Leadership

A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the equality of his actions and the integrity of his intent. —Douglas MacArthur (source)

Everything DiSC Work of Leaders

As I stated last week, we have more exciting new happenings at Resources Unlimited and I wanted to be the first to provide them to you.  Below you will find just a few of the new things that have been added to the Work of Leaders product line.  If you have any questions, do not hesitate to give us a call at 515.278.1292 or send us an email!

Work of Leaders: How Vision, Alignment, and Execution Will Change the Way You Lead

Our new leadership book is coming on April 23. The Work of Leaders: How Vision, Alignment, and Execution Will Change the Way You Lead, by Julie Straw, is an exhaustive leadership study covering hundreds of thousands of participants. This new book, with a special forward by Resources Unlimited CEO Barbara Stennes, complements and expands upon the Everything DiSC Work of Leaders profile.

FREE Leadership Insights: An Executive Briefing
On June 5, we're hosting Leadership Insights: An Executive Briefing and book signing featuring Julie Straw. Join us in Des Moines to hear her discuss the Work of Leaders. You'll also hear Iowa Lottery CEO Terry Rich and Resources Unlimited CEO Barbara Stennes, and you'll receive a free copy of the new book. Register today for this excellent program. We would be delighted to have your group attend! If you would like to contact me directly to register, I would be happy to help you as well. Give me a call at 515.278.1292!

New group reports: Everything DiSC Work of Leaders Group and Facilitator Reports
Designed exclusively for use with the Everything DiSC Work of Leaders Profile, the Work of Leaders Group and Facilitator Reports bring together participant data to provide a composite overview of the group. The graphs illustrate the group’s approach to Vision, Alignment, and Execution and help explore the group’s overall strengths and challenges to create an action plan for success.

The Facilitator Report also includes participant names and specific continua-level feedback.

We are happy to assist you with any of your DiSC needs.  If you would like more information about a specific product or how you can incorporate DiSC into your leadership programs, please contact us today!

Exciting Changes are Coming!

Just when you thought we could not have any more new happenings at Resources Unlimited.  As we wrap up our time at the annual Inscape Publishing Authorized Distributor Conference, we have lots of new things in the works! 

Stay tuned for future blog posts releasing the changes and what it means for you!

Leadership Insights: An Executive Briefing

In conjunction with Inscape Publishing, Resources Unlimited is happy to announce the release of The Work of Leaders.  The goal of this book is to take the classroom experience that has been so valuable for thousands of leaders and introduce the Vision, Alignment and Execution model to an even broader audience.  To preorder your copy today, click here.  You won’t be disappointed when you add this to your collection.

Join us for our FREE Leadership Insights: An Executive Briefing on June 5, 2013 at the Des Moines Marriott Downtown.  Attendees will receive a complimentary copy of the Work of Leaders book.

Featured speakers: Terry Rich (CEO of the Iowa Lottery) and Julie Straw (Author and Vice President of Inscape Publishing: A Wiley Brand)

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for the latest details!

Response to Conflict

Conflict – we all experience it no matter how hard we try to avoid it.   You may be a peaceful, calm person normally but all it takes is someone to come into our office and throw a new project on your desk and let you know you have one-week to put together a presentation.  This may not bother some people but to make things more tense, you have to work with someone who’s work style is completely opposite of you.   If you are still not worried about it, congratulations, you know how to master conflict and I applaud you!

Now, for those of you who just the THOUGHT of this happening to you causes a great deal of stress, take a moment to breathe.  We have some tips for you to work through conflict more effectively and avoid those ineffective behaviors that seem to seep out when you are faced with it.

First, let’s go over the general responses of each style.

Dominance: First response in conflict is going to be demanding.  The goal of a D style is victory – they fear loss of control or being taken advantage of.  As conflict increases they go from assertive to demanding.  Some adverse behaviors that are reflected by a D style in conflict are:

• Becoming aggressive and autocratic
• Creating a win/lose outcome
• Refusing to bend
• Overpowering with force

influence: Focusing less on logic like the D styles tend to do, i’s want acknowledgement and when this is in jeopardy, they are about emotions.  The feelings may not come out in the most professional way and can vary from pouting, exaggerating, or personal attacking.  Adverse behaviors exhibited by i styles are:

• Wanting to be heard
• Glossing over tension initially
• Verbalizing feelings impulsively
• Personal attacking

Steadiness: While D’s goal is victory and i’s work towards acknowledgement, S’s want harmony and when is this in risk, they tend to become quiet.  Now this may look to others as they are complying or giving in but in reality, they are processing what is being said and the info is simmering.  Eventually the frustration and anxiety boils over.  Behaviors that are a response to conflict for S’s are:

• Avoiding aggression
• Trying to save relationships
• Accommodating or giving in
• Simmering beneath the surface

Conscientiousness: The C style tends to withdraw in conflict even though their goal is justice.  They fear they will make a mistake and become defensive with they may be wrong.  C’s never stop strategizing for how they think they are correct.  Opposite of a D style, they tend be autocratic first then aggressive.  Some key behaviors as a response to conflict that you will see are:

• Becoming defensive
• Strategizing in controlled fashion
• Resisting passive-aggressively
• Overpowering with logic and facts

So now that we now how each style tends to react to conflict how do we cope with our own style or help others in the face of conflict.  Each person must determine how to best handle their ineffective behaviors and learn a more positive approach.  Below you will find some suggestions on how you or someone you may know can better approach a conflict with other styles.

Dominance

• Approach the situation thinking about it from a different way
• Do not “corner” them and make them feel uncomfortable
• Find workable answers quickly but don’t allow them to push the pace

influence

• Effectively communicate through listening
• Ask open ended questions that allow them to communicate
• Collaborate

Steadiness

• Ask more indirect questions to reduce sense of conflict
• Establish a decision-making timeline for a thought out but efficient timeline
• Let them voice what they are feeling sooner rather than later

Conscientiousness

• Allow time to process other points of view
• Use rationale for arguments and not feelings
• Refrain from taking skepticism personally

These are just a few suggestions on how to address conflict with others.  Do you have a different approach that works well for you? Feel free to share it with us by sending us an email or commenting below. 

For a more personalized approach to handle different styles, complete an Everything DiSC Workplace Assessment to learn how to create a more effective working environment!

2012 Inscape Diamond Award Winner

March 11, 2013 – Clive, IA

Inscape Publishing, a Wiley brand, and leading provider of assessment-driven classroom learning solutions, today announced local business Resources Unlimited has been honored as an Inscape Publishing Diamond Award Winner, Inscape’s highest award level. In 2012, less than 1% of Inscape Distributors earned the honor of Diamond Award.

"We are excited about Barbara Stennes’ commitment to bringing our trusted learning tools to the marketplace,” said Jeffrey Sugerman, Inscape’s CEO.  “Today’s workplace issues are varied, complex, and challenging—and our Inscape Award Winners are dedicated to raising the bar in providing industry-leading solutions that offer real value to their clients.”

About Resources Unlimited

Barbara Stennes, is CEO/President of Resources Unlimited & de Bono Consulting. She has been an authorized Inscape Distributor since 1980. Resources Unlimited offers DiSC based assessments, other personalized training assessments, certifications, customized DiSC training seminars and facilitator tools.

“Resources Unlimited work is helping people learn to be better leaders, managers, and individual contributors,” Sugerman says. “Organizations are becoming stronger and more efficient as a result. We are proud to have Resources Unlimited as a partner.”

About Inscape Publishing

Acquired by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. in February 2012, Inscape Publishing, Inc. is a leading developer of DiSC®‐based corporate training and assessment solutions. Inscape recently launched Everything DiSC®, its third‐generation applications that combine online assessment, classroom facilitation, and post‐training follow‐up reports to create powerful, personalized workplace development experiences. With a global network of nearly 1,800 independent distributors, Inscape’s solution‐focused products are used in thousands of organizations, including major government agencies and Fortune 500 companies. Every year, more than a million people worldwide participate in programs that use an Inscape assessment. Inscape products have been translated into 30 different languages and are used in 70 countries. For more information, visit www.everythingdisc.com.

Client Success Story

We love hearing success stories from our clients about how DiSC has worked for them in their organization and how they plan to use it in the future.  Recently, we had a client write an article regarding how he used DiSC to standardize the hiring process within his organization by determining the best fits for their company.  

Resources Unlimited was able to get him up and going with using the Everything DiSC Workplace profile and help guide him through it.  To learn more about how we can help you, please feel free to contact us at 515.278.1292 or send us an email!

To read the article on how our client used DiSC in his workplace, click here.

Let's Take A Trip - DiSC Activity

Have you ever thought about how different styles plan a trip?  Are you more of a throw whatever into a suitcase and head out the door with no destination in site? Or maybe, you take years to plan your “dream vacation” planning out everything you are going to do down to where you will stop for fuel?  As you can imagine, your planning style or even “ideal” vacation may be influenced on your style.

Below you will find an activity to use during a training session or maybe even at your next family get together that helps dig into one’s DiSC style by merely looking at how they plan for a trip.

·         Divide the group into D, i, S and C groups. For larger groups, break down into smaller groups (for example, there may be 2 D groups, 1 i group, 1 S group, and 2 C groups).

·         Using flip chart and markers, have the group as a whole describe the type of trip they are going to take together.  Suggest they draw pictures of location, what they will bring, what they may do, how they will travel, etc.  Allow approximately 5-7 minutes to complete.

·         Once the time has lapsed, have each group describe their trip that they came up with and debrief the different styles and how they are reflected in the “trip”

Hang the posters around the office area as a reminder of each others styles and how this may be a part of how they do their job in the workplace!

Alternative Idea: Have each group design their ideal house – what does the outside look like, where is it located, what is a must in the inside, etc. 

Have a favorite activity? We would love to hear about it.  Send us an email!

Updated Training Schedule

Below you will find the updated 2013 DiSC Training Schedule with Resources Unlimited.  To sign up for a certification, please contact us at 515.278.1292 or on our website via the links provided!

Classroom Certification in Minneapolis, MN

May 14-15, 2013 (space is limited – contact us for availability)

June 4-5, 2013 – NEW!

July 9-10, 2013

September 18-19, 2013

October 22-23, 2013

December 3-4, 2013

Click here to register online!

If you do not have time to attend one of the sessions in Minnesota, we do offer virtual and in-house train the trainer sessions.  Contact us today for more information and pricing!

For a full list of training sessions provided by Resources Unlimited, please click here!

Please note, the classroom certifications are for the Everything DiSC product line. If you are interested in the DiSC Classic Certification options, we will be happy to assist you!

DiSC Happenings at Resources Unlimited

We have had another busy week and even month at Resources Unlimited and we couldn’t be more excited!  As an overview of our February, here are just a few happenings. 

We love when our clients share success stories of DiSC whether they are new to the DiSC world or are veteran users.  This week we had another group of great trainers become DiSC Certified in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

If you are interested in learning more about DiSC certification options, please contact our office at 515.278.1292 or send us an email today!

Also this week, we had our webinar for trainers that we discussed training exercises that you can use within your organization to help DiSC stick using a variety of techniques.  Do you have a activity that is your go to for training sessions, we would love to hear about it!  We like to post activities is our blog for our followers to use! 

We recently completed an in-house session for a new client on the Everything DiSC Workplace Profile helping their human resources department better understand and use DiSC so they can filter it out into their workplace with a variety of groups within their organization!

As we posted in an earlier blog, we are now offering an online video training library with hours of vignettes that can be easily embedded into current training sessions for added value or use one of the full length sessions for your group.  Each video comes with the training material for you and your participants.  For a free 30-day preview, please visit our Training Resources Library and click “create an account now.”

Do you want to be a part of one of our beta tests? We are currently looking for individuals or teams to participate in our Innovative Teams or Everything DiSC Workplace Spanish Beta.  To participate, please send us an email and we will let you know next steps!

We appreciate our clients everyday and the greatest compliment we can receive is the referral to your friends and colleagues.  It is because of your, our clients, that we provide the resources that we do to ensure success!  

Presidents Day

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader” 

– John Quincy Adams

How to Handle Two D Styles

Scenario: Margaret (moderately inclined “D” style) is having difficulty in her work relationship with her boss, Susan (highly inclined “D” style).  Margaret has learned to be more flexible in modifying her style than Susan.  Each of them have had DiSC training and been provided with a comparison report.

How would you as a trainer deal with this situation? It appears that the boss has a difficult or abrasive personality that is seen all too often in the workplace.  Is there a specific approach you would offer or throw up your hands and say “I just don’t know, you will have to deal with it?” 

While there is no cookie cutter answer for this situation, we have an approach that we would take.  We do not know the whole story; there may be other factors that could cause the ripple in the relationship. Focused solely on the details we have, it is not uncommon to see two D’s struggling over control and territorial issues.  The situation could become more serious when they are under pressure and neither would like to budge, amplifying the situation. 

8 Dimensions of Leadership is a great resource for trainers to provide to their leaders regardless of if there is tension or not.  Each participant will receive a personalized Book Map based off a report that guides them through each dimension.  If Susan and Margaret share some of the same dimensions, this could be a cause of friction. 

Building relationships are not always characteristic of D styles unless it can help them obtain their results.  These are just generalization and each person is unique in their style and many factors involved. 

While the comparison report may cause some push back, D’s will often score high on the forceful scale and that alone can uncover some issues and get them talking about how that impacts their relationship.  Often times, people concentrate only on what they are far apart on in the Comparison Reports and to be honest, some of what we are close on can cause the most grief.  It is important to get both parties to see how a conflict can impact the results.

What do you think of this approach? Do you have other suggestions on how to approach this situation or maybe have a situation of your own that you would like for us to address? Let us know!

New Videos Available from Resources Unlimited

Tired of using the same videos over and over again but do not want to incur the costs involved with developing an entire new program? Resources Unlimited can help you with updating your training sessions by offering hundreds of video vignettes, full length programs, and additional participant materials. 

Build your own training or blend into your existing curriculum with our new videos with over 35 topics including:  

• Ethics
• Compliance
• Diversity
• Inclusion
• Respect
• Leadership and more!  

Resources Unlimited Training Resources Library provides ready-to-use classroom and eLearning courses as well as hundreds of 3-5 minute vignettes you can use to develop new training or enhance current programs.  There are no restrictions or hidden costs and certification is not required.  Everything is at your fingertips to embed into PowerPoint presentations or stream. It’s easy and affordable!

To browse all the video options, click here to get started!  By signing up for a 30 day preview, you are not obligated to purchase any products; we just want to offer you the opportunity to take a look for yourself at the added value the new Training Resource provides. 

For more information about what we can do for you and your organization, please contact us via email or at 515.278.1292!

HELP WANTED: Beta Testers

Is your team looking for innovation but just not sure where to start?  Or maybe you are fluent in Spanish or know someone who can help us out?

Resources Unlimited is looking for beta testers for the following products:

Innovative Teams

Everything DiSC Workplace Profile in Spanish

Innovative Teams

The mission of Innovative Teams is to develop a research-based learning model to support organizations’ ability to cultivate and nurture innovation. Innovative Teams helps teams innovate by increasing individual self-awareness, identifying and understanding team members’ contributions, and cultivating an environment that fosters innovation.

Beta testers will receive:

• a customized, detailed report of their personal approach to innovation
• an analysis of the overall team's strengths and weaknesses as innovators
• highly specific guidance on making the organization more innovative

Everything DiSC Workplace Profile in Spanish

The Everything DiSC Workplace Profile is a great tool for anyone within an organization regardless of their role or title.  Everything DiSC Workplace will help you understand and appreciate the styles of the people you work with. The result is more effective and productive working relationships.

Everything DiSC Workplace Focuses On:

• Discovering Your DiSC Style

• Understanding Other Styles

• Building More Effective Relationships

• Optional People-Reading Module

As a benefit to our clients, we are currently working to develop this widely used profile in the Spanish language.  Each participant will receive their own individual Everything DiSC Workplace profile in Spanish and a chance to provide valuable feedback to our development team.  

Interested – What now?

There are no costs involved and we only request your feedback once you have completed the assessment and reviewed the profile. 

If you would like to participate, send us an email or comment below to begin the process! 

Updates to the Products You Love

We have been busy at Resources Unlimited keeping our clients informed on the latest and greatest changes that are being provided by our publisher and we are excited for every single one of them! 

As an ongoing project that has rolled over from 2012, Adaptive Testing has been on the minds of Resources Unlimited and making sure our clients are up to date on the current releases.  Adaptive testing is more aligned with contemporary psychological testing—it’s frequently used in aptitude tests, so you may be familiar with the adaptive testing assessment method. With adaptive testing, respondents are presented with questions, and their responses determine the next questions they’re given. 

Simply put, there is no more static number of questions but based off the respondents’ selections, the system will automatically generate the questions needed to get the most precise measurement!

Martin Luther King Day

 “We must use time creatively -- and forever realize that the time is always hope to do great things.”

-Martin Luther King, Jr. 

What is DiSC?

I have decided to go back to the basics and look at, what is DiSC? Where has this model that has become so widely known with consultants, human resource departments, and large companies and small businesses looking to get the most of their employees?   I find that there are many things that are just accepted measures and you may not know the history.  Let’s take a moment to think – have you ever thought of how plants grow, why is the sky blue, or maybe, how one of the best known does and widely used DiSC assessments come to be and stay relevant for so many years.

It is my goal to shed a little light on what DiSC is and how it came to be.  DiSC is a model of human behavior that helps people understand “why they do what they do.”

Before I continue on, can you name what the acronym “DiSC” stands for?  You will find the answers below, so keep reading.

Originally created by Dr. William Marston at Columbia University and researched and updated by Dr. John Geier and Inscape Publishing at the University of Minnesota, the DiSC model and its training assessments have helped over 35 million people in 25+ languages over the last 40 years.

DiSC is a nonjudgmental language for exploring issues across 4 primary DiSC dimensions of behavior:

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

For more history on DiSC, click here or send me an email at info@resourcesunlimited.com for information on how to use DiSC. 

Recognizing DiSC Styles in Games

Living in a digital age, everything seems to be right at our finger tips from emails, internet, instant messaging, and even games you can easily play with friends and strangers from around the globe. 

Let’s focus on the readily available games that were loved in childhood and now can be played 24/7/365 if we choose to do so. Think about it – Battleship is now Battle Friends at Sea, Pictionary is now Draw Something, Hangman has turned into Hanging with Friends, Scrabble is Words with Friends, and even Yahtzee is Dice with Buddies.

As I currently am engulfed with the latest game fad and waiting for the other player to take their turn, I can’t help but wonder what their DiSC style is like. While some players may strategically determine where they want to fire the next shot in Battle Friends at Sea or what tile placement will gain them the most points in Words with Friends, others are playing quickly and hoping for the best outcome. 

Each style has their own unique characteristic and behavior.  Below you will find some of these characteristics.  As you read through them, think about where you fall in these behaviors and how they may be relevant in other situations such as an online game or even reverting back to the actual board game playing the original version.

D (Dominance): Strong-willed, strong-minded people who like accepting challenges, taking action, and getting immediate results.  Prefers a busy and formal work environment, motivated by achievement, decisions are quick, and works at a fast pace.

i (influence): “people people” who like participating in teams, sharing ideas, and energizing and entertaining others. Prefers a stimulating, personal, and friendly work environment, motivated by social recognition, decisions are spontaneous, and works at a fast pace.

S (Steadiness): helpful people who like working behind the scenes, performing in consistent and predictable ways, and are good listeners.  Prefers a personal, relaxed, and friendly work environment, motivated by acceptance and stability, decisions are considerate, and works at a slower pace.

C (Conscientiousness): value quality and like planning ahead, employing systematic approaches, and checking and re-checking for accuracy. Prefers a structured, organized, functional, and formal work environment, motivated by correctness, decisions are deliberate, and works at a slower pace.

Is your DiSC style outside the workplace the same or different than what you do in the office? It is not uncommon to show some variance in your style depending on your situation.  Knowing how to identify and understand the different DiSC styles, can increase productivity and reduce conflict.

Happy New Years!

“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day.”

-Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Happy New Years from Resources Unlimited! We look forward to sharing in 2013 with you. 

As we wrap up 2012 and look forward to 2013, you may be wondering how to keep DiSC alive and the training that you have conducted in the past from falling by the wayside.  Resources Unlimited has generated a few ideas on how you can keep people excited about DiSC and use it in their everyday work environment. 

• Group Culture Report (DISC Classic and Everything DiSC)
• Comparison Reports (Everything DiSC only)
• Annual learning events for those who want to freshen up on DiSC
• Nominate a DiSC Champion in the workplace or highlight success stories
• Accountability Partners
• Interaction Guides (available in Workplace, Sales, and Management)
• Style Guides for employees to have an ongoing reminder of their style
• Email Campaigns created by different groups within the organization and how they are using it
• DiSC Bulletin Boards with tips and tricks on how to deal with different styles
• Game Show style learning such as Jeopardy to reinforce the styles
• Steadily Reinforce in meetings

Take some time to think about what works in your workplace to keep things actively moving forward!