Get the Best Thinking From Everyone

Do these meeting scenarios sound familiar?

The team is dominated by one DiSC style.
Example: Everyone on the team is a "high I" – When they meet they have a good time. They're great at spotting benefits and generating enthusiasm, but have trouble creating deadlines and setting priorities.

The team is very diverse with all of the DiSC styles represented.
Example: Meetings may be dominated by a few "high Ds" and others rarely, if ever, contribute. As a result, the full abilities of the group are not utilized.

The team is experiencing a lot of change, and is under pressure to perform.
Example: Team members lock into their individual strengths and become their DiSC style under stress. They're fueled by emotions and spend most of the meeting in conflict. The team can't seem to come to an agreed upon solution or next step.

The common attitude that meetings are a necessary evil is understandable, but unfortunate. A meeting should be an active forum in which colleagues exchange ideas, solve problems, and make decisions.

The fact that so many people dread meetings is a red flag that tools and a systematic process are needed. DiSC is a self awareness and team building tool, but it's also helpful to have a process in place to maximize the thinking of all of your team members and their diverse behavioral styles.

Six Thinking Hats is a training course from Edward de Bono that teaches parallel thinking as an alternative to argument. Parallel thinking guides thought processes in one direction at a time so your teams can effectively analyze issues, generate new ideas, and make better decisions.

Six Thinking Hats is a great follow up course for your DiSC training programs. The process neutralizes one's natural DiSC behavioral style and will help ensure you get the best thinking from every member of your team.

You can learn these methods at our new Virtual Six Thinking Hats seminar September 7, 14, 21, or at our classroom Six Thinking Hats Seminar, September 28 in Des Moines.