Just last week I was at an event on leadership with my mentor John Maxwell. One of the guest speakers was Dr. Robert Rohm who spoke on personalities as related to the DISC assessment. The DISC tool is a model of 4 different temperaments or behavioral types that tells us more about ourselves – and others – than most of us probably realize. In brief, the D stands for the dominant personality types who are determined to get things done. The outgoing I types love interacting with people, and can have significant influence. The supportive S type is steady, stable, sweet and likes to maintain the status quo. Lastly, the cautious C-types are very competent and conscientious. They like to analyze things and tend to make decisions carefully.
I think it is fun to look at our different temperaments and see the strengths and weaknesses of each. But even more interesting though is that once we understand how we are wired, and how others may be wired differently, we can then communicate better with each other. You may be wondering what that has to do with our health. Well, I’m glad you asked. Problems with communication are a major source of stress, both at home and at work. As we know, high stress can increase our blood pressure and lead to increased risks of heart attacks and strokes.
So think about how you might change the way you talk to and interact with the important people in your life. Do they need more facts and straight to the point, or do they like to share stories and feelings? How can you change the way you communicate to give them what they need. It is amazing how are personalities affect the way we approach life, and especially our communication with others. Why not take advantage of that to connect with those you care about?
