DISC for Teams

If you're running a company of 10 to 75 people, you've already noticed it: the friction. The communication breakdowns. The meetings that should have been productive but ended with people talking past each other. The top performer who somehow creates conflict everywhere they go. The reliable team member who never speaks up until they resign.

Most founders attribute these problems to “culture issues” or “bad hires.” Sometimes that's true. But more often, the real issue is behavioral mismatch — good people with different wiring trying to work together without understanding how each other operates.

When a team understands DISC, the conversations shift. Instead of “Why is she so aggressive?” it becomes “She's a high-D — that directness is how she shows she cares about the outcome.” Instead of “Why can't he just make a decision?” it becomes “He's a high-C — he needs the data before he commits, and when he does commit, his decision will be solid.”

That reframe — from judgment to understanding — eliminates a massive amount of interpersonal friction. It doesn't mean everyone agrees. It means they disagree productively because they understand what's driving the other person's perspective.

At 10 to 75 people, every relationship matters. You don't have the luxury of large organizations where one strained relationship gets absorbed by the system. At your size, one communication breakdown between two key people can stall an entire initiative. One manager who doesn't know how to adapt their style can drive out your best talent.

This is also the stage where your culture is being set — whether you're intentional about it or not. The behavioral patterns your team develops now become the foundation for everything that follows as you scale. Investing in behavioral awareness early is significantly easier and more effective than trying to retrofit it at 200 people.

The best place to start is your own assessment. As a founder or operator, your DISC style shapes every interaction you have — from how you run meetings to how you deliver feedback to how you handle disagreement. Understanding your own patterns is the foundation for understanding your team's.

Once you know your style, you'll start seeing the dynamics on your team through a clearer lens. The friction you've been attributing to personality clashes will suddenly make sense as predictable behavioral patterns — and predictable patterns are manageable patterns.