The DISC behavioral assessment, which I am a certified behavioral consultant in is one the most widely used estimates available and easiest to understand.
Here is a basic overview of what each style is …
D style stands for Dominant
A "D" style personality greatest fear is being taken advantage of. Their strengths are being decisive, a great leader, driven, they move things forward and are good in a crisis.Their weaknesses are that they are perceived as impatient and can hurt other's feelings due to being intentionally focused on the end result. They may walk over people who get in their way because of their laser focus on the end result.
The following ques may indicate that this person has a Dominant or D style personality:
Having a louder voice; talks over you; makes decisions quickly; takes the lead. They typically dress in power suits or other ways that express authority.
The gift this personality brings is direction and order.
I style which stands for Influencing
The "I" styles greatest fear is rejection / being rejected. Their strengths are that they are creative problem solvers, fun and energetic, persuasive, very inspirational and stimulating.
Their weaknesses are that they are not good with detail or organization, they are not the greatest listeners, they interrupt often.
You can identify the I style because they are very expressive. The talk with their hands, are very animated and have a voice inclection. Also, they typically dress with bright colors, cute patterns, and are very trendy. And lastly, they typically use the word "fun" often in their vocabulary.
The gift this personality brings is fun and celebration.
S style stands for Steady
The greatest fear of this kind of personality is losing their security / safety.Their strengths are that they are stable, loyal, excellent listeners, great team players, comforters.Their weaknesses are that they resist change, can be stubborn, avoids confrontation, and can be a push-over.
You can identify the S style when a person is a great listener, softer spoken, soft, subtle, but kind expression and they dress in soft, sub colors (unless they bought something someone else told them to buy).
The gift they bring is comfort.
C style which stands for Conscientious
A "C" style personality has a great fear in criticism.Their strengths are that they are detail oriented, capable to foresee problems and come up with solutions, highly organized, thorough, accurate.
Their weaknesses is that they can become depressed if they feel they did not deliver perfection, they are slow to pull the trigger, and they do not like risk.
You can identify the C style person because they are quiet and reserved. They work independently. They often use the word "exactly" in their vocabulary.
They bring the gift of organization.
Now that we have a basic overview of what each style stands for, now I will teach you how to use it and apply it when it comes to leading your team, family, or working with others.
How to Motivate your team using the DISC
The D style is motivated by success and achievement. If your company or organization gives monetary rewards, prizes, trips, etc. to help people meet their goals, then this style will be the most motivated by those rewards. This style is also highly motivated to be in charge. If a promotion, or advancement of some form is an outcome of a certain benchmark goal, than this style will be all over it. They enjoy being at the top and to be the leader.
To motivate the I style use social activities. Anything that is celebratory, fun, social and gives public recognition for their achievements will satisfy and motivate this style. The reason public recognition is important to the I-style is because they will have the ability to inspire and influence others to achieve greatness. This style is most fulfilled by fun, social events where they can inspire and influence.
The S style can be motivated in two ways. First is by security and safety because when change is perceived it is important to prepare this team member in as much advance as possible to make them feel comfortable, prepared, and secure.
Second, is by close relationships. Their loyalty and desire to do things as a team in peace will drive them to support their leader or team members. Also, they can be motivated by appreciation for their support and loyalty.
Motivate the C style by information and logic. To do this, make sure you are prepared with details and can support ideas or statements with data, facts, or examples. If a C style is given procedure and routine this gives them reassurance that they are doing the task correctly. Lastly, C style's can be motivated by exact job descriptions, expectations and rules. Hype, recognition, trips, etc. do not necessarily motivate a C style to action. Stick to proven methods, exact procedures, and clear expectations and they will carry it out and follow through.