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Planning a DiSC Workshop? Set Yourself Up for Success

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DiSC WorkshopAs an employer, you likely know about the power of DiSC profile tests for assessing your employees’ personalities, learning about team dynamics, and taking action based on the results. Hosting a DiSC workshop is a fantastic way to educate your team on what DiSC offers and how to use it for your organization. To ensure a successful DiSC Assessment Training workshop, ask yourself these questions:

Who is your audience?

This affects not only who should participate, but also how the workshop should be structured. Are you looking to teach first-time managers? Employees who started in the last quarter? Senior management? An entire department? You’ll want to adjust the workshop’s content and approach accordingly.

What is your goal?

What do you want participants to know or do as a result of the DiSC workshop? For example, do you want to: pinpoint the cause of an ongoing problem, improve communication, reinforce sales skills, or boost customer service? This determines which DiSC assessment to use-and how to tailor your workshop.

What is your schedule?

Can you dedicate the three or four hours typical of a workshop that includes participant exercises? Would a 90-minute workshop on two different days work better? Or would incorporating DiSC training into an existing workshop be best? Your schedule affects the workshop’s design.

What is your trainer preference?

Is someone on your staff willing and able to conduct the workshop? There are excellent facilitator kits to guide those who are comfortable in that role. If you would rather hire an experienced DiSC facilitator, we can point you to local experts.

Do you prefer an in-person or virtual workshop?

There are advantages to each. A virtual workshop lets you train employees across multiple locations. However, for some folks, nothing compares to an on-site facilitator interacting with your team.

Whether you’re using DiSC to resolve issues with individuals, improve your workplace culture, or enhance any other aspect of your organization, you should host a DiSC Training workshop to properly educate your team. Prepare yourself with these questions ahead of time, and you’ll be off and running.

Six Essential Steps to a Great Hire

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Essential Hiring StepsWhen your organization has a job opening, you want to hire the right person. You also want the hiring process to be as smooth as possible. Whether you’re filling a new position or replacing an employee, follow these steps:

1. Update the job description or create a new one.

Clearly state the education, experience, and skills that you seek. Include the job’s compensation.

2. Publicize the job

Post the job opening on LinkedIn, Indeed, or other job boards. Also, post it on your internal job board, so that your current employees have an opportunity for career growth. Spread the word through your network of contacts as well.

3. Screen and narrow your pool of candidates

Review the applications/resumes for experience, education, and work history. Does the candidate’s experience match what you’re seeking? Are there unexplained gaps in job history? Has the candidate jumped from job to job? The answers help narrow down the pool to those most qualified.

4. Conduct phone interviews

Phone interviews help you gauge each candidate’s energy. If you’re filling a customer-facing job, assess the candidate’s speaking ability. If you’re hiring for a solitary job, the individual’s enunciation on the phone is less important.

5. Use a hiring assessment tool

Now that you’ve spoken with a candidate, you’ll want to “look under the hood.” We recommend using PXT Select™, an online tool that measures behavioral and thinking styles, interests, verbal and numeric skills, and even assertiveness. Importantly, it helps set apart candidates who otherwise seem equal. With PXT Select, you can compare an individual’s results with the job’s performance model—and with other candidates’ results. This adds a layer of objectivity to the hiring process.

6.Conduct in-person interviews

Interview your final, select group of candidates. PXT Select provides personalized interview questions designed to clarify discrepancies identified in the assessment.

Now you have the information you need to select the best candidate. Once your offer has been accepted, you can use PXT Select’s onboarding tips. Happy hiring!

Yes, You Can Minimize Workplace Conflict

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Meeting Involving Conflict

There’s conflict in every workplace. It’s inevitable. Colleagues with different communication styles working together every day are bound to have friction sometimes. Surely you’ve seen this in your own workplace.

For instance, consider the “no-fluff” boss. “I need this report on my desk by 10:00,” she might announce Monday morning. The employee, however, had started his day with a cheerful “Good morning! How was your weekend?” to his co-workers. With his softer communication style, he might react negatively to his boss. Neither style is right or wrong, but it’s easy for someone to misunderstand another’s intent. That’s how conflict arises.

In your workplace:

  • Is there an employee who repeatedly offends others?
  • Is there an employee who’s often mad?
  • Do team members fail to effectively convey ideas to one another?
  • Are employees just not getting along?

Let us help.

Tell us about the conflict your workplace is experiencing. If you can’t pinpoint the root of the problem, we’ll help you identify it. Then we’ll establish an action plan on how to minimize conflict in your workplace. We might recommend:

Personality assessments. These assessments shed light on the group’s culture and the tendencies of the individuals. You can even compare the priorities of two individuals and uncover their potential communication roadblocks. You’ll have a roadmap to success, with advice on how the individuals can best work with each other.

Coaching or training. Our on-site and virtual workshops let you learn how to achieve smoother interactions, at your convenience. If you prefer to run a workshop yourself, we can provide the necessary materials.

Your customized action plan for resolving conflict in the workplace is designed to eliminate dysfunctional communication that creates roadblocks. Our goal is to deliver the “aha” moments that come from employees learning to understand themselves and one another. There’s no better way to minimize conflict in the workplace.

To get started, please email us at learn@corexcel.com.

3 Ways Unconscious Bias Can Hurt Your Workplace

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People Greeting Each OtherThe Wall Street Journal recently ran a fascinating article, “Why We Stereotype Strangers“. It stated that we all have unconscious biases, even if we don’t want to. We form perceptions from childhood, based on what our parents tell us, what we see on television, and even what we observe in strangers. It’s not our fault that we’re biased–but we must understand the workplace implications.

Implicit bias directly affects your workplace. Interviewers, for instance, might be unconsciously drawn to candidates similar to themselves. Bias can hurt your organization because:

You can pass up talent

Finding good people is hard enough. It’s a shame to rule out excellent candidates because of bias.

You can miss out on your team’s expertise

If a team member’s race, sexual orientation, or religion is the root of a manager’s implicit bias, the employee’s valuable input might not be heard.

You can create an insular culture

If your organization lacks diversity, decisions can be made by a group of people not reflecting the diversity of your clients.

Thankfully, you can work around bias by having a goal. Where is your organization now, and where does it want to go? This includes revamping your hiring process:

  1. Describe the open position.
  2. State the competencies and traits necessary for it.
  3. Match candidates’ qualifications to desired competencies and traits without knowing their name, gender, race, age, etc.
  4. During interviews, be mindful of potential bias.

Perhaps the best way to work around implicit bias is to use an objective hiring tool, such as PXT Select™. This hiring assessment helps you select the best candidates by producing reports with objective data. PXT can’t tell if a candidate is male or female, black, white, or purple! With PXT, qualified candidates shine on merit.

To learn more about this topic or PXT Select, send an email through our contact form.

 

“PXT Select” is a trademark of John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

DiSC® Myths—Busted

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DiSC® Myths—Busted

How much do you know about the DiSC® Personality Test? When it comes to behavior assessment profiles, DiSC is simply unmatched. Participants complete a short survey, which then generates insightful results on their behavior. DiSC offers valuable information for your organization, yet misconceptions abound. Here are some DiSC assessment myths debunked.

Myth #1: You can’t use DiSC as part of your hiring process.
Truth: While DiSC shouldn’t be your sole decision-making tool, it can be helpful during the hiring process. DiSC provides insight into a candidate’s behavior and communication preferences, so it can help you find someone who fits nicely in your organization.

Myth #2: You must have special certification to use DiSC in training sessions.
Truth: Unless you’re outside North America, you can use DiSC without receiving certification. This makes DiSC highly accessible to organizations that would benefit from this tool.

Myth #3: DiSC is like other behavior assessments out there.
Truth: DiSC measures so much more. While other assessments label individuals in one of a handful of categories, DiSC identifies an individual’s primary—and secondary—style. So instead of simply identifying participants as having a “D,” “i,” “S,” or “C” style (for Dominance, Influence, Conscientiousness, and Steadiness), DiSC notes their style as CD, Si, and so on. It’s a more layered approach to reflect that no individual has a “one-note” personality.

DiSC is differentiated even further by diving deeper into the intensity of each participant’s personality. With an individual’s results plotted as a dot on a graph like the one here, the location of the dot is very telling. Is your dot toward the edge of the circle? If so, then your personality is firmly in the identified style. Is your dot towards the center of the circle? In that case, you have those characteristics to a lesser degree.

Circular DiSC Model

Do you have questions? You can find common DISC questions and answers here.

To learn more, please email us at learn@corexcel.com.

Is Office Drama Costing You? | Webinar

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Explore Everything DiSC Productive Conflict!

Conflicted People

However you think of conflict, it comes down to a difference of opinion involving strong emotions. Whether it’s a brief, explosive dispute or subtle, long-lasting issue, we’ve all done things in these moments that derail conversations and destroy our relationships.

Ever wonder why? Are we bad people, unable to control ourselves?

There is an explanation and it’s roots are in the cognitive behavioral model. Hidden inside us are our thoughts, often unconscious. Many times we’re unaware of these thoughts until we react in ways that have negative consequences. Gaining awareness of these thoughts, making better choices and changing our responses contributes to our overall emotional intelligence quotient.

In this session, we’ll explore how the Everything DiSC Productive Conflict program can help you and your team gain the emotional intelligence you need to engage in positive conflict and succeed in today’s workplace.

Date:  September 26, 2018

Contact us to request the webinar recording

New Everything DiSC Productive Conflict Video

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We’re excited to share the new Everything DiSC Productive Conflict video. Are you interested in learning more about productive conflict? We think you will enjoy the new video so click on the image below to check it out:

Conflict is an issue most of us encounter with regularity. Everything DiSC Productive Conflict is used by organizations to improve the workplace and to make conflict a productive piece of their workflow. The assessment helps people increase their awareness in conflict situations. When awareness is non-existent, destructive behaviors often take over and they impact the employees we rely on. But did you know conflict can be productive? It absolutely can. When you promote the behaviors that turn conflict into a productive situation, positive results will follow. Learn more about Everything DiSC Productive Conflict.

Enable JavaScript for Online Courses

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Many of our online courses such as Medical Terminology, Anatomy & Physiology and Medical Coding require JavaScript to be enabled to access all of the intended functionality. The instructions below describe how to enable JavaScript in a variety of web browsers.

Enable JavaScript – Google Chrome

  • Click the Menu in the upper-right corner (3 vertical dots) and choose Settings
  • Towards the bottom of the page click the word Advanced to expand the settings list
  • At the bottom of the Privacy & Security section click on Content Settings
  • Click the section titled JavaScript
  • If it says Blocked move the slider on the right so that it says Allowed (recommended)

Enable JavaScript Google Chrome

Enable JavaScript – Mozilla Firefox

Starting with Firefox 23 the option to disable JavaScript was moved from the Options window. Follow the instructions below to enable JavaScript.

  • In the address bar type about:config and hit Enter
  • If a screen that says something like This might void your warranty displays, click the I accept the risk! button
  • In the search bar type javascript.enabled
  • If it has a value of True, you don’t have to do anything
  • If it has a value of False, double click anywhere in the highlighted section to change the value to True
  • Close the about:config window as JavaScript is now enabled for Firefox

Enable JavaScript Firefox

Enable JavaScript – Internet Explorer

  • Open the Tools menu (in IE version 9+ the tools menu is a gear icon in the upper-right corner of the browser)
  • Select Internet Options
  • Go to the Security tab and click the Custom Level button
  • Scroll down the list to find the Active Scripting heading (directly under the Scripting heading)
  • Make sure Enable is selected
  • Click the OK button to close that window
  • Towards the bottom of the Security Settings window, click the Apply button
  • Close the Internet Options window by clicking the OK button

Enable JavaScript Internet Explorer

Enable JavaScript – Microsoft Edge

JavaScript is supported in the Microsoft Edge web browser. However, it might have been disabled in your browser by an administrative setting. If you encounter a JavaScript error in Edge:

  • Click the Menu in the upper-right corner (3 vertical dots) and choose Settings
  • On the More menu (3 horizontal dots), select Settings.
  • Select Cookies and site permissions.
  • Select JavaScript to check if Allowed (recommended) is turned on.

Enable JavaScript – Apple Safari

  • On a Windows computer, press [CTRL] and [,] at the same time to open Preferences
  • On a Mac computer, press [Command] and [,] at the same time to open Preferences
  • Click the Security tab
  • Under Web content make sure Enable JavaScript is checked (Java and JavaScript are not the same)
  • Close the Preferences window because you are finished!

Enable JavaScript Safari

Enable JavaScript – Safari on iOS (iPad, iPhone)

  • Open Settings
  • Scroll down the list and choose Safari
  • Towards the bottom of the Safari settings select Advanced
  • Make sure JavaScript is turned on

Enable JavaScript iOS Safari

Enable JavaScript – Android

These steps are for Microsoft Edge for Android; they may vary slightly if you have a different browser installed.

  • Open the Edge app
  • Tap the three dots in the lower right corner
  • Go to Settings
  • Go to Site Permissions
  • Go to JavaScript
  • Ensure JavaScript is allowed

Enable JavaScript Android

Enable JavaScript – Chrome for Android

  • Open the Chrome app
  • Tap the three dots in the upper right corner
  • Go to Settings
  • Go to Site Settings
  • Go to JavaScript
  • Ensure JavaScript is allowed

Enable JavaScript Android

While there are many other browsers and operating systems available, unfortunately we cannot support them all. In this post, we’ve done our best to cover the most widely used browsers and devices. Browsers not listed here are not recommended for use with Corexcel’s online courses. Check the system requirements for the course you would like to take.

If you’ve attempted to work through the instructions above but are still having trouble, please call our offices during business hours at 1-302-477-9730, Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. EST. Our Customer Service team is happy to help. If you prefer email, send your request through our contact form. A representative will respond within one business day.

Enabling Adobe Flash for Online Courses

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Some of the interactive features in Corexcel courses require the use of Adobe Flash. To enable Flash follow the directions below for the browser you plan to use with the course. In this post, we cover how to enable Adobe Flash Player in Google Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge on Windows 7, 8 & 10.

Enabling Adobe Flash Player

The first step is to install the latest version of Abode Flash. You can skip this step if you’re using Internet Explorer on Windows 8 or Windows 10. Flash is integrated and should update automatically when you run your Windows Update.

Enabling Flash – Microsoft Internet Explorer

  • Open the Tools menu and choose Manage add-ons
  • Under the Add-on Types choose Toolbars and Extensions
  • In the Show drop down choose All add-ons
  • In the list on the right, click on Shockwave Flash Object (you may have to scroll through the list)
  • Click the Enable button in bottom right corner of the Manage Add-ons window (If the button says Disable it means Flash is already enabled)
  • Click the Close button

Internet Explorer Flash Settings

Enabling Flash – Mozilla Firefox

  • In Firefox, click F10 if you do not see the menu bar with the Tools menu
  • Select Tools then select Add-ons
  • Select Plugins from the menu on the left and then select Shockwave Flash (listed on the right)
  • Select Always Activate from the drop down menu displayed to the right of the Options button
  • Close the Options tab

Firefox Flash Settings

Enabling Flash – Google Chrome

  • Click the Menu in the upper-right corner (3 vertical dots) and choose Settings
  • Towards the bottom of the page click the word Advanced to expand the settings list
  • At the bottom of the Privacy & Security section click on Content Settings
  • Click on Flash
  • Click the Add button appearing to the right of the word Allow
  • Enter [*.]corexcel.com and click Add
  • Click the Add button again to add another website to the Allow list
  • Enter [*.]cengage.com in the Site field and click Add
  • Close the Settings tab

Chrome Flash Settings

Enabling Flash – Microsoft Edge

  • Open Edge and click the three-dotted button in the upper-right corner
  • Click Settings
  • Click Advanced Settings at the bottom of the Settings sidebar
  • Make sure Use Adobe Flash Player is set to On
  • Close the Settings sidebar

Edge Flash Settings

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