I remember sitting in a stuffy conference room about seven years ago, staring at a stack of colorful reports. We had just spent eight hours and a decent chunk of the quarterly budget on a "DiSC Day." You know the vibe, lots of "Aha!" moments, some nervous laughter when people realized they were the "difficult" ones, and a general sense that we finally got each other. We walked out of there feeling like a brand-new team.
And then Monday happened.
By 2:00 PM on Monday, the "High D" sales manager was barking orders without a "hello," the "High S" admin was quietly spiraling because their schedule was blown up, and I, if I’m honest, was probably hiding in my office trying to avoid the fallout. The expensive DiSC reports were already gathering dust in a desk drawer. Yikes.
It’s the classic trap. We treat personality assessments like a one-time event, like a vaccination that’s supposed to make us immune to conflict forever. But leadership is messy... and teams are even messier. If you don't bake those insights into the actual, boring, weekly rhythm of how you work, you might as well have spent that DiSC money on a really nice espresso machine for the breakroom. At least that would've provided a caffeine kick.
If you’ve ever felt like your team is speaking four different languages despite having the same goals, you aren't alone. I've been there more times than I care to admit. But there is a way to bridge the gap: Weekly Working Agreements.
The "Dusty Binder" Problem
The reason most DiSC training sessions fail isn’t the content, it’s the follow-through. We learn that Sarah needs data and Bob needs a hug (metaphorically speaking, usually), but we don't change our Outlook settings or our meeting agendas to reflect that.
To be honest, I used to think that "Working Agreements" sounded a bit too much like corporate hand-holding. I’m an operations guy. I want results. But I realized, painfully, that results are capped by how well the gears of the team mesh. If the gears are grinding, you’re losing power.
A Weekly Working Agreement is basically a living document, think of it like wet cement, that defines how we are going to interact this week. It’s not a legal contract. It’s a "rules of the road" guide that uses DiSC as the compass.
Integrating the Styles into the Weekly Rhythm
When you look at your team’s weekly schedule, you have to ask: Who is this schedule serving? Usually, it serves the person with the loudest voice or the highest title. That’s a recipe for burnout. Instead, let’s look at how to bake DiSC into the actual agreements.
1. The Dominance (D) Style: Bottom Line and Boundaries
If you have "High D" personalities on your team (or if you are one... guilty as charged), your working agreement needs to focus on efficiency and autonomy.
In your weekly agreement, specify that Monday morning stand-ups will be "Bottom Line Up Front" (BLUF). No five-minute stories about the weekend. Just: What’s the goal? What’s the obstacle? To be honest, a High D will start checking their email if you take too long to get to the point.
The Agreement Item: "Meetings start on time, end early if possible, and every request must include a clear deadline."
2. The Influence (i) Style: Connection and Energy
My "High i" friends are the heartbeat of the office, but they can struggle when the work gets solitary or overly analytical. If your working agreement is just a list of spreadsheets, you’re going to lose them.
I’ve learned that you have to build in "social buffer" time. If you don't, they’ll find it anyway, usually by interrupting someone else’s deep work. (I know, I know... I’ve been that interrupter).
The Agreement Item: "Every Wednesday, we have a 15-minute 'Non-Work' sync to celebrate wins and share stories. Use Slack for the fun stuff so we don't clutter the project management tool."
3. The Steadiness (S) Style: Predictability and Safety
This is where I see the most friction. The "D" wants to change the plan at 4:00 PM on a Tuesday, and the "S" style feels like their world is ending. They value stability.
If your team agreement doesn't protect your "S" styles, your operations will eventually crumble because they are usually the ones holding the processes together. They need to know what’s coming.
The Agreement Item: "No 'Surprise' meetings. If an agenda isn't sent 24 hours in advance, the meeting is optional. We aim for a 'No-Change' Friday to allow for focus and wrap-up."
4. The Conscientiousness (C) Style: Accuracy and Time
Your "C" styles are the ones who caught the typo on page 47 of the manual. We need them. But they need time. If you ask a High C for an opinion on a complex problem in a live meeting, you’ll get a blank stare or a "let me think about it."
The Agreement Item: "Requests for data or deep analysis must be routed via email (not Slack) with at least a 48-hour lead time. We value accuracy over speed."
The Solved. Triage Framework: Reduce → Route → Resolve
When I’m working with clients at Solved. Operations & Management Solutions, I always bring it back to a simple triage framework. Once you know your team’s DiSC styles, you can apply this to your weekly working agreements to clean up the operational "noise."
- Reduce: Look at your weekly calendar. What meetings are we having just because we’ve always had them? If a High D and a High C are both frustrated with a meeting, it’s probably a candidate for the chopping block. We want to reduce the tasks that don’t move the needle.
- Route: This is where DiSC shines. Are you routing the "people-heavy" tasks to your "i" and "S" styles? Are you routing the "data-heavy" tasks to your "C"? Your working agreement should specify the "Natural Owner" for different types of problems.
- Resolve: As a leader, you should only be resolving the stuff that truly requires your specific judgment. If the working agreement is solid, the team can resolve the rest themselves.
Building Independence (The "Executive Director" Test)
One thing I’m obsessed with, if I can use that word, is how independent an organization is from its leader. Have you ever wondered what would happen if you just... disappeared for two weeks? (Hopefully, you’re on a beach, not in a ditch).
If everything stops because you aren't there to referee the personality clashes, you don't have a team; you have a collection of dependents.
A DiSC-informed working agreement is a massive step toward what we call Organizational Independence. When you document these preferences, you're doing a few things:
- Decision Making: You’re ensuring decisions are made at the right level. The "S" style knows they have the authority to say "No" to a last-minute change if it violates the agreement.
- Distributed Relationships: The "i" style is encouraged to build relationships across the team, not just with you.
- Smooth Absences: Work continues because the "rules of engagement" are written down.
I’ve made the mistake of being the "Hub" where every spoke had to touch me. It’s exhausting. It’s also arrogant, if I’m being honest. It assumes I’m the only one who can translate the "D" for the "C." But if the agreement is there, they can translate for themselves.
Putting It Into Practice: The "Wet Cement" Approach
If you’re ready to try this, don't make it a 50-page manual. Start small.
Sit down with your team: maybe after checking out our post on avoiding common DiSC mistakes: and ask one simple question: "What is one thing about how we communicated this week that made your job harder?"
Listen to the answers through the lens of DiSC.
- "I felt rushed" (Usually an S or C).
- "We talked too much and didn't do anything" (Usually a D).
- "I felt like I was working in a silo" (Usually an i).
Then, write one or two "agreements" for the following week. Treat it like wet cement. If it doesn't work, you can smooth it over and try again next week.
Leadership isn't about having all the answers. I certainly don't. It’s about creating an environment where people can actually do the work they were hired to do without having to fight the "system" every day.
If you're feeling overwhelmed by the "people stuff" or your operations feel like they're stuck in second gear, I’d love to help you sort through it. You can reach out for some leadership coaching or just to chat about how to get your team moving in the same direction.
I'd love to hear from you: What's the one "unwritten rule" in your office that's actually causing the most stress? Let's get it written down and fixed.
Until next time, keep it simple.
( Brett)
