The 4 Dimensional Manager: DiSC Strategies for Managing Different People in the Best Ways (Inscape Guide)

During my MBA schooling time, i got introduced to MBTI, a personality test, and i am very much interested. But it is not "that easy" to teach and implement, people find it difficult to remember. Than a friend introduces the DISC concept to me. Upon browsing the amazon pages, i finally bought this book (and some others). And i found it pretty useful and serve my purpose as a simple behavior analysis tools for business success.I have since used DISC approach to train people in Salesmanship and Managerial Leadership program. I found it very acceptable by laymen and they can benefit from the insight.Popular applicable psychology is gaining more and more momentum and become more widely used in business. The root of this type of analysis started from the Greek 2000+ years ago with Sanguine, Choleric, Phhlegmatic and Melancholic.The original form of this DISC apporoach comes from William Moulton Marston 1926 book Emotions of Normal People.There are similar materials come in many form: COLOR CODE (HARTMAN), Personality Plus, and several other books.This is not to replace all the more-in-depth psychology tools that profesional use, but this is a simple approach to see different type of people and how we can be more effective in fast forwarding ourselves. We can also see others and learn how to make them better in their works.The book contains a simple test and the description of every type and the combination of types. It is very well written and accurate. Although i feel a bit "dry" on the style of writing, i am totally satisfied and find the book of a very high value.This is not a dense reading, and you can jump forth and back and see your/other people's type of personality and use it to our advantages.Anyone interested on how to "see" him/herself and the other and how to make best use of psychological approach toward different type of people will be able to benefit from this book.

This book is based on the DiSC model - one that says people approach a situation from one of four possible "styles"-D = Dominance - Eager to take charge and take actionI = Influence - Socializes and tries to build consensus based on what others feelS = Supportiveness - Will support/help anyone, but does not show initiative, lacks self-confidenceC = Conscientiousness - detail oriented to a fault, suffers from analysis paralysis, perfectionistOne way this book is inconsistent is that it the early chapters it makes it clear that people shouldn't be labeled with a style, since everyone can respond with any style, depending on the situation. In fact, it states that:When one feels one is in an unfavorable situation, but that one has power to act, one uses "D"When one feels one is in a favorable situation, and that one has power to act, one uses "I"When one feels one is in a favorable situation, but that one has no power to act, one uses "S"When one feels one is in an unfavorable situation, and that one has no power to act, one uses "C"But many people will answer those questions consistently based on whether they are optimistic or not, and whether they have self-confidence or not. Starting in chapter six, the book also begins to label people making generalizations about how to manage each type of person.It begins to sound a bit like Marcus Buckingham's "Strengths" books (which I recommend instead of this book), saying your style is your strength and you should often play to it. But based on the definitions, it would seem like better advice would be how to reframe the situation to apply a more appropriate style. For example, in most high-risk situations, one needs to respond more like a "C" than anything else. Unfortunately in no part of this book did it talk about reframing the situation to encourage a style that would fit better. About the closest it came, was suggesting that some assignments are geared more for certain types (again, contradicting the earlier premise of not labeling people).

For someone who lacks good emotional intelligence (that is not an insult), this is a great book for you if you are in a position to lead. However, this is a great book for people to have if they are interested in learning how to manage all different sorts of individuals. This is more of an interactive book and allows you to skim from chapter to chapter, page to page, without having to read the whole book through.The DiSC process is much more diverse than this, but Straw gives us a good start. That is all it really is, a good start. If you do not understand how to speak appropriately to people and control your own personal emotions and bias, this book will only help you a little. If you do, however, this book will really come as a handy guide.

When I had direct reports I asked them all to take the DiSC profile. We would share ours as a team and I would share mine as their leader. This book helped me to adjust my style to each of the four DiSC types. I found this book to be very very helpful.I was more effective and my employees felt understood and appreciated.Chris WodkeAuthor: Running for My Life-Winning for CMT

If you understand the DiSC profile and are a manager or a teacher, this is a GREAT reference book! It explains how to work with your staff effectively, focusing on the employee's style and learning to flex your own to achieve maximum productivity.

Very good! I was hoping for strategies for managers to coach employees on how to use style flexibility. Otherwise very good focus.

This is a great little book both for those new to DiSC and old time users of this tool. Great tips for Managers who want to adapt their management style to better communicate with their employees. Tips on giving feedback, problem solving, delegating etc. Well worth the money.

I found this book very easy to understand use, and follow. I bought one for every manager in ClearChoice Orthodontic Associates in Houston - If you are at all interested in DISC and how to better use it, understand yourself and understand those you manage - this will be a big help Ray McLendon DDS

I sat down with this book in the hope of discovering new insights into the DiSC analysis. I was very disappointed. Even if you are a first timer to the subject, this is no more than OK. About a quarter of the book is explaining the analysis and it's implications. Maybe the clue should be to read the title. It's about how to manage people with reference to the DiSC analysis - recognising what style people are, managing them, delegating to them, handling conflict etc.Even then it's not an in-depth read. If you are a manager, getting on great with some of your employees whilst struggling with other - and know nothing about DiSC - it could be helpful: Otherwise . . . . . . .

I was a bit disappointed with it, I expected a bit more for the money but it is ok in terms of the information provided