May the FOUR Be With You – DiSC Personality Styles

Part Two: Do or Do Not, There is No Try. A Jedi’s Guide to Mastering Conflict in the Workplace.

Attacks, Battles, Civil Wars, and Revenge – Since 1977, we have watched the ultimate conflict play out in a galaxy far, far away. In George Lucas’s epic space-opera Star Wars series, it is EMPIRE vs. REBELLION, FATHER vs. SON, and DARK vs. LIGHT. As a 9.3-billion-dollar franchise, conflict is a moneymaker on the big screen.

Workplace Conflict

In comparison, conflict in the workplace costs businesses an estimated 359 billion dollars per year! That is the total price of the 2.8 hours per week U.S. employees spend dealing with workplace conflict. Now, I’m no C3PO, but my calculations tell me that businesses spend 3888% more money annually due to conflict than Star Wars earned in total revenue. Therefore, it does not take a MASTER to know that learning to navigate conflict effectively is critical to the success of organizations.

The Different Star Wars DiSC Personality Styles

Drama, gossip, bullying, and caving-in are just a few of the MENACING behaviors that play out in the workplace during conflict. Whether it is a brief dispute or a lingering issue, in BATTLE, we can all act in ways that add fuel to the fire and damage relationships. Unlike CLONES, each DiSC personality style handles conflict differently.

“Try, not. Do or do not. There is no try” – Yoda

When it comes to productively MANEUVERING conflict, we can learn a lot from a JEDI MASTER like YODA. We either DO, by handling conflict productively, or we DO NOT, by allowing the destructive tendencies of our DiSC personality styles to take over.

Destructive Conflict Quotes

Although there are many examples of the destructive ways, Darth, Han, Chewy, and C3PO behave when STRIKING BACK, here are a few of their most famous quotes during altercations.

“You underestimate the power of the Dark Side. If you will not fight, then you will meet your destiny.” – Darth Vader to Luke Skywalker

“Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid.” – Han Solo to Luke Skywalker

“UUURRHH AARGHHH” Translation: “Han, you spent too much time with Princess Leia and not enough time on repairing the hyperdrive” – Chewbacca to Han Solo

“Don’t call me a mindless philosopher, you overweight glob of grease.” – C3PO to R2D2

Takeaways

MASTERING conflict in the workplace is not a PHANTOM. You can AWAKEN THE FORCE and inspire effective collaboration by tailoring your responses and communicate effectively in conflict situations. If you want NEW HOPE by improving your self-awareness in conflict situations, become our YOUNG APPRENTICE through Arrowhead Consulting’s Everything DiSC Productive Conflict Assessment and training.

Reach out to us at contactus@arrowheadconsulting.com for more information!

Join us next for part 3 as we examine DiSC personality styles and an Agile approach to workplace interaction through emotional intelligence entitled: Use the FORCE – What Star Wars Teaches Us About Emotional Regulation and Agility.

Next, check out part 1 of our series, May the FOUR Be With You – A Series on The DiSC Assessment