, and MBTI. For a more in-depth look at clients there is the Hogan Inventories, Leadership Circle, and other various team inventories.
Global IOC believes that reliability and validity are a must for an assessment which is why we primarily use the DISC-Values combination. The DISC assessment is a behavioral assessment tool which identifies four types: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness. In describing the differences between the behavioral types, the tool emphasizes the uniqueness of each type and while expanding upon what is needed and expected by the behavioral type. Communication between and among types improves when an understanding of others based upon their type is achieved. It is through understanding ways to adapt to different behavioral types that tension is reduced and increased cooperation and trust in relationships can be built. The results from the values assessment helps individuals better understand their value hierarchy and belief systems. The values that are measured are aesthetic, economic, individualistic, political, altruistic, regulatory, and theoretical. Values are what drives an individual and are expressed through the personality. During the debrief, the coach connects what is valued to how it is expressed.
An additional benefit of using DISC is that it gives us the ability to observe client behaviors and share those observations with clients for a better understanding of self and others. Integrating DISC-Values into the Global IOC coaching curriculum has changed how leaders interact with associates creating more positive interactions. We also believe that the assessment offers coaches a deeper understanding about how interacting with the client’s preferred communication styles strengthens the relationship. The benefits of learning DISC styles also include: more effective communications; minimized conflict; better time management and building and sustaining more effective teams. Using DISC with individual clients and within organizational settings has helped to establish a common language for understanding one another-embedding tolerance and understanding as the framework for discussions; tailoring messages to reach one another in a clearer manner; and apply learnings to real-life situations. Finally, when the DISC assessment is combined with the Values assessment, a full spectrum of behaviors and values can be introduced to a client for a deeper understanding of self and opportunities for development.
Global IOC is offering a Certified DISC-Values Assessment course beginning on April 26th at Noon EST. To enroll click here.