#2: Using the DISC vs. the Enneagram

In this episode, Deanna explains the difference between the DISC assessment and the Enneagram and how both tools can be used to increase your leadership skills. 

Episode Highlights: 

  1. Learn why the DISC and Enneagram are powerful tools for leadership development
  2. Understand the difference between the two and when and how it is appropriate to use each one
  3. Learn about real-world applications for the DISC
  4. Learn about real-world applications for the Enneagram

Links & Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

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Episode 2 Transcript

When you have this level of self-awareness, it helps you show up and connect as a leader more effectively. It helps you show up less triggered. It helps you show up with more empathy. It helps you show up with the ability to understand people and meet them where they are. Welcome to the Leading by Type podcast. I’m Deanna Pecina, former school administrator turned engram practitioner and disc consultant, and I’m obsessed with all things leadership and learning. I hope you’ll join me each week as we have conversations about communication, team building and embracing your leadership genius. Yes. Well, hey there, friend. Welcome to episode two of the Leading by Type podcast. Today we’re going to be exploring the difference between the DISC profile and the Enneagram in my work. These are the two go to tools that I use. To help people learn to understand themselves and others more effectively, allowing you to step into your leadership genius and effectively coach the people that you’re working with. It’s interesting because I’ve heard some other Engram coaches talk about why they would never, ever use the DISC assessment. And I have a problem with that and here’s why. I feel like each tool has its own time and its place, and it’s really important to know how to use each one of them effectively. In the next couple of episodes, I will be taking a deeper dive into both the disc and the Enneagram separately. But for the purposes of today’s episode, I wanna give you a high level overview of each. In simple terms, the DISC helps identify and predict behaviors while the Enneagram identifies motivat. These are two really different things with the disc behavior can be observed. If I’m interacting with someone, I can usually pinpoint their disc type when I’m speaking with them. But with the Enneagram, it’s based on internal motivations, and the number has to be chosen by the individual because it’s impossible to observe somebody’s motivations from the. So in this sense, they’re both really great tools for the leadership world. However, you have to know when and how to use each one. I like to think of it as an iceberg with the top of the iceberg being the DISC. It’s all of the things that we can see and that we can observe while the Enneagram is all of the stuff that’s lurking there underneath the water. So let’s start with the disc. The disc consists of four different behavioral pattern. Ds are dominant, direct, and decisive. Eyes are influencing, interactive and interested in people. SS are stable, steady and secure, and Cs are correct controlled and compliant. People usually have a primary type, but most often we’re a blend of these four types. For example, I’m an actually an S I C. So my S, my I, and my C are all above the 50% line, which means those are strengths of mine and my D is really, really low. The disc can also help identify I introversion and extroversion with D and i being extroverts and S’s and C’s, more likely to be introverted. The disk personality assessment is a really great tool for the business world because they’re straightforward and they’re easy to administer, and most disc assessments have been validated, making them trustworthy for use among coaches, consultants, and trainers. For example, I am certified through the John Maxwell team. I am a Maxwell leadership team, disc consultant. That’s a mouthful. And the Maxwell team actually partnered with a company called People Keys to create the assessment that they. So the disc isn’t something that’s owned by anybody. There are multiple companies that have their own versions of the disc, and that’s another thing that makes it trustworthy is that these things are validated. They’re not just some tests that somebody decided to make up. They’ve been used and they have a history. So as a result, they really have several strong applications in the work world because the dis can predict behavior. A lot of people used to choose it in the recruitment process. For example, if a position requires, let’s say, accuracy and attention to detail, That position is going to benefit from someone who has a higher C in their profile. The disc can also be used for training purposes to develop skills, and most importantly, it can be used to help a team understand the behaviors of everyone else around them. So for example, if you’re in a situation where you’re someone who’s a high S, and you’re interacting with someone who’s a high D, knowing that information is gonna help you communicate in a way that’s going. Facilitate communication so that everyone is on the same page and understands what’s going on. Now, the Enneagram is different in that it has nine different types in its model. Anya in and of itself means nine and gram means diagram, so it’s a diagram of nine. The ones are considered strict perfectionists. Twos are considerate helpers. Threes are competitive achievers. Fours are intent creatives, fives are quiet specialists. Sixes are our loyal skeptics. Sevens are enthusiastic visionaries. Eights are active controllers and nine are adaptive. Peacemakers. To say it’s simply nine types is really an oversimplification because you also have to take into account wings and triads and stress and growth points, and these are all things that I will talk about in a later episode. While there are several reliable tests, the difference between the disc and the Enneagram is that with the Enneagram, taking a test is really simply a starting point in your self discovery and identifying your particular type. Individuals have to learn about the types themselves and determine which type ultimately speaks to you the most. Now, it is something that you can work with a coach on and they can help you figure it out, but again, it really is a process of self discovery. So as a tool, it’s really powerful because it helps you understand your own personal motivations and fear. And desires. This is why the Engram is such a powerful tool to develop self awareness and facilitate personal growth, not only for you as a leader, but for the people in your team that you are pouring into and your coaching. The Enneagram provides leaders with a tool to understand things like why you’re afraid of certain things or why you get stuck in certain patterns. And specifically one of the powers of the engram is that it can reveal your blind spots, but then also provide you a path with overcoming them. Although it really does help us understand other people to a certain degree, I have to emphasize, and I cannot emphasize enough, That the Enneagram can never be used to predict other people’s behaviors, and it should never, ever, ever, ever be used as a hiring tool. So you can see each tool really has its own particular strengths. The Enneagram helps identify internal motivation and its best for individual development. It’s also important for leaders to understand what motivates members of your team, but it should not be used as a predictor of behavior. The disc on the other hand, can accurately predict behaviors and has tangible applications in the hiring process and talent development. Both tools are great at helping leaders understand themselves and why they act, behave, and communicate in their own unique ways. And when you have this level of awareness, it helps you show up and connect as a leader more effectively. It helps you show up less triggered. It helps you show up with more empathy. It helps you show up with the ability to understand people and meet them where they are. If you’d like to learn more about your leadership genius, head on over. It’s a leading by type.com/quiz. I’ve created a short quiz that can help you start to identify your unique leadership genius. Thanks so much for being here today. I really love spending time with you, and I would love for you to subscribe, rate, and leave a review because I love hearing from you. If you found value in today’s episode, share it with a friend and then come hang out with me on Instagram at Leading by Type. I’ll be back here next week and hope you will be too. See you then friend.