Talent Tools

Beyond Personality Tests: How Extended DISC Helps Teams Communicate, Lead and Perform

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Most leaders and HR professionals have, at some point, run a behavioural or personality profile across their team. The session is usually energising. People learn their letter, colour or type, share a few laughs about how accurate it is, and walk out feeling like they understand each other a little better. Then, a few weeks later, the report ends up in a drawer. The language fades from team conversations. The insight quietly disappears. If that pattern feels familiar, it's not becaus...

Team Dynamics Assessment Frameworks: Understanding How Your ...

Wed, 24 Dec 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Team dynamics assessment frameworks are structured approaches that reveal how groups interact, make decisions, and deliver work. They show how these behaviours link directly to focused development actions, driving measurable change.These frameworks map core components such as communication patterns, role clarity, psychological safety, and decision processes to measurable indicators. This reveals both strengths and friction points, providing practical insights organisations can use to improve ...

360 Degree Feedback Reporting Update

Fri, 19 Sep 2025 23:00:00 +0000

All 360 feedback projects – including current and past ones – will use Open Preview.

We understand that change can take a moment to adjust to, and we're here to support you every ste

Why I wrote the Psychological Safety & DISC Styles Handbook

Fri, 19 Sep 2025 23:00:00 +0000

Workplace wellbeing is no longer defined solely by physical safety. In Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore, regulatory changes now emphasise the importance of psychological and psychosocial safety in achieving sustainable performance. These frameworks, however, often stop short of explaining how leaders can translate policies into daily practice. The DISC theory—a behavioural model that maps tendencies into Dominance (D), Influence (I), Steadiness (S), and Conscientiousness (C)—provides...

New Hope for Team Leaders

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 02:00:00 +0000

New Hope for Team LeadersI bet your Leaders do not love the leadership they provide for their team members right now.I also bet you know you could all do a much better job leading your teams if you had the time, tools and support you need. So what's stopping you all?I've written before about my pet hate for #workplaceleadership, and I will no doubt continue to do so until it changes or I die.The Expectation: Team Leaders manage a team and are expected to get the best from their Team collectivel...

CliftonStrengths V Extended DISC

Tue, 20 Jun 2023 11:00:00 +0000

This week, a client asked me,"How Extended DISC compare with the Clifton Strengths Finder" (recently rebranded as CliftonStrengths)?My simple answer is, "they don't compare".They are different.CliftonStrengths, is a stand-alone and specialist strengths-identifying tool. CliftonStrengths does not use DISC theory. DISC Reports comprehensively cover strengths and other work and role-based preferences, behavioural traits, characteristics, etc. Extended DISC is a lot smarter than th...

Workplace Assessments - Prep your Particiants for Optimal Outcomes

Thu, 06 Apr 2023 02:00:00 +0000

I wonder whether you have prepped the respondents. In my experience, there are four questions that participants want to know the answer to before they feel comfortable undertaking any workplace assessment. But they don't want to h

Extended DISC to improve employee wellbeing

Fri, 22 Jul 2022 03:00:00 +0000

Looking for the best DISC assessment method to improve employee performance and wellbeing? See why Extended DISC from Talent Tools offers more. Click here

Tested, modern tools to boost employee wellbeing

Tue, 17 Aug 2021 05:00:00 +0000

Looking for ways to improve employee wellbeing in your organisation? Get modern, evidence-based approaches with Talent Tools.

Putting Proven Psychometric Profiles to Work

Mon, 08 Feb 2021 07:00:00 +0000

Our employees are both our greatest asset and our most significant expense. Profitable organisations maximise the asset and minimise the expense. Easy! Well maybe not, but possible.

The first step to maximising our talent asset

Prepare your business for the next crisis

Fri, 18 Dec 2020 02:00:00 +0000

The pProfitable businesses in 2021 will be paying attention to your talent as people, and equip them with the ability to rapidly gain new skills.

Workplace Wellbeing when Working from Home 2

Thu, 26 Mar 2020 03:00:00 +0000

Create a realistic work pace You've set up your ergonomic work area, and its time to settle down to get some work done. Because you are not in your usual work surroundings with your colleagues (and no bosses either), your routine is going to be out of whack. No set break times nor other people's schedules to work around, maybe no one to have a coffee with at break time nor is your much looked forward to skim-milk cappuccino with hazelnut syrup available at the cafe next door. What...

Your Guide to Workplace Wellbeing while Working from Home

Sun, 22 Mar 2020 11:00:00 +0000

If this is your first experience of working from home, "Welcome to Work the Couch." I have been working from home pretty much for over 10 years, and I know that at first you will feel a bit of disorientated freedom. "I can work when, where, how and dressed as I want". You may not even do any work today as you "get yourself sorted". Maybe you dozed through what is usually home to work transit time, had a leisurely coffee and put on a load of washin...

How to Hire Sales Candidates who Will Succeed.

Fri, 13 Mar 2020 02:00:00 +0000

It can be a difficult task to choose the best candidate for your sales position. Hiring the wrong person can lead to costly, detrimental effects down the line. Hiring assessments allow you to accurately vet your potential employees and determine who would be the perfect fit for your company. But, not everyone knows where to begin. Not sure where to start? Don't worry, we've got you covered. Let's take a look at what you need to know. Use a purpose-built Sales Compe...

What was I doing?

Sun, 08 Mar 2020 03:00:00 +0000

Work Interuptus - how to move to the next focus, and back, without losing the plot I am a fan of Cal Newport's book, Deep Work - Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, but, I often find it difficult to pick-up where I left off when my Deep Work session is interrupted. I am even interrupted by another interruption before finishing the task of the first interruption! When I get back to my original Deep Work, a day or week later, I find I have completely l...

Most people have a goal to change an aspect of their personality.

Fri, 24 May 2019 03:00:00 +0000

For most people, personality is reactive and unconscious. However, people can volitionally change their own personality traits. It does require reinforcement specific patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviours (Lodi-Smith & Roberts, 2007; Roberts & Wood, 2006). Increases Extraversion and Conscientiousness are the most common trait change goals, followed by Emotional Stability. Recent research by Hudson and Fraley demonstrates that well-designed psychological interventions can ...

What's New: Virtual Extended DISC® Accreditation

Mon, 25 Mar 2019 07:00:00 +0000

FinxS® is the new online platform for Extended DISC®. Within your branded FinxS® account, which is set up and customised for you following your accreditation, you can automate report generation and also manually generate reports as required. And not just one report per individual but any or all the individual assessments, including teams, work pairs, candidate comparison, or tailored or additional assessment in the system all at no additional cost to you. The FinxS system c...

Learn the Six Predictors of Resilience

Sun, 14 Oct 2018 23:00:00 +0000

What is resilience? It's an easy concept to grasp, someone who is resilient can meet any adversity and make their way through it. Simple enough. But, what if there is more than that. What if resilience runs deeper than a simple definition, what if it is more than just a mental construct? To date that is all that resilience has been thought of as. However, ongoing research has provided greater clarity on the microbiological nature of how resilient someone is, and it has suggested th...

How Resilience Is Your Team?

Mon, 17 Sep 2018 05:00:00 +0000

Using the PR6 resilience model we can now understand how effective teams are at working together to build resilience. The PR6 resilience model was developed from the study of the human mind. Years of research has led us to an understanding of the core elements that make up resilience.
The PR6 was scientifically validated as a psychometric scale with a Cronbach's alpha of .7365! For those of you playing at home, the closer the score is to 0.9 the higher the internal consistency o...

Why Employee's Need More Resilience

Tue, 04 Sep 2018 08:00:00 +0000

As employers and managers these days we have a lot of difficult issues to deal with. The biggest of which is probably turnover. Employees quit for various number of reasons. I have read studies that show turnover is high after high school reunions, birthdays and even work anniversaries. These are natural times of self reflection and are fairly obvious to why someone would move on in their career for greener pastures. But, they are the minority reason for why someone quits their job,
...

What Are The 3 Things People Regret Most About Life?

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 01:00:00 +0000

Adapted from work originally published by Marshall Goldsmith. Imagine yourself at the ripe old age of 95. Imagine you laying there on your deathbed, you are about to take your final breath when a miracle happens. You get the opportunity to go back and give your younger self a piece of advise to make life better. What would you say to the past you? What would your years of knowledge and perspective sum up to? People in this situation have be...

Six Ways To Bounce Back From a Negative 360 Review

Mon, 23 Jul 2018 11:00:00 +0000

Unlike traditional reviews and other types of feedback, 360-degree reviews include input from a broad range of people: peers, managers, direct reports, and sometimes customers.
One of the most valuable aspects of this is the opinions are voiced anonymously, which encourages a higher level of honesty than you might normally get. However, the truth is not always pretty, and receiving a negative 360-degree review can be upsetting, especially when the opinions are echoed at m...

Five Ways to Measure Training, So Your Budget Doesn't Get Cut

Fri, 29 Jun 2018 01:00:00 +0000

We've all heard it before when costs are tight, and budgets are being scrutinised, training spend is often the first expense to get the chop.
Why is that??
Training its often under-valued in an organisation unless there is a very clear way to see the tangible benefits.
Intrinsically, we know there is value to training staff and for specific occupations, it's a necessity but trying to apply a measurement technique to it is sometimes difficu...

The article that ruined my day

Tue, 19 Jun 2018 03:00:00 +0000

I usually start my day with a read-around of curated articles, delivered to my inbox by, NextDrat (The day's most fascinating news from Dave Pell) and Medium ( a place to read, write, and interact with the stories that matter most to you) Between the two emails, it is possible for me to miss the whole morning as I read the articles curated explicitly for me, then and follow links to related articles, in an attempt to keep up with what is happening in the world and especially in my ...

Who Pushes Your Buttons? The Five Personality Types

Sun, 10 Jun 2018 10:00:00 +0000

Being able to manage conflict at work requires practice and skill. A key input into this process can be in understanding which type of person is most likely to "push your buttons" and how you can best respond in those situations.
Below are five of the most common personality traits that people can find difficult to work with, and how you could change your approach when working and engaging with these types of people. 1. Self Centered ...

Selling with SUCCESS: Using DISC to Close the Sale

Thu, 31 May 2018 01:00:00 +0000

Last time we talked about the five steps great sales professionals use to take their client through the sales process to reach the buying decision. Selling and "closing the sale" relies on creating an environment in which the client feels comfortable and that they have established an authentic and relatable relationship with the sales professional. Let's now consider how the DISC model can be used to close the sale:
1. Dominant - 'D' style cl...

Selling with SUCCESS: the FIVE steps professional sales agents use..

Wed, 21 Mar 2018 03:00:00 +0000

What are the key attributes that differentiate a good salesperson versus a great salesperson? If we think of "selling" as a process which has steps to help guide a customer to reach a buying decision, then there must be elements of that process that can be influenced by the exceptional salesperson?
Some of which include:
- Guiding the customer through the process
- Listening to what the customers' needs are
- Focusing on problem-solving (which is achieved by...

How to get the 4 DISC Styles to Make Decisions in Groups

Wed, 21 Mar 2018 01:00:00 +0000

THE FOUR DISC BEHAVIORAL STYLES HOW TO GET THE FOUR STYLES TO MAKE DECISIONS IN GROUPS DISC is a behavioural model developed in the 1950's and today is used worldwide in organisations to help teams work more cooperatively together. It is made up of 4 key styles and because of their different approach to group work they tend to make decisions differently. DISC is used to help determine a course of action when solving problems within a team or assigning jo...

Get Invigorated At Work

Fri, 16 Mar 2018 08:00:00 +0000

Do you see people around you who love what they do and think to yourself what are they doing that I'm not? The answer might lie in harnessing one's strengths. "Strengths are positive traits that are reflected in people's thoughts, feelings and behaviours, helping individuals to maximise their potential and achieve optimal levels of performance." When we are working to our strengths our natural abilities shine through, what we are doing feels easy and we genera...

Do you suffer from DKO (Declarative Knowledge Overload)?

Thu, 19 Oct 2017 03:00:00 +0000

You Probably do. DKO is like a knockout punch that cognitively floors us every day. We are no longer living in the age of information we are now living in the age of information overload. And with this overload comes nasty side effects that are becoming ever more noticeable. Declarative knowledge is what is available to your conscious brain. You can verbalise and contemplate it. This is about knowing 'that'. For example, you may know that to ride a bike reqires you to p...

How employers and managers can help boost employee resilience

Sun, 24 Sep 2017 03:00:00 +0000

There are a number of things employers can do to help build resilience amongst staff. Encourage physical wellbeing. Physical health is fundamental to our mental health, and creating a pleasant working environment and promoting healthy behaviour can bring many benefits. Some ideas: Eating healthily - provide fruit for snacking Encourage Exercise - walk or bike to work, walk the stairs, provide some exercise equipment Quit smoking - offer counsell...

Why Build Workplace Resilience?

Sun, 24 Sep 2017 01:00:00 +0000

Because every year an estimated 17 million workdays, are lost to stress, anxiety and depression, according to the UK Mental Health Foundation. Then, the stress, anxiety and depression that caused the lost workdays, flows onto increased workloads for workers who have to cover for absent colleagues, increasing the workplace stress and anxiety. This contributes to a dangerous spiral of increasing negative workplace impacts, with an increasingly adverse effect on productivity. Culminating,...