Primary motive
- Quality/precision
Fears
- Mistakes, carelessness, criticism from colleagues, emotionally charged situations
Desires
- To be right
- Overview
- Security
- Praise for tasks
- Limited risks
- The support of authority, published references etc
Characteristics
- Analytical and factual
- Attentive to standards
- and detail
- Conscientious
- Diplomatic/cautious
- Business-like/reserved
- Hungry for knowledge
- Reliable
Limitations
- Over-critical towards self and others
- Indecisive
- Lacks creativity
DiSC®-based communication, high c
When communicating with a person with a high C:
- Appeal to the person’s knowledge/experience
- Be thoroughly prepared
- Formulate agreements precisely and with care
- Arrive punctually
- Be systematic and logical
- Speak about data/facts, not feelings
- Be prepared to lead
- Give an overview
- Allow time for thought and reflection
- Answer questions patiently
- Leave once the discussion is over, without unnecessary talk
A person with a high C may develop by:
- Creating a better balance between the striving for perfection and the time available for a particular matter
- Reacting less defensively when their efforts are under discussion
- Moderating their criticism of others and their work by taking account of emotional as well as objective and factual aspects
- Imparting their knowledge and insight in a way that does not disparage or condemn others
- Being more open and willing to express their feelings
- Being more willing to discuss their working methods
- Being more flexible towards others’ ways of doing things
- Avoiding seeing things too black-and-white and being too rigid in their way of thinking; not always wanting to be “absolutely right”
A person with a low C may develop by:
- Adopting a more neutral stance in conflict situations
- Being more critical
- Working more slowly and analytically/reflecting more
- Paying more attention to accuracy and detail
- Finding logical arguments and viewpoints
- Focusing more on quality and less on quantity
- Working at a consistent level of quality over a longer period
- Being more independent
- Spending more time on planning
- Adopting more regular habits, arriving and leaving punctually etc.
- Live according to the rule: SEE, THINK, DECIDE, ACT
- Decide and justify more on the basis of facts and data than of feelings
- Analyse and observe better
- Stay focused
- Be more self-disciplined when it comes to arriving on time, being prepared, and being systematical
- Wait longer before deciding their position
- Realising that the social element is not always so important/ decisive
A useful practice
For your next task, agree what is good enough before you start. Identify the checks that protect quality and the point at which further checking would add little value.
Curious about your own style? Start with the free test, or get the full Everything DiSC® Workplace profile.
