DiSC Personality Types and Project Management
This DCE instructor shows
how behavior analytics can
create a cohesive, winning
team at work.
When the pressure is on,
are you Dominant, Steady or
Conscientious? Maybe you're
more of an Influencer, or maybe
you combine two or more of these
communication tendencies.
LaVasha Cain-Lobbins, MEd,
PMP, CMP, says the answer can
determine your most effective role
in a team setting — and it's based
on the DISC behavior assessment,
a powerful tool that she teaches in
her Project Planning course, part
of the Applied Project Management
certificate program.
Based on the DISC theory of
psychologist William Moulton
Marston, the assessment evaluates
a person's predominant behavior
type. It is simple but effective, and
it can be especially useful in the
workplace as well as the classroom.
“DISC is based on a series of basic
questions that determine how
someone is wired,” said Cain-Lobbins, a noted project manager,
career coach and facilitator
for a Mastermind group of the
International Coach Federation.
“It measures preferences and
tendencies instead of skills or abilities.
Managers already know their
team members’ strongest skill sets,
whether it is math, project
management, data analysis or
engineering. DISC shows how
those skills can be best utilized.”
The DISC evaluation creates a
quadrant map of sorts that
measures each trait. Simply put,
Dominant types are considered
primarily confident self-starters.
Influencers are mostly outgoing
and people-oriented, potential
consensus-makers. Steadiness
types are supportive and reliable
— but you also need someone
Conscientious to double-check
and point out potential downsides.
There's no right answer or “best”
trait. They all contribute equally in
their own way. And many people
can be considered strong in two
or more traits.
“I consider myself to be a D with
some I,” Cain-Lobbins said,
laughing. “DISC can be an effective
tool in lots of ways. I use the
assessment results to coach
students on blind spots they need
to be aware of, and how they
affect team dynamics. DISC can
even be useful in job interviews.
Do you think the interviewer is, say,
a D or a C? It lets you mirror their
type and highlight qualifications
that would appeal to the interviewer.”
Building a winning team
Anyone who has been in a business
meeting knows that it can be,
well, awkward at times. People
can be overly cautious or sensitive,
wary of speaking up, stepping on
toes or damaging egos. Quite
often, it doesn't lead to the most
successful result for a number of
reasons.
That's where the 5 Behaviors of a
Cohesive Team™ come in, another
valuable tool developed by Wiley
Workplace Solutions and bestselling
author Patrick Lencioni.
Whereas DISC optimizes team
dynamics, the 5 Behaviors —
Trust, Conflict, Commitment,
Accountability, and Results —
provide a template for maximizing
constructive, effective communication
and planning.
“The 5 Behaviors is intended to
create collaboration and establish
a baseline for achieving goals,”
Cain-Lobbins said. “It starts a
conversation and moves projects
forward without judgment, without
anything being taken on a
personal level.”
Simply put, the foundation for any
team effort is trust. Once that's
established, commitment and accountability can follow —
getting everyone to commit to a
single goal and then forming the
best team to accomplish it.
Mastering conflict is an essential
element in the 5 Behaviors
construct, giving team members
permission to speak up and
present their ideas without being
judged. Think of it as a way to
bypass egos and other obstacles
to progress.
“Positive outcomes can result from
conflict,” Cain-Lobbins said. “Let's
say you're in a meeting and the
boss outlines a plan going forward,
but you recall a similar plan that
had been proposed when you
worked at a previous job, and it
failed. With a 5 Behaviors
approach you could speak up,
make your case and point out the
reasons why it failed, without
worrying about repercussions.”
These tools can be quite useful for
anyone seeking a career in
project management. And the
DCE certificate program can open
the door for beginners as well as
current managers looking to get
ahead.
An in-demand skill set
With the global business environment
transforming at a breakneck
pace, creating a new generation
of skilled and innovative project
managers is more essential than
ever. That's the idea behind the
DCE's popular Applied Project
Management certificate program, offered on campus, online, and in
a hybrid format.
Demand for project managers has
never been stronger, and it's
expected to boom in coming
years. An aging workforce is
creating a growing need for new
PMs, said Stephane Muller, Director
of Business Programs.
“With much of the available talent
reaching retirement age, those
seeking to start a career in project
management have a great
outlook,” Muller added.
“According to the Project
Management Institute, by 2027
employers will need 87.7 million
individuals working in project
management oriented roles.”
The program prepares students
with hands-on projects similar to
those they would face in real life,
led by experienced practitioners.
Recently revised to reflect the
latest changes to the Project
Management Body of Knowledge
(PMBOK) — the definitive manual for PMs — the APM program satisfies
the educational requirements
for students to sit for the Project
Management Professional Exam in
as little as two quarters.
But for most, the certificate
program alone is enough, a prestigious
credential that can help
secure a PM position in a number
of fields, Cain-Lobbins said.
“Project managers are thought to
be needed mostly in engineering
and software development,” she
added. “But the skill set can be
applied to most any industry. One
of my students wanted to earn her
certificate for her marketing job. I
once used my PM training to organize
a medical conference.
Project management skills can
even be applied to real-life events,
like organizing weddings.”
Regardless of a person's career
goals, the Applied Project
Management certificate can
impart leading-edge skills, and
even some specialized areas of
self-discovery such as those taught
in Cain-Lobbins’ class.
“I teach these tools in my class, to
give my students an advantage
that sets them apart,” Cain-Lobbins said. “I want my students
to go into the workplace with
unique skills that aren't in the
mainstream.”
Learn more at
ce.uci.edu/apm