Some people see wood, nails, and tools, and then embark on a clear path towards creating a beautiful cabinet. Focusing their energy and moving with surgical precision, every detail matters. This is the epitome of a DiSC High-C Personality Profile.
Devised as an executive assessment tool, the acronym DiSC coined the letters D = Dominance, I = Influence, S = Steadiness and C = Conscientiousness. This personality test is the hallmark of executive assessments. The final personality type profiled in my Everything DiSC executive assessment series; We’ve looked at High-D, High-I and High-S personality profiles.
High-C individuals have a number of remarkable strengths to contribute in a workplace.
Meet the High-C
Individuals with a High-C style bring the same exacting approach to mathematical calculations, cooking, wiring, and artwork. Characteristic of High-C individuals, these traits, in the right role and environment, are a tremendous asset to an organization. How can managers and leaders harness this conscientious behavior and point it in the right direction? When at their best, High-Cs are:
- Thoughtful. They prefer to take their time to mull over the data and come to carefully considered conclusions. High-C’s “measure twice, cut once,” in everything they do.
- Analytical. People with High-C personalities can analyze a situation and predict impacts. They can also offer important and constructive criticism that drives projects forward.
- Detail-oriented. If you need someone to handle your accounting, a High-C is a great choice. He or she will pour over the numbers meticulously, not missing a step.
- Respectful of timelines and schedules. If a report is due from High-C on Tuesday at 2 pm, you can expect it on Tuesday at 2 pm, if not earlier. Likewise, their manager would do well to respect the timelines and schedule of their High-C employees.
- Creative. When confronted with a problem, High-C folks can come up with innovative solutions.
This tendency to utter diligence and carefulness can be an asset, or it can swing too far in the opposite direction. Under stress or pressure, High-C individuals tend to be:
- Perfectionists. Their meticulous nature can lead them to spend too much time planning or working on a project that does not warrant such attention.
- Critical. They can easily find fault with other people. This may lead them to appear unfriendly. A genial “Hello, there!” may elicit a mumbled “Hi” or a grunt.
- Selective in what they hear. If, for instance, you need a High-C employee to spend less time planning or to change the way they do something, they may filter out your direction.
- Afraid of criticism. They take great pride in their accuracy and the quality of their work. If they perceive that these are in question, they can shut down or become angry.
- Pessimistic. Their ability to analyze situations can lead them to list in detail reasons that an idea won’t work.
- Uninviting of intuition. Is your idea not based on hard data? “Move on and stop wasting my time” is a likely response from a High-C.
- Territorial. Having a clean, calm workspace is often very important to a High-C. Choosing “their workspace” to sort paperwork or spread out project plans, for instance, would not be a good idea.
- Moody. Well, you would be moody, too, if people were messing up your workspace, talking about their intuition, and bothering you with “Hello, there!”
While they can sound unpleasant, remember that we all have a little (or a lot) of C in us. There are many areas of business that benefit from the strengths of these individuals. They often excel in fields such as accounting, bookkeeping, some types of law, carpentry, and other trades.
Management Tip: Provide Structure
The DiSC High-C Personality requires boundaries as well as distance from others. They can work quite well on their own when they have procedures and a routine in place. To manage High-C team members effectively, clear unequivocal workplace roles and expectations are key. These folks need to know what is expected of them—and when. Provide data and detail, and let them at it.
When discussing a problem with a DiSC High-C Personality, have specific examples ready and be diplomatic. Concentrate on the work outcomes, not the personality. People with this personality type fear criticism, and they respond well to reassurance when their work is accurate and timely. Be sure to reinforce this need and build confidence so, when you must have a difficult conversation, you have already established a foundation of trust.
A DiSC High-C personality can be a valuable player on the team. They contribute great precision and conscientious attention to detail, which is a much-needed business complement to the intuitive nature and rapid-fire responses of other personality types.
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