DISCovering You

Today we’re going to be chatting about Leadership Styles and what each brings to the table.

Before we get to that though, International Cake Day is on the weekend, so of course that means I’m comparing DISC to types of Cake!

High D – Devil’s Food Cake – Strong and substantial, both in texture and flavour

High I – Ice Cream Cake – Whimsical, refreshing

High S – Pound Cake – A staple item, appeals to most people

High C – Bundt Cake – Perfectly formed, a classic

Before I delve into the topic at hand, different styles of Leadership, let me clarify that you don’t have to be in a job where Leader or something equivalent, is part of your title, or even job description. We are all called upon to be leaders from time to time, whether it’s situational – having an important talk with a colleague, providing feedback, setting the tone for your workspace, even in scenarios in our personal lives.

I think there’s a lot of cross-over between leadership at work, and leadership at home, specifically parenting. So, this material is relevant to everyone.

To learn more about Victoria and her business offerings visit or email her at mailto:[email protected]

Connect with Victoria!

https://discoverwhatworks.org/

https://www.facebook.com/VictoriaDISC

https://www.instagram.com/discoverwhatworks/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/discoverwhatworks

Do you meet, or resist expectations?

How you answer this question, depends on which of the 4 Tendencies you gravitate towards.

Upholder:   meets inner and outer expectations

Questioner: meets inner but resists outer expectations

Obliger:     meets outer but resists inner expectations

Rebel:      resists inner and outer expectations

Understanding your own Tendency, as well as your colleagues', can be instrumental for workplace collaboration and cohesion.

You can find the link to Gretchen Rubin's quiz here: https://gretchenrubin.com/four-tendencies/

Since it's Halloween, here is DISC according to Candy!

High D is Warheads. Extreme and intense

High I  is Sweetarts. Sweet parts and messages of love

High S is Butterscotch Candies. Comforting, long lasting

High C is Smarties. Smart and structured

To learn more about Victoria and her business offerings visit or email her at mailto:[email protected]

Connect with Victoria!

https://discoverwhatworks.org/

https://www.facebook.com/VictoriaDISC

https://www.instagram.com/discoverwhatworks/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/discoverwhatworks

Today, I’m going to be talking about Empathy and the role it plays in our personal and professional lives.

If you’re a regular listener, you’ll know that before I get to this it’s time (in the words of my teenage daughter) to make everything about DISC LOL! Here’s this episode’s DISC Analogy - DISC according to… World Cities:

High D – I’ve got to give it to NYC! Loud, Energetic, Work Hard, Play Hard Vibes

High I – Could it be anything other than the city of Love? Paris of course! Romantic, evocative

High S – Geneva. Neutral, peaceful

High C – Singapore. Ordered, disciplined

Okay, today’s episode is about Exploring Empathy. I touched on it briefly during the EQ episodes (5 & 6) because Empathy is one of the cornerstones of Emotional Intelligence.

It’s a key ingredient in building successful interpersonal relationships whether in your personal life or the workplace. And it plays a key role in Leadership. Empathetic leaders propagate loyal team members who want to work hard for them because they feel inspired, valued and seen for who they are and what they’re contributing.

Leading with an absence of empathy creates disconnectedness, resentment and a lack of engagement and productivity.

Wondering how to gauge your level of Empathy?

To learn more about Victoria and her business offerings visit or email her at mailto:[email protected]

Connect with Victoria!

https://discoverwhatworks.org/

https://www.facebook.com/VictoriaDISC

https://www.instagram.com/discoverwhatworks/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/discoverwhatworks

Happy September. I'm excited to be back and I hope everyone enjoyed their summer. Today's episode, I'm going to talk about the importance of building a well-balanced team, but first, since it's back to school, back to work time, and for many a return to their exercise regime.

Here is disc according to fitness, high D, weightlifting, competitive results driven high eye is dance, cardio, fun and interactive. High S is yoga, calm, mindful high. C is Pilates structured precisely. If you're a new listener, or really just a reminder to our regular listeners, these analogies are designed to illustrate the essence of each DISC factor. It doesn't necessarily mean that if you have a high D you're gonna lift weights, although I do have several friends and clients who this matches perfectly. Enjoy today's episode and let us know your thoughts!

To learn more about Victoria and her business offerings visit or email her at [email protected]

Connect with Victoria!

https://discoverwhatworks.org/

https://www.facebook.com/VictoriaDISC

https://www.instagram.com/discoverwhatworks/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/discoverwhatworks

On today’s episode I’m rounding out the exploration into each DISC factor with the 4th and final one, High C but not before this month’s DISC illustration. World Music Day is next week, so here is DISC according to genre of Music:

High D - Rap. Direct, Provocative

High I – Pop. Upbeat, fun

High S – Jazz. Smooth, mellow

High C – Classical. Precise, cerebral

Okay, here we go – the last factor (but certainly not least!) in DISC; Compliance.

This word is often met with distaste, both from those who have a High C, YES and those who don’t!

It’s not exactly a fun word, is it? Similar to Dominance in sounding off-putting – the difference is that High D’s don’t mind it (LOL) whereas High C’s do. And you may remember that with Dominance, I said there were a lot of D adjectives that are sometimes used and even swapped out to represent that letter.

The same occurs with C. It is sometimes referred to as Conscientious (that works) Cautious (yep) Correct (totally on brand).

www.discoverwhatworks.org

Today on the show we have a very special guest! Dr. Robin Stern is the co-founder and associate director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. She's an author, a speaker, and a licensed psychoanalyst with 30 years of experience.

Dr. Stern coined the phrase Gaslight Effect in her book in 2007, and most recently, she is the host of the Gaslight Effect podcast. I had a great conversation with Robin Stern and we're going to jump right in. Enjoy!

The 3rd DISC Factor; Steadiness.

People who are High in Steadiness are amiable, dependable, thorough, tenacious, and good listeners. Here is a point of distinction. When we discussed HIGH D and HIGH I, their behaviour is more externalized and they are definitely more the “talkers” whereas HIGH S and C, is more internalized behaviour and they are more the listeners.

S’s enjoy helping others and this often turns into a “purpose” in their personal and professional lives. They are drawn to careers in “helping professions” such as teachers, health care professionals, counselors, mentors.

Famous examples are…Barack Obama, Princess Kate, Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

Listeners, based on this quick description do you think you may be High in the Steadiness factor? Listen on for a quick quiz to find out!

If you are interested in connecting with Victoria for team building, strategic onboarding, coaching, or speaking engagement. You can contact her at [email protected]. Visit https://discoverwhatworks.org/opportunities/ for details.

Before we dive into our topic, here’s today’s DISC analogy. We are a few days away from National Cocktail Day, so of course, I’m going to break down DISC according to cocktails.

High D – Manhattan. The summary I found on a recipe list described it as:  strong in all ways, with some slight bitterness. Not for the faint of heart…

High I – Mojito. Fun, refreshing, vacation vibes.

High S – Gin Fizz. While this sounds bubbly, it’s actually described as being silky, smooth. Whipped egg whites contribute to its slick texture.

High C – Classic Martini. Precision is key in making this drink - especially in measuring the equal parts of dry and sweet vermouth.

Who wants a cocktail now? Did you know that Canada has a national cocktail – can you guess what it is?

Okay, back to our topic. In Part 1, I touched on the concept of HSP and some ways to identify if you, or someone close to you, might be one. We’ll have another quick look at that, but today I’m going to focus on what happens after you know - what are the next steps? How do you take this newfound awareness and ensure that you use it as a superpower, and not a limitation as others (or even you) may have seen it.

As a quick reminder, the word sensitive is not referring to being emotional, it’s about reacting to stimulation. HSP’s are more easily stimulated by noises, lights, pain, hunger because of their high levels of SPS (Sensory Processing Sensitivity)

Since HSP’s represent only 20 to 30 percent of the population, the world isn’t really set up to accommodate. So…make sure YOU understand what you need to thrive, and protect your superpower.

For more information or to book a session or workshop with Victoria visit www.discoverwhatworks.org or reach out at [email protected]

Today’s episode really hits home and you’ll find out why in a few moments. But first, it’s time for this month’s DISC example…For today’s comparison, I decided to use TV show genres. Soooo:

High D is Action/Thriller – High Stakes, something to get the adrenaline pumping. Some examples are Succession (and honestly, most of the characters on this show are High D’s LOL) and Ozark.

High I is a Rom/Com (Romantic Comedy) – Fun, light, guaranteed to put a smile on your face. For instance, Emily in Paris, or Bridgerton.

High S is a Family Drama – Showcasing ongoing relationships and a deep exploration into character arcs and follow through. This is Us and Parenthood are a couple of examples.

High C is Documentary – Analytical and all about learning! For instance, Planet Earth or My Octopus Teacher.

Back to the subject of today’s episode. Do you know what an HSP is?

The acronym stands for Highly Sensitive Person and was coined by the Psychologist, Elaine Aron, who self describes herself as an HSP and wrote an extensive book on the subject. Find out more in today's episode!

Worth a listen:

Reframing Introversion

So... What is EQ?

If you are interested in connecting with Victoria for team building, strategic onboarding, coaching, or speaking engagement. You can contact her at [email protected]. Visit https://discoverwhatworks.org/opportunities/ for details.

Today, we’re going to probe the concept of optimism and whether or not it’s always a good thing. Also, if you’re not naturally optimistic, can you learn to be?

But first, since January is the month that has International Flower Day, It’s DISC expressed through flowers:

D – Snapdragon – Like the mythical creature they symbolize strength and sometimes, deviousness!

I – Daffodils – cheerful, symbol of positivity, joy, new beginnings (I’s are starters)

S – Iris – represents wisdom and trust. Like the mentor, supporter, roles that High S’s embody

C – Dahlia – described as graceful, strong and the petals appear to fit “perfectly” on the flower head – you can check out the photos of this on my social media

Back to the topic at hand, where are you on the mood meter? If you’re new to the podcast, you can check out Episode 6 (EQ part 2) to learn more about the mood meter.

Okay, let’s establish some definitions for what we’re going to be discussing:

Optimism is generally defined as hopefulness and confidence about the future or the success of something.

Pessimism is a tendency to see the worst aspect of things or believe that the worst will happen.

My main source for this topic (including the assessment we’re going to discuss) is from Martin Seligman, who is a Professor at the University of Pennsylvania. He’s the former president of the American Psychological Association, Director of the Penn Positive Psychology Center and he’s considered to be the father of positive psychology.

Seligman believes that some of us are born optimists. Just naturally seeing the positive, fun and hope in situations. Conversely, some of us are born pessimists, always inclined to doubt, worry and see negative outcomes.

What Seligman has spent most of his career studying and teaching is a concept he calls Learned Optimism. Yes, he believes optimism CAN be LEARNED.

He defines optimism and pessimism as “habits of thinking”. And that contrary to what was believed before the late 1960’s, these habits can be learned, and therefore changed.

People’s explanatory styles play a huge role here. Meaning, how someone thinks of, and explains the cause of challenges and adverse events.

 Seligman refers to these as attributional styles, and he developed an assessment to measure the relationship between explanatory styles and optimism. 

We’re going to do a mini-version of the questionnaire first, so you can gain a sense of whether you’re answering optimistically, or pessimistically.

The link to the full Attributional Style Assessment is in the show notes, so you can access it there. https://kihc.ca/the-optimism-test/

For now though, we’re going to do just 6 quick questions:

#1 You lose your temper with a friend:

You attribute this to:

1.   They are always nagging me

2.   They were in a hostile mood

#2 You win an athletic contest:

1.   I was feeling unbeatable

2.   I trained hard

#3 Your stocks are at an all time low:

1.   I didn’t know much about the business climate at the time

2.   I made a poor choice of stocks

#4 Your doctor tells you that you are in good physical shape:

1.   I make sure I exercise frequently

2.   I am very health-conscious

#5 You buy your spouse a gift that they don’t like:

1.   I don’t put enough thought into things like that

2.   They have very picky taste

#6 You win the lottery:

1.   It’s pure chance

2.   I picked the right numbers

Listen along to learn more!

If you are interested in connecting with Victoria for team building, strategic onboarding, coaching, or speaking engagement. You can contact her at [email protected]. Visit https://discoverwhatworks.org/opportunities/ for details.