personal profile inventory

Personal Profile Inventory 1

Personal Profile Inventory:

DiSC Reflection

Jaclyn Bober

K363- Collaboration

Dr. Melissa Keller

September 23, 2008


The DiSC Personal Profile Inventory’s purpose is to provide individuals with an

understanding of their behaviors and personal characteristics. These attributes are placed in

categories by letter. There is Dominance (D), Influence (I), Steadiness (S) and

Conscientiousness (C). Under each of these dimensions there are various tendencies that an

individual within this category may portray. The inventory works by answering a series of

personality based questions. After responding to the questions a DiSC profile (graph) is created.

Each individual will have their own profile, but may tend to have a letter and classical pattern

which stands out. It should be noted that each person has an array of tendencies, and the letter

and specific profile provided may not represent each person perfectly. The reason for

completing this profile is to be aware of tendencies one may have, to work to build on existing

strengths and developing areas which will be referred to as overused strengths. Through

analyzing the information given in the DiSC test, I will look at my letter profile and classical

pattern to gather a better understanding of my own personality tendencies.

When creating my DiSC profile, my graph expressed a “high I”, meaning that I shared

most characteristics with those in the Influence category. According to Resources Unlimited

(2001), I am described as a person who places emphasis on “shaping the environment by

influencing and persuading others” (p. 7). I often try to persuade others through socialization,

while I may not bluntly come out and announce what my intentions are. In addition to

influencing people, I have the tendency to participate in groups, entertain others, bring people

together, and remain optimistic and enthusiastic (p. 7). Within my environment I seek

recognition for my abilities. I make a point to go the extra mile to help others and to be on top of

my game, and I look for the approval and recognition of others. Furthermore, I enjoy helping


others, even when my help may not be warranted. I thrive in social situations and I am the first

to volunteer my time or efforts in and out of group settings.

When participating in a group I am the idea maker. I start the ball rolling with the big

ideas, but need others to implement them. My ideas may be unrealistic to the task at hand, and

others in the group are needed to “take the logical approach” (Resources Unlimited 2001).

Moreover, due to the fact that I seek the approval of others, I have a hard time making decisions.

This can often lead to procrastination and poor management skills. As a result of my

indecisiveness, enthusiasm and ideas, I tend to get off track and cannot control time. I often put

too much time into something small, and then feel the pressure when the larger aspects are not

completed. I am, however, very organized and the first to let other people know what is going

on.

Since my social personality and helpful nature are dominant for being a “high I”,

according to Resources Unlimited (2001), my personal profile is closely related to the Promoter

Pattern. Within the Promoter Pattern, it is stated that this type of personality influences others

through praise and optimism, encourages people and teams, judges others by their verbal skills,

has an extensive social network, and thrive in social atmospheres like meetings and conferences

(p. 18). Looking at the information given, I agree that I do often use praise and optimism, almost

too much. It is an overused strength when these reinforcements are given too often, and may

become less meaningful. This attribute coincides with the goal of seeking approval of others. The

willingness to please others, over compensating with praise and the need for social recognition

moves towards this Promoter goal.


As a Promoter, I thrive in the social atmosphere. I agree that I do my best work when I

am working and leading others. Although this is an atmosphere where I feel most comfortable, I

do tend to get lost in it. In accordance to Resources Unlimited (2001), the Promoter “would

increase effectiveness though control of time” (p. 18). I agree with this statement, and within

social settings time management does become an issue with the amount of chatter that I produce.

It is something that I personally need to have more control over to have a successful professional

meeting.

In a school setting, which would be my personal professional setting, I am able to make

contacts and form relationships well. Within the DiSC test, Resources Unlimited (2001) states

that promoters “have access to the people who can help them” (p. 18), an attribute I feel that is

important for being a teacher. With the ability to meet people, form connections and have access

to the “right” people, the teams that I work with have a networked advocate. When someone is in

the position to call in a favor, or know who to call when they need help, they are at an advantage.

Having the knack for charming people and making contacts can be used to my advantage.

Despite the fact that having a large social network can be a benefit to me, and the teams

which I am a part of, it can also lead to unneeded pressure. Lending out favors and taking

everyone else’s work onto my shoulders can be stressful. According to the Promoter patter, this

profile deals with stress in an unorganized and careless way. This is a part of the profile which

does not fit my personality. When under pressure, I become more organized and structured than I

normally am. I start to make lists, piles and make sure that each detail is accounted for. In some

ways I could see myself becoming emotionally disorganized when the stress is personal, but

professional stress makes me assertive and structured.


When working within teams, I can assume the leadership position or the role that picks

up the loose ends. Being prepared and having a social network allows me to be the team member

that knows how to work within the system. An example of this was when a group created a Rosa

Parks storybook. While I am not the most art advanced student, I was able to organize the books

pages, make sure that everything was in the correct order, all detailed items were present and that

each group member had completed their portion of the project. Furthermore, because of my job

and the people that I know in the School of Education Library, I was able to use their supplies,

and have first pick of the books which were needed. These connections and the attention to

arrangement made me a more valuable team member.

When working with any group, it is important for me to recognize that the leadership role

may not always be mine. There are other personalities which are more dominant than my own, or

the person may have seniority. Thus, I have been in assistive type positions. For three years I was

the assistant head coach of a youth tennis program. The head coach was a Dominant (D)

personality, which caused the occasional conflict between coaches. As a “high I” (Resources

Unlimited 2001), I was able to work with my boss, but still teach the students as I wished. I

complied with his lessons and worked with his rules, but I also modified drills to make them my

own. When he saw that my players were encouraged to try their best, excited to come to tennis

and were improving in their skills, I received recognition and more freedom during my lessons.

He still felt that he was in control of the situation, and I did not feel the strain of someone

constantly breathing down my neck.

When leaving an assistant type role and becoming a supervisor, or in an educational

sense, the teacher, I am encouraging to others. I make the extra effort to help students and other


teachers I may be collaborating with. As stated by Resources Unlimited (2001), the Promoter

profile “creates enthusiasm” within group settings, a quality which can be powerful within the

classroom. On the same level of enthusiasm is encouragement. While teaching I notice that I use

praise too frequently. I am constantly saying “Good job!” “Awesome!” or raising my hand for a

high-five. I realize that this is a form of overusing praise, and thus overusing reinforcements.

Overtime, this excessive use of praise has less meaning than it had originally. Either way, while

in a supervisor position I have my strengths and there are things that I need to work on.

Every personality has its strong points and areas which could use development, and mine

is no different. Being an Influencer and a Promoter I excel at getting people together and making

connections. When someone needs a favor or an idea, I am a great person to come to. I

understand that I have these positive qualities, but recognizing that in me is not enough. I need

other people to approve the things that I do. As a result of needing this support, I lend myself out

too much. I can spread my time so thin that all of the promises that I make cannot be completed.

Also, with all of the ideas which I throw out, some may be unrealistic or I may not follow

through. Although I am organized and live a structured lifestyle, I need other people around me

to feel help me follow through. By using the DiSC assessment I am better able to see these

qualities which I possess and use that knowledge to become a better professional.


Works Cited

Resources Unlimited. (2001) DiSC classic: Personal profile system 2800. Minneapolis: Inscape

Publishing.

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