Research has shown that behavioural characteristics can be grouped together in four major divisions called personality styles. People with similar personality profiles styles tend to exhibit specific behavioural characteristics common to that profile. All people share these four styles in varying degrees of intensity. The acronym D.I.S.C. stands for the four personality styles represented: D (Drive), I (Influence), S (Steadiness) and C (Compliance).

D (Drive)

General characteristics: direct, decisive. high ego strength, problem solver, risk taker, self-starter.

Value to team: bottom-line organiser, places value on time, challenges the status quo, innovative.

Possible weaknesses: oversteps authority, argumentative attitude, dislikes routine, attempts too much at once.

Greatest fear: being taken advantage of.

Motivated by: new challenges, power and authority to take risks and make decisions, freedom from routine and mundane tasks and changing environments in which to work and play.

Ideal environment: innovative focus on future, non-routine challenging tasks and activities, projects that produce tangible results, freedom from controls, supervision, and details, personal evaluation based on results, not methods.

I (Influence)

General characteristics: enthusiastic, trusting, optimistic, persuasive, talkative, impulsive and emotional.

Value to team: creative problem solver, great encourager, motivates others to achieve, positive sense of humour, negotiates conflicts, a peacemaker.

Possible weaknesses: more concerned with popularity than tangible results, inattentive to detail, overuses gestures and facial expressions, tends to listen only when it's convenient.

Greatest fear: rejection.

Motivated by: flattery, praise, popularity and acceptance, a friendly environment, freedom from many rules and regulations, other people available to handle details.

Ideal environment: practical procedures, few conflicts and arguments, freedom from controls and details, a forum to express ideas, group activities in professional and social environments.

S (Steadiness)

General characteristics: good listener, team player, possessive, steady, predictable, understanding, friendly.

Value to team: reliable and dependable, loyal team worker, compliant towards authority, good listener, patient and empathetic, good at reconciling conflicts.

Possible weaknesses: resists change, takes a long time to adjust to change, holds a grudge, sensitive to criticism, difficulty establishing priorities.

Greatest fear: loss of security.

Motivated by: recognition for loyalty and dependability, safety and security, no sudden changes in procedure or lifestyle, activities that can be started and finished.

Ideal environment: practical procedures and systems, stability and predictability, tasks that can be completed at one time, few conflicts and arguments, a team atmosphere.

C (Compliance)

General characteristics: accurate, analytical, conscientious, careful, fact-finder, precise, high standards, systematic.

Value to team: perspective: 'the anchor of reality', conscientious and even-tempered, thorough to all activities, defines situation, gathers, criticises and tests information.

Possible weaknesses: needs clear-cut boundaries for actions/relationships, bound by procedures and methods, gets bogged down in details, prefers not to verbalise feelings, will give in rather that argue.

Greatest Fear: criticism.

Motivated By: standards of high quality, limited social interaction, detailed tasks, logical organisation of information.

Ideal environment: tasks and projects that can be followed through to completion, specialised or technical tasks, practical work procedures and routines, few conflicts and arguments, instructions and reassurance that they are doing what is expected of them.