The Need For DiSC
In the year 1900, 5% of the US population had graduated from college. In 2025, the estimated percentage of Americans who have graduated college is up to about 38%. Needless to say, we not only have more college graduates, but we have much higher percentage of the country with a degree. I wrote an article featuring several statistics demonstrating that fewer and fewer college graduates are prepared for the workplace. A 2010 study published by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AACU) stated that 87% of employers believe that higher-education institutions have to raise student achievement if the US is to be competitive in the global market. An article by Higher Ed Dive makes it clear that it may not be classes or content of the classes, but a lack of motivation and initiative. This supports the idea posited by AACU that students need to be judged on achievement and not just test scores.
So, what is the missing link? Why do we have more college grads but 80% of managers said a recent college grad didn’t work out at their company in the past year? Why did 7 out of 10 say they put recent grad hires on performance plans? And 65% said they had to fire a recent graduate? We can argue which colleges are better until we’re blue in the face, but what stands out to me is that performing in the classroom is not the same as performing on the job. This is where DiSC comes in.
I first encountered DiSC in 2014. I was cynical and didn’t really care. I had just started as a professional recruiter and was doing well, why would I listen to DiSC? I had a moment of realization when a candidate hung up on me, but just before doing so, he told me why and it directly lined up with something in my DiSC report. Not about me, but about how others view me based on my style. This caused me to start paying more attention, ultimately leading to a mind-blowing realization that DiSC was far more accurate than I could have imagined. I started reading it over and over, and I became better and better at my job. It worked so well, that I started using the advice in my personal life.
So, what does it do? DiSC is not about telling you you’re wrong, you’re bad, or you aren’t qualified. It is about helping you to understand your natural tendencies, triggers, frustrations, what you enjoy, environments you thrive in, environment that test you, etc. and to help you build processes to succeed no matter the conditions. It’s not about telling you to put up with a bad boss. It is about teaching you how to get along better with that boss, while also working with the boss to teach them how to be a better leader. DiSC is for both sides, it’s for all sides, because the workplace is becoming more and more diverse. Diversity is amazing, it’s a strength, but it can also be a weakness because you have more conflicting personalities who are forced to engage daily.
Utilizing DiSC is like watching two friends argue about a topic. Friend #1 mistakenly takes a statement made by friend #2 as a personal attack, makes emotionally charged arguments void of logic or facts, and is ever increasing in anger. Friend #2, our DiSC friend, stays calm because they know their message was misunderstood. Instead of getting angry, they empathize and think through the strategies DiSC has equipped them with. This is a friend, it just happens to be a friend in a very emotional state. Friend #2, our DiSC friend, is able to maintain their calm, address the issue, and mitigate the situation. Now, imagine this is an employee with their boss.
We are all dynamic humans with different personalities, experiences, motivators, and triggers. DiSC equips you with the intangible skillsets necessary to head into the work force and put your tangible skills that you learned in college to good use. You will know how to avoid unnecessary conflict, better cooperate with co-workers, and better engage with leaders. This assessment helped me personally and that is why I believe it is so important to work with students and offer this service to help equip them to head into the world and find success.
