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Chances are, you’re familiar with at least one personality test. Myers Briggs, Enneagram, Personal Style Indicator (PSI) or, the focus of this episode, DISC profiles.

Are these tools actually helpful? In my opinion, they have a time and place. But the truth is they’re kinda useless if you don’t actually apply the information you get from them.

Otherwise, people just use them as an excuse to behave a certain way.

That’s why today’s guest has become so popular in the world of small business and leadership. Thomas Erikson’s bestselling book Surrounded By Idiots is less about labeling yourself and others as red, yellow, green or blue and more about bringing awareness to your behavioral tendencies to more effectively lead and interact with others.

Instead of saying “I’m a red, so I can’t help being brash,” the book encourages you to say “My tendency to be brash may be pushing people away—what can I do to change that?”

In other words, how to stop feeling like you’re surrounded by idiots just because the people around you don’t act the same way you do.

Episode Highlights:

• Get a brief overview of the DISC personality assessment and its use cases from the author of the bestselling book Surrounded by Idiots.
• Learn how self-awareness can help you become more effective in business and life.
• Understand how to use personality assessments like DISC as tool for personal growth, rather than an excuse for your behavior.
• Bonus: Learn how to recognize and deal with energy vampires in all areas of your life.

00:00-Intro

02:15-Where does "behavior" come from?

04:24-Overview of the 4 DISC personality types

10:28-Distribution of color profiles in society

13:06-Why is this framework useful in running a business?

21:26-Correlation between personality types and roles

28:01-Benji's pushback on personality profiles - can they do more harm than good?

37:33-What motivates the different colors?

43:46-How to use knowledge of the colors to level up as a leader

49:29-About energy vampires

53:48-Closing advice for leaders trying to get the most out of their people