Companies are People, DISC method to evaluate

The older i get, the more i keep realizing, companies aren’t products or services….they are groups of people fighting to grow – working hard to add value to an industry, to educate people in their following, and to build a great team.

Thats why i realize its essential to attract and retain top performers in the industry you provide….

How do you do this? You have to represent the industry, live and breath it. Set an example for others to follow. To work hard and fight alongside the team.

Then there is the idea of DISC method (above) to evaluate people is a great tool I have tried to implement in business. Its the idea that you need to have the proper mix of people in a team / company to offset strengths.

• Dominance: Direct and Decisive.
  D’s are strong-willed, strong-minded people who like accepting challenges, taking action, and getting immediate results
• Influence: Optimistic and Outgoing.
  I’s are “people people” who like participating on teams, sharing ideas, and energizing and entertaining others.
• Steadiness: Sympathetic and Cooperative.
  S’s are helpful people who like working behind the scenes, performing in consistent and predictable ways, and being good listeners.
• Conscientiousness: Concerned and Correct.
  C’s are sticklers for quality and like planning ahead, employing systematic approaches, and checking and re-checking for accuracy.

If you are a businessman, I think you should try your best to get a good balance of the above people in your group. You need each part here, and you need to realize that no one person can be every part.

I took this exam when I was at Deutsche Bank, I ended up being a D and an I – meaning I am pretty dominant / extroverted as well as Influencial trying to push my sales / ideas onto others…. I have tried to grow that over time and realize S and C just aren’t my strengths and I need to find people to fill those.

There is a difference between leaders and managers – Leaders trailblaze the path (with a machete knife cutting down the jungle), and the manager helps to build and develop the road to the new destination. Both need each other to survive.

I think that is why sports athletes are said to make good CEOs, because they can lead groups, they are strong physically (yea, well being a bit intimidating helps push across your ideas), and can deal under stressful situations and stress.

Same goes for military, those from the army learn to work in teams, organize a plan, and execute orders.

Sadly…i was never involved in either a sports team or military, actually, i thought i would join the military when i was younger, it seemed “sexy” in that you were seen as a glorified warrior, fighting for your country, protecting women and children back home.

But in high school, during recruitment phase, i got high grades in the exams but couldnt take orders….they were already ordering me around and i didnt even sign the contract yet.

That is why i love the internet……i can blog about what i want…..people read because they want to. People work in an e commerce company, sure for money, but also to learn and grow their mind. We all go through challenges together, we learn, we fight, we expand….

There are no boundaries, no hierarchies, study, learn, network

Sad that governments and company firewalls try to hold people down and trap them in into working and thinking a certain way.

Internet will continue to thrive and break boundaries