Leadership and management are terms that are often used interchangeably to depict someone who manages a team or teams of people. In reality, leadership vs. management have very different meanings that aren’t always reflected in someone’s title. It’s important to understand the difference when choosing between the two products in the Everything DiSC® family: Management and Work of Leaders.
In simple terms, the Management approach is for one-to-one relationships—manager to individual staff and manager to boss. The Work of Leaders approach is for one-to-many relationships. If you have an employee who has just moved into a new managerial or leadership role, it can be hard to choose which profile would help that person most. Both profiles can be relevant for leaders at all levels.
The focus of the Everything DiSC Work of Leaders assessment is on tangible steps directed at leading a group or organization toward a desired outcome. The three-step process includes creating a vision, building alignment around the vision, and championing the execution of the vision. All four DiSC styles contribute to leadership success and leadership strengths are reflected in one’s DiSC style.
Work of Leaders helps develop preferred leadership behaviors based on 18 best practices. It focuses on developing a leader’s preferred behaviors and applying strategies that are based on context-specific best practices.
The focus of Everything DiSC Management is a deeper understanding of yourself, as this is the first step to becoming a more effective manager. The Management profile will help you understand the preferences you have as a manager, thereby helping you understand what you enjoy and what can drain your energy when managing. The profile also teaches you how to observe behaviors in colleagues, employees, and clients to recognize their DiSC styles and then adapt your behavior to manage more effectively. The concentration is on directing, delegating, motivating, and developing the people you manage. The profile recognizes that all styles are valuable and can manage effectively.
Reviewing these sample reports for each profile will make the differences more clear.
Download the sample Everything DiSC Management profile (PDF)
Download the sample Everything DiSC Work of Leaders profile (PDF)
Consider which best addresses the needs of your learners. Reflect on which might best dovetail with programs you already offer to leaders in your organization.
If you’re uncertain as to which profile might work best for your current needs, the people at Discprofile.com would be happy to help. Just call (877) 344-8612 in the U.S. or (855) 344-3472 in Canada.
