SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome back to another episode here on the Enneagram at Work podcast. If you happen to be a returning listener, if you are new, welcome in general. I hope this is the first of many. In either case, what you will be hearing today is an encore uh podcast episode from a series we did a little over a year ago. And I'm picking one of those episodes. Um, this one just happens to be the highest in downloads, but they are all so good on using the disc assessment to help you build healthy relationships at work and how to use that assessment with the Enneagram and other personality tools to help you get to better understand yourself and those you work with. And uh our guest today is Nancy Malejo, and she is identified as a type 7. So we'll also get to hear a little bit about life on the inside of a type 7. Um, this whole series, though, um was really fun. We covered using 360 reviews with Tara Nestner, we covered uh the Colby assessment and some things to note and use to build a business or a career that really aligns with those results and using it with the Enneagram. Um we talked about strength finders, we talked about um oh, the fascinate assessment um was really interesting. And then um we also heard from a uh a real life personality assessment used in real life where we had um a listener come on and kind of share some of their experience with many of these tools and others in addition to the Enneagrams. So you got to hear kind of how they've used multiple assessments to, you know, grow, learn about themselves and others. So it was it's a really fun series. I'm gonna connect each one in the show notes below. But here in this episode, we're gonna do kind of high-level what do the disc assessment letters mean? Uh, what are those four styles, D, I, S, and C? And what's really interesting is that as you hear them, I immediately thought of specific Enneagram types. And so it will be kind of interesting to hear your thoughts. The only one that didn't show up for me, which or stand out, was a type four, which type four is my love to hear that, uh, that they couldn't be put in a box. Uh so, but if you listen and hear otherwise, I would love to hear those thoughts. So you'll have to reach out enneagrammba.com forward slash connect and um let me know your thoughts on this one. And um, like I said, I'll connect the other one so you can explore some of those others. It was a really fun series, um, and just talking about other tools to complement what we're learning um about with the Enneagrams. So without further ado, enjoy this Encore interview with Nancy. You're listening to the Enneagram at Work podcast, a show about understanding people at work, including yourself. I'm your host, Sarah Wallace, and I'm looking forward to diving into this week's episode with you. We are continuing our personality assessment series today, and our guide for this episode is going to be sharing insight and application for the disk assessment. So I'm really excited. I had taken the quiz or the assessment, we'll be sharing those results later. Um, but I have Nancy Marmalejo who is going to be sharing with us what the heck the disc is and how to use it. Nancy is passionate about helping individuals and teams uncover their hidden strengths and untapped potential. And we're going to get into that a little bit later. Um, as an executive coach and corporate trainer, keynote speaker and consultant, her work sparks aha moments that lead to personal transformation, healthy curiosity, and organizational change. She's brought her techniques to companies like NASA and Microsoft and Blue Origin, government agencies, nonprofits, and various leadership conference conferences. She lives in sunny California out in Oakland, where she enjoys collecting art, gardening, and exploring the outdoors. I think she's in good company here on this podcast. Um, and we'll be talking about how to learn more from Nancy, but she's over at talentandgenious.com. So um stay tuned till the end because she's going to share a little bit more about how we can learn from her and potentially work from her. So without further ado, Nancy, welcome to the show.

SPEAKER_01 5:04

Thank you so much, Sarah. I'm excited to be here.

SPEAKER_00 5:07

And something that is not found in your um official bio is also the Enneagram type that you most identify with, which is type seven, I believe.

SPEAKER_01 5:18

I I believe a seven. I I I pretty much check the boxes on the seven.

SPEAKER_00 5:24

Yeah, yeah. And it's so interesting because I also obviously identify as a type seven. And we both have this very similar disk assessment results. So it's just been really fun to get to know Nancy and and to be able to have her on the show. I was like, we are definitely gonna jive here. This is gonna be a good conversation.

SPEAKER_01 5:42

Definitely. I mean, you I can already feel it. It's like I can see you and I just going really high energy. I love it. Listening in person together. It's like, ah, here we go. This is cool.

SPEAKER_00 5:52

Well, I am excited. Um, I want to talk about um some of the the work that you do, but just to like, let's just jump start the conversation. Um, this is the personality assessment series. Today we are focused on the disc. Um, for those of us who have never heard of it or have heard it, but are just like, okay, four letters. Would you give us just a quick overview of what is the disc?

SPEAKER_01 6:16

Sure. The disc is a, I mean, for the most part, it's an assessment. It's something that you answer certain questions and they are designed to help reveal what your uh preferences and tendencies are according to a certain model that we call the disk. The D I C D I S C each letter stands for something. And what it really helps people do is to understand themselves, understand others. It's often applied to workplace settings so that people can just get along better and have understandings. And as a result of it, and I've seen this happen, is that you have groups of people working together who are just more engaged and more collaborative. And even when an individual takes it and not necessarily as part of a group, they have an understanding of themselves and an understanding of others where they can start to see, oh, that's why we had that misunderstanding, or that's why so-and-so and I work so well together, or oh, I thought that person's always mad at me, but it turns out they're just a different style.

SPEAKER_00 7:25

Yes, I that is so true. Just understanding, like, oh my gosh, they're seeing the world completely differently, or I always say, oh, they're not trying to drive me crazy on purpose. They they have their own reasons and beliefs and opinions and you know, motives and that sort of thing. So um, so interesting. Now, for the Enneagram, one of the one of the main things that it will shine some light on is your core motive, why you do what you do, which can be really helpful in a lot of situations. Why you might have five people in the same room doing the same thing, but for different reasons. What type of additional insight um does the disc provide?

SPEAKER_01 8:06

Very similar. It it really helps people have an understanding again around preferences, preferences around how you um communicate, preferences around how you deal with conflict, preferences about how you uh engage in a group. So for some people, it everything needs to be direct to the point, let's go, boom. And then somebody else might say, Whoa, whoa, hold on, that's very harsh, that's that's not considering these other things, let's stop for a moment. And they are both right. It's just that they have different styles and preferences. And so when we understand that when somebody is different than us in these preferences, that we step out of ourselves, we develop a lot more empathy. And I think it definitely helps us develop emotional intelligence because we're not just looking at the world through our lens, we are having a deeper level of understanding about what drives the other person.

SPEAKER_00 9:03

I love that. Um, now for most of us here listening, if you've been listening to the show at all, you are familiar with the Enneagram. The Enneagram has nine types, the disc has four categories, four types. Would you first of all correct me if they're not called types? Tell me what, tell us what they are called, and then would you would you go around the wheel um and tell us what each letter is? So we'll call them styles. Styles, okay, thank you.

SPEAKER_01 9:29

I knew that it's okay, and they're actually 12, but but we make it four. We look at four because in in each quadrant, there's like it it could have some nuances to it. So there's some like subsets. So technically there's 12, but for the most part, for people to remember it, there's four.

unknown 9:46

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 9:47

Uh now the easy thing is I love that there's four because I can remember four. If it had like see anyagram, you have so many, I I sometimes forget, but I can remember four. Um the D, the I, the S, and the C, they all stand for something. And that really helps us with our preferences. So I can I can kind of like go around each letter and share it with you.

SPEAKER_00 10:09

Yeah, if you wouldn't mind, that would be really helpful.

SPEAKER_01 10:11

Okay, great. So as we are, what happens is you answer these questions um and it plots you on this quadrant. And it'll say if you're in the D, the I, the S, or the C, or you know, these like I said, there's some nuances within each one, but I I mean for simplicity's sake, let's just say there's four. The D stands for dominance. Uh, this is a person who is very, very um direct. Um you know, they just like things to things to they're they're they're I'd say maybe strong will, they they're very results oriented, and let's just get it done. Like, what do we have to do to get it done? And and tends to be um, you know, just in that like boss mode. Um, all right, somebody needs to make a decision, nobody's making a decision, okay, I'll make a decision. And so you have that, you know, very direct, forceful boom, and that's a very, very important trait in leadership. So we're gonna say all the great things, and then we'll talk about how that could you know derail. So then we go around, uh go around the wheel and and we have the I. And the I stands for influence. Outgoing, enthusiastic, very optimistic, high-spirited, lively. Um, we'll talk in a minute about some really awesome people who are eyes. Uh so that person uh is really around the energy and the the enthusiasm and like come on, everybody. And there's a there's a real like a almost like a kinetic energy about this. It's like, let's go, let's go, let's bring it up. And then there's the style called the S, and the S stands for steadiness. This is the person who's very even tempered, tends to be accommodating, very patient, very humble, very tactful, just harmony is with what they want. So if the uh if the I wants enthusiasm, the S wants harmony. And we have to remember that because when things aren't harmonious, that that uh that S is going to be really concerned if the D is being a little too forceful. They want to make sure everybody's getting along well. And then the C stands for conscientiousness, and that is the person who their preferences are to be very analytical. Maybe they're a little bit more reserved, um, they're very precise, might tend to be a little bit more private and systematic. And so we have these different ways of viewing people. Now, I said earlier there's actually 12 styles because there can be a D who's really close to an I, and they could be considered a DI. Like they're primarily a D, but they've got this maybe this little enthusiastic part of them, and so they'd be called a DI. Um, so everybody has some kind of a blend with the style that's right next to them. And um, yeah, and so depending on how you um how you have taken how you show in the um the assessment, you're going to um maybe have a tendency like between two or just one straight up.

SPEAKER_00 13:27

Okay, I like that. I like the word blend of a of two because I think that's probably more reflective too, just of the complexity of human beings in general, right? We're way more complex than nine types or 12, but that adds a different level. It kind of reminds me of Enneagram wings as well. You know, you have this main dominant driver. Um, and as you were talking, I was, I'm I'm sure those of us who are more familiar with the Enneagram are probably hearing some of those types because when you're talking about the D, immediately I'm thinking, oh, that's some A energy right there. That bold, direct, want to be strong, powerful, kind of natural leader, maybe some one, maybe some three in there. That might be kind of the blends happening. Um let's talk a little bit about you. Um that you use these in team dynamics a lot of times to better understand each other. Um what should we know? Like if if we're a leader or if we're working with one of these types, and maybe we can go through each of them, what is a strength that you might point out to us, maybe a hidden potential or hidden strength? Um, and then what is potentially a challenge or uh, you know, I don't want to call them a weakness, but uh just an obstacle they they might be faced with in the workplace with that energy.

SPEAKER_01 14:50

Oh, sure. So what's really, you know, we can we can take a look at, I mean, I'll just go around with the D I S C go in order again, but the D, I mean, they are they they get things done. I mean, if you want it done, a D is gonna get it done. I mean, they take action, they challenge themselves, they challenge others, they're tend to be very confident, direct, um, you know, they'll they'll take risks. And those are strengths that they have, those are leadership strengths where it can come around on the you know, on the side where there's more challenges is they can be they can come across as having lacking concern for others, perhaps some insensitivity or some impatience uh because they just want to move it forward. I mean, they they move it forward, move it forward, move it forward. It's very dynamic and bold that way. The eye shares those some of those traits. Active, fast paced, you know, move it forward, move it forward. But the eye, what's important for them is this um encouragement and enthusiasm and keeping the energy high. Uh, the eye tends to be a little bit more uh enjoying so you know, maybe some social recognition. So, you know, uh the eyes love language. If you do that assessment too, that is probably words of appreciation. Enthusiastic and likes to be validated for that enthusiasm. When somebody comes around and tries to squash the eyes' enthusiasm, the eye can that that hurts. Um of the challenges that eyes have because they're you know, they're they're such people people, they can be charming, they can be enthusiastic, they can they can charm their way through a situation and just let their charisma work for them. It could, you know, sometimes it could lead to lack of follow-through because there's just so much energy and enthusiasm. You kind of forget all the different things that you just said are gonna happen. Um, eyes can be labeled sometimes as impulsive, not all, but some can be, you know, disorganized. Um but they they just really like to be acknowledged for being that enthusiastic influencer type.

SPEAKER_00 17:09

Okay, I'm and I'm laughing, and it's uh it's so crazy like how on point these assessments can be, because that is me to a T. And I was looking at my results and I am just strictly an I. Um, whereas so as a type seven, I don't know if fellow sevens out there can relate to that. Um, I also see threes in this uh description a lot, but maybe more with that get it done, like a little bit more execution. So maybe ID or yeah, ID. Um, so it's just really, it's just really interesting, kind of how it it matches up to some of our Enneagram strengths and obstacles that we talk about. So okay, we'll we'll keep going. So we got D, we got I. And you just shared something important.

SPEAKER_01 17:56

You took the, so Sarah took the disc and it's what I would call a high eye. I mean, it's like you're there's this little dot that goes on this quadrant, however far out from the circle you are, that closer to the edge, it's like the you are it. And yours is practically falling off the edge. You are like tipping over with eye energy. So it's you're you're a pure eye.

SPEAKER_00 18:18

Very eye, yes, very, very much I. And then, like as you're saying, you know, the stereotypical or common tendencies, um, both on the strength side and on the struggle side, like, yes, that, you know, love. I'm constantly like in in the room or on a podcast interview. I'm like, gosh, is the is how's the vibe? Like, how's the energy? Like, are we are we vibing here? Is are do we have is everybody in a good mood? Are we having fun? Um are we getting things done? But also, like you said, like let's also have a good time while we do it. So that was just kind of laughing while you were saying that.

SPEAKER_01 18:53

I was like, okay. Remind, remind me after I go through this. I can give you some scenarios about how they work together and how sometimes they can make each other a little bit nervous. Okay. Which ones, which ones pair up really well together and take off running, and others are like, ah, they worry about each other. Okay, I will absolutely we'll come back to that. So we move over to the S, and again, S stands for steadiness. And um, the S, we love S's because S's give us support, um, really maintain stability. They're very, very collaborative, and they're just so great to help maintain a stable environment. Um, they're really, really patient, team players, good listeners, very, very humble. And you know, anything that disrupts the harmony uh just that that makes the the S feel a pit bug. And so they want to oftentimes make sure that at you know, the price of harm we want harmony, and sometimes they'll take the back seat just so that harmony can happen. So one of the things that happens with um an S is an S might become too accommodating. Uh, they might put their needs behind because they're thinking, you know what, I just want what's good for everybody. So I'll just be quiet and not voice my opinion because this are this meeting is like so contentious. I just want to get out of here and have everybody smile again and be friends, so I'm not gonna say anything. They might have something really important to say. So that's a challenge that S's have. Um, but the S is so wonderful. Like if you're having a problem, the S is that person who listens and doesn't have to keep telling their story every afternoon, you know, they're not sitting there waiting for their turn to talk to tell you their thing to top you off. They're they're truly, truly listening and harmonious. Um my gosh.

SPEAKER_00 20:40

We leave, yes, I need more of those people in my life. That is so nice. Um, immediately I'm thinking of the type nine, which is known as sometimes the harmonizer, the peacemaker, the mediator, and also maybe a little bit of some two energy, which is also known as the helper or the giver sometimes. So that's interesting just to kind of hear some of those qualities.

SPEAKER_01 21:00

I love, I love this, this cross-reference. This is great. I was curious if we were going to be able to do this. So thank you for adding that into this. Um, the C is our last one. So the C is all about accuracy and stability, and they want to make things, make sure that things are done right. Um, quality, precision. Um they might they might be naturally skeptical. And and where they tend to experience challenges is they can be perceived as overly critical, overly analytical, and you know, that paralysis by analysis, they take you, you're taking so long to go through this. And they're saying, I want to make sure I get it done right. And then while the I, who sits just directly opposite of them, is like, it's fine, it's fine. If something comes up, I'll just I'll cover for you, I'll charm them, I'll talk our way out. And the D is like, yeah, hurry up, let's go and get it done. You know, and the S is kind of hanging on there, going, Well. You know, I want everybody to be happy. So, you know, it's just like, where should I go? So, so there are these areas, like they tend to have, like whoever's sitting across opposite of you, D and the S, they tend to be opposite. You know, the S is very um just low-key, and the D is very dominant. And so the D can steamroll over the S, and the S has to be able to communicate um more forcefully and directly to the D. The S might think, oh my gosh, I don't want to say it that way. I might hurt their feelings. And the D is like, bring it. I'm I like things direct. And then the C and the I can drive each other crazy because you know, the I is all, yay, let's go, let's go. And the C is like, hold on. Yeah, stop. You're going too fast. You and the I could the C can interpret the I as being reckless, impulsive, you don't have a dent into detail. And the I is like more of a I can hit the ground running and figure it out as we go, because the eyes are very quick thinking and quick thinking problem solvers. And the C is a more of a methodical problem solver. And so they just they just don't understand that those things can actually coexist. And so there's a level of trust. And that's why the more we know each other's style, the C can say to the I, you know, when you run off with a new idea before we fully formulate it, it makes me feel really nervous about the quality of the work. What I need from you is to just give me a little bit more time to complete. And then the I can say to them, okay, well, you know, when you're constantly analyzing and scrutinizing things, I uh it ends up affecting my morale because I'm an idea person and I feel like you're squashing, you know, my ideas. I need to be able to have a space to express myself and my ideas. And we wouldn't have had that conversation otherwise if we didn't have this little 22-page report explaining it that does it in a really neutral way. So it's not like you always do this, and you know, it's like you just hold up the assessment and go look at the that's what that's who's talking right now. You know, we don't have to get mad at each other. We can look at this third party over here and it's giving us some really good feedback.

SPEAKER_00 24:13

Okay, and I want to get, I want to talk about the report in just a second, um, because that was so helpful. And there's some other additional nuggets in there. So we're gonna come back to that. Um, what's you know, what came up for me at C when you were talking about the C was more, well, right away, I think our type five um is like probably a strict, a strict C. They're the known as the investigator of the observer, tend to be a little bit more withdrawn, very focused on analyzing the data. Their motto is kind of like, show me the data, don't give me the drama. Um so that that came up. But then also as you were talking and I was looking at the report or the circle, um, that S energy with the C energy reminds me of a type six. I don't know if the sixes will see that or not, but it's you know, they they tend to be very supportive, very also accommodating, very aware, very collaborative, excellent in bringing together a group. And also they really care about the data and like making sense of the data. So that was interesting just to see the the blend right there. And then I also saw, let's see, the the C and the D potentially for a type one who's very analytical as well, very much factual logic to be practical, rational, sensible adults. Um, and then also taking taking charge and making things better. So that's just really cool with when you add in the blended pieces too.

SPEAKER_01 25:51

Yeah, so you can think about maybe somebody, I always think about, let's say there's an engineer who's a C, which is kind of like typecasting, but let's just say that. And but they also have strong leadership skills, you know, they'd be a C D or a DC. Um, you might have a leader who is a really, you know, a visionary and one of those powerful leaders, not afraid to make decisions and totally motivates their people. They might be a DI or an ID. The SC is a great combination because there's a thoughtfulness to it and they they have a commitment to accuracy. And with that S element, it's a commitment to accuracy and again a commitment to making sure that it makes it works for everybody. So they're willing to take longer if it means we're going to have uh stronger results. The D and the I tend to be more fast action and let's just do it, figure it out. Um, they have a higher tolerance for risk. Uh the C tends to be a little bit more protective around risk. Okay. Again, there's nothing wrong with any of this. This is these these things are important because imagine if look, Sarah, if you and I gal created a company and we were all eyes, because I'm an I also I mean, what would we ever shut up? I mean, we'd be talking and dreaming. Yeah. And what we get done, you know, we we'd have to go home and figure out, oh, that's what I was supposed to get some stuff and who's checking for accuracy. Yeah. Oh, I want somebody else to do that. So so it's really important that we have that level of style diversity and we have that understanding of who's where. If a person is an S and they're surrounded by a bunch of D's, we need to make sure that they have voice. Um, you know, it's just it's it really gives from a leadership perspective and from uh just a workplace culture perspective the fact that everybody's going to receive and process information and communication and conflict a little bit differently. And the more we know about it, the less um, you know, less drama we're going to have. So that's how we have to look at it.

SPEAKER_00 27:58

Yeah. Well, and I I would love to touch on just the kind of the pairs and you know what might make each other nervous. I know we touched on it a little bit, but anything else? Um, and this kind of reminds me of something on the Enneagram called arrows. I'm just going to bring it up for a seven specifically, but a seven has an arrow to a one, which is very structured and routine and systems, and then also to a type five, which we just said, you know, was very calculated, you know, data, which kind of seems an opposite. And actually for a seven, um, that type five is the type that they neglect the most, but it's known as their growth arrow because when they can incorporate some of that energy in this situation, then their big ideas can be brought to life because you're bringing that. So I thought that was interesting. But if you don't understand that, it can drive you insane about somebody else, or you very well might neglect those very tasks or actions. So any anything else to add to to understanding like how we might drive each other kind of crazy, or which pairs might need to use some extra caution in working together, or what might work really great together.

SPEAKER_01 29:19

Well, I think that for the most part, the um the eye and you know, whoever's opposite of you, the eye and the C need to be um really, really mindful of their differences and how to work well together. Because, you know, if the I is is on improv mode uh and the C is on um uh no improv here, we need to be accurate, and there's communication that needs to happen there, some understanding where the I needs to adapt and slow it down, and the C needs to um allow space for the I's enthusiasm and ideas because we have the visionary and we have the implementer. We need both. Um so that's a really important um and then the D and the S are also really important to understand each other because you know with the with the D and the S, they could come across as um, you know, it's a little bit too uh too blunt, uh, they're not being harmonious, they are um, you know, the D might be too uh harsh, not thinking about people's feelings, and the the S could get quiet and not advocate for themselves because there might be a level of intimidation or discomfort with their directness. So the D has to learn when dealing with an S to allow more time and space for the S to process. Don't force them to make a decision right this second and just understand. It's not like, okay, we need an idea, we need it in five minutes. We need an idea. You say that to the S, how much time do you need? Now the S with the D, um, you know, they just have there's a certain level of speaking up and advocating and being able to say, uh, I need more time for this. Or, you know, um it's important that we're all aware of how we're coming across to everybody. And that particular response that you just gave, um, to me it came across as harsh, and it might be coming across as harsh as other people. Is that what was that your intention? And they'll probably say, Oh no, that wasn't my intention. I was just being myself. And it's like, okay, so then the D has to be more self-aware and understand there that not everybody is going to understand their directness. There can actually be some hurt feelings. And and that and the funny thing is, is the C is like, ah, I like it when you're direct. You know, it's like get to the point, let's go. Uh, and some people talking about the the disc, they'll say like the D and the I, uh the D, yeah, the D and the I are more people focused, and the um, or no, the D and the I are more um kind of extrovert, and the C and the S are a little bit more introvert, and then the D and the C are more task focused, and then the I and the S are more people focused. There's lots of different ways to, you know, move it around. But uh one of the fun things people like to do is what they'll call people reading. And so you do a little bit of training around the disk, and you you don't, you just start to kind of understand and observe, like, okay, that person tends to be a little bit more direct, they're pretty blunt, they're really confident about it. I'm sensing they're somewhere in the D category.

SPEAKER_00 32:44

Okay, and I'm glad you brought that up because that was a question I wanted to ask you is how what are the ways that you work with clients or you have seen this tool used in the workplace, like team dynamics, um any specific situations, any anywhere else in in company culture, business in the business world?

SPEAKER_01 33:05

Yeah, so we use it with teams, and everybody in the team takes the takes the um uh the everyday disk workplace profile, and that will give you what you where you land on the quadrant. It'll give you a little you know podcast that talks to you about it, it gives you all sorts of little graphics and illustrations, and then it it it goes out and it says, okay, here's what you need to know about working with this style, and here's what you need to know about working with that style, and then it actually gives you action steps. So it's a really good coaching tool. So I work with whole organizations and they'll be working with um everybody on the team is taking it, and then what's cool is we have an online portal where you can actually do a comparison report with somebody else. So let's say you and I work together, and I want to see what's going on with me and Sarah, and I can find out where you and I really, really gel, and this is great, and where we can completely go off the rails, and you know, because I mean, just because we're both eyes doesn't mean everything's going to be perfect. So it gives you that so so that helps. Some people even go to the extent where they have. I mean, this is if you imagine, I don't know how we do it virtually, but they have like these little um the actual uh the circle uh with the where your dot is. And let's say we're in the world where people sit at desks and work in a workplace, you can actually have that in your workspace. So everybody always sees that and they have a visual reminder, like, oh yes, okay, I'm gonna talk to you that way.

SPEAKER_00 34:40

Yes. I love that. I've heard of people doing that with their Myers Briggs letters, with um Enneagram numbers, just to remind people. Um, and I think it's so nice because um what's that saying? You know, treat people like you want to be treated. And then they've revamped it to treat people how they want to be treated. And now it's like, okay, now I actually have a little bit more insight and and how to actually do that. Um there's some common language that we're using now.

SPEAKER_01 35:13

Yeah, and we get out of ourselves. Yeah. One of my favorite things to do when I'm doing a training on the disc is to get all the styles together with their own, you know, all the D's together, all the I's, all the S's, all the C's. And I say, okay, plan a vacation. Just you guys get together for 15 minutes, plan a trip, and then come back and we'll all talk about it. And they're so, you know, the C's are like we researched all these different tours, and we, you know, we we boarded the bus at exactly 1159, and everything is like that. And then the I's are like, oh, we just went out in the street and said, Oh, where are we? Let's change this, let's go and find out where we are. And then the S's are like, no, we went to we went to the spa, and we were just like having this really chill time on the beach, and then the D's are like, we went ziplining and you know, parasailing, and the D's are like all adventure, you know, hacks throwing. And and so you and it's really fun for team building for people to just have that understanding, it binds people together, and then I'll put them together in mixed groups, and we'll have a coaching scenario, and so we'll have the same problem, but how do you how do you address that pro that problem with different styles so that we don't have a one-size-fits-all way of resolving conflict or coaching somebody through an issue, we adapt it to their style, and it just makes so much sense to understand people on that level.

SPEAKER_00 36:45

Yes, I'm so glad you brought that up because you know, there is there's so much good advice, so many good strategies, recommendations for how to develop as a professional, grow as a human being. But like you're saying, not every strategy will be the best one for you or for that situation. And so the more awareness you can have about yourself and others, then you can pick the right strategy. Even if it worked over here with this person, it may not work for you based on some of these things we're talking about. Um, do you see this being used in like the interview process or the onboarding process? Or how maybe do you, yeah, in any other ways to add to that?

SPEAKER_01 37:31

Yeah, it's not uncommon for people to want to know someone's style, and it's not necessarily so they can weed them out. It's so that they can have an understanding of of you know some of their preferences and style and and what's the best placement for them, or what might be a good team. Um, you know, that all of these assessments are you know often used as a way to put somebody in the best place or to have an understanding of somebody. Like, okay, you're working for me. I need no, I need to know how to manage you the best way possible. And the more I understand you, um, that's going to help. And then especially when you have access to these comparison reports, I love the comparison reports because it's just this really it's an easy way to talk to somebody about where you might have conflict without it turning into a conflict because it's written in a very emotionally neutral way, and it's just very matter-of-fact. And I think it just makes it so much easier uh without the way that it's modeled in the way that it's communicated using these comparison reports.

SPEAKER_00 38:39

Okay, and that is something that I uh I found incredibly helpful. So I know that there's other assessments out there that have some sort of results, you know, reporting back the number, the letters, or the color, whatever it might be. Um, and some even go into more, you know, in-depth, maybe explaining that this is like an interactive website almost where, like you said, you're pairing things, you're getting additional information about your blends, your strengths, your struggles, how to use this in relationships, like all I mean, it you said it was 22 pages. I think it's 22 pages. Yeah, I mean, there's a lot. There was a lot.

SPEAKER_01 39:23

Okay, more. So one thing that's really important is that there the disk assessment itself has a long history. And this particular um uh disk profile that I use has over 40 years of research behind it. Um, the uh the the theory behind it date predates uh even 40 years ago. There are different versions of the disk assessment out there. There's a free version you can get online. I personally don't think it's as accurate as what you get otherwise. I um am an authorized partner with Wiley, and so the Wiley company is um, you know, they're like the the my opinion, they're the gold standard in the disk assessment world because they have they're more closer to the original source of it, and there are other disk companies, and I'm sure it's they're great and awesome. I just my my familiarity and my loyalty is with Wiley. Uh so what you're describing in going online and there's a portal and there's a podcast, and you get this 24-page color report, that's through Wiley. Um, and some other disk assessments, they may uh, you know, it they may or may not have that. Uh but I just I like the information that I get and I like how it is um it's just really user-friendly. And and here's practical tools. So as a jumping off point for coaching, you know, coaching teams, like I have a team I'm working with right now, everybody's taking the assessment, everybody's having a one-day workshop, and then everybody's getting um private coaching to individually go over their assessment and to set their own goals and set their own action plan in place. And um, it can be highly personalized in that way.

SPEAKER_00 41:08

Okay, and um, we're gonna come back to where people can access the assessment. I want to I want to get to that in just a second. Um, before we do though, I will I want to ask because I know that in addition to the disc, you use it for something that you have created around your um deep genius work. Um, when you we land on your website, we're gonna see this. For those of us who are gonna go there and check it out, would you just give us a quick overview about what is that work around Deep Genius? What is that?

SPEAKER_01 41:43

Yeah, well, your Deep Genius is really that unique intersection of all the things that you bring to the table from your life experiences to the things that come naturally to you, to even things that you've learned along the way, but it creates a very unique profile for you. It's not an assessment, it's more of a reflective tool and a self-inventory of understanding that we have these little weird oddball combinations inside of us of all these different things that we know, the journey of life that we've been on that have revealed certain strengths. And they're hard to capture on an assessment. You know, it's like if somebody experienced um you know uh financial insecurity at some point in their life, there's there's nowhere on the on these assessments where, but if you went through that and you have a story to tell of how you went, you how you got through it, all you know, that's something that revealed strengths that you might not have learned any other way. So one of the things about Deep Genius is it's really unpacking our story, who we are, what we bring to the table, and what our value is. And it's complementary to something like the disc, because the disc is very, you know, uh practical application. Here's how you use it in the workplace. And then Deep Genius also helps us understand each other in different areas that maybe the disk won't cover. So I like to always work with people around those unique qualities that they bring to the table, their unique journey that brought them to where they are today, the strengths that they developed on the road to being here. How does that play out in our leadership? How does that play out in our innovation and our creation, the way that we communicate, interact? And I also use it a lot as a personal branding tool because you know, let's find those, let's find those wonderful things about you and and make it unique and package you with that.

SPEAKER_00 43:38

You know, I'm glad you brought that up. And I love that that work that you do, um, just kind of complementing what we're learning about ourselves with the disc because at the end of the day, like we are these very complex human beings that just no four letters, no 12 letters, no type nine types, 54 types. Sometimes they say that the Enneagram has can capture. Because of those stories, our socioeconomic status, culture, upbringing, like all these other things like play into that and maybe they express themselves in one of those letters, but at the same time, there's so much more to unpack. And so that's why, regardless of the assessment, you know, we'll never 100%, 100% of the time resonate with everything in that letter or that number or whatever it might be. So I love having some additional reflection and questions and guidance to uncover some of those things. One thing that you had mentioned on your website, and I have been hearing a lot of, and I think like the this quiet quitting movement has also picked up on this, um, is that I think that was the Gallup poll mentioned that there were found that two-thirds of employees feel disengaged in the work that they're doing in their jobs. How do you see the work that you're doing, whether it's with the deep genius work or with using a self-awareness tool like the disc? How could we as an individual improve that, how we feel about our role? And then as a leader, potentially bringing that to our teams to maybe engage our teammates more?

SPEAKER_01 45:19

I love that question. And this is an area that I think is this is the hot topic right now, especially you know, right now, two and a half years after we first experienced COVID and all of the things that happened as a result of that. Um we have, you know, the the upside of all of this is that we've brought wellness, um, bring your whole self to work, and very, very important, important topics around uh diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. I am a huge, huge DEI and B diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging advocate, uh proponent. That's a huge part of my work, and this is a big piece of it. So I am able to infuse those concepts into using the disk, and deep genius is a big part of it. Uh, we have to bring our whole selves to work, and that means that our journey of how we got here, we did not all get here the same way. I have a lot of people I work with, they might be first generation that has ever gone to college, they might be the first generation that was born in this country, uh, they might have experienced certain challenges around racism and classism and sexism and all of the isms, and and their journey to where they are today is very different than somebody who might have had a more entitled and privileged path. Having that understanding and knowledge is shared by us telling our stories and us being just open, honest, uh, transparent about who we are and how we got here. And it's hilarious because I I did a uh I did a workshop at a big tech company, and there was this one woman, she was like going through my deep genius process, and she says, I don't know, there's really nothing unique about me. Uh and she said, Well, what tell us more about you? She goes, I was in the circus. I mean, I'm like a clown and I'm my acrobat. And everybody's like, What? What are you talking about? Like, tell us more, tell us more. And this understanding of her, like, wow, what are you talking about? And then somebody else was telling her life story, and she said, I remember being eight years old and sitting in the um the social services office translating for my parents because I couldn't speak English. And and at age eight, you know, she's navigating social services. Uh and and so these are stories that we share. So we got, you know, circus performer, but get out of here. And then this eight-year-old translating, like how you know, just it's it's heartbreaking and inspiring and it's powerful, it's it's it's who she is. So the more we have an understanding, and then we have an understanding of ourselves from the disk, all right. So you know, maybe that person had to stay um accurate because somebody was always standing over there waiting for them to screw up so they could validate some stereotypes. So they they tend towards a C. You know, they're these are preferences, some are trained into us, some of them are just natural. So it's I I mean, I don't think we can ever stop learning about ourselves. That's that's the that's the beauty of it.

SPEAKER_00 48:27

Okay, and you had said something just now, and then also it made me think of a post that I had seen on your LinkedIn profile around um psychological safety. And some of the things that um, you know, that are brought up here, you know, especially when we're talking about maybe the obstacles or the struggles or the challenges of the type can be kind of vulnerable. Like, is somebody going to use this against me? Um, and then how am I answering the questions truthfully or am I answering them like based on what I think my boss wants to read? And this is a question I get a lot of times with the Enneagram too. But how like how do you know if a team or organization is ready to bring something like this in?

SPEAKER_01 49:14

Yeah, so yeah, you you have to have a certain level of buy-in. So there's a lot of, let's say, education people can have first about the assessment. If we have to address any skeptics, some people need to know about the research and the validity, and there's plenty of that. Uh, some people need to know that other places have used this, what are the results? So I've immediately I like to address the skeptics. Um I did have one person on a team one time who was feeling very, very angry in his with his organization, and he took it and it was like a protest. He just answered in the middle for every answer, and it came out with a kind of like a red flag on it saying this person's um results aren't going to be very accurate. They might have been in emotional distress when they took it. And I I was able to talk to the person uh and say, Hey, I understand that you have some trust issues around the organization, and um I want to help you. So what does it take for you know just to kind of be in a different frame of mind and a place of trust? And he came out as a D, very strong, boom. Um, so it's very interesting. That was the first time that ever happened to me where somebody actually had to take it a second time. Uh and it was understood that that this person was under a lot of distress.

SPEAKER_00 50:44

And so nice. I think that would have been really hard to do, you know, without someone like yourself, but having kind of a guide and advocate for both the individuals and then kind of like a guide for the leader, like how does this apply to be more open? And like you said, especially with this report, it's just kind of like it's not an attack on you. It's just like here's some tendencies, here's some common challenges, and how does this show up for you? Um, not making you wrong or right, but just you know, here's what it's saying. I'm not saying it, but here's here's what it's saying.

SPEAKER_01 51:18

Right, right. And that gives us an opportunity to um receive feedback that doesn't hurt. It doesn't give you an you know, a person might give it to you in an unfiltered way and it comes out as harsh. Uh, the re the way that the report does it, I just feel like it just keeps it neutral. And I am all about avoiding drama if it's, I mean, if we don't need it, it's like let's just try to try to maintain that emotional neutrality. And uh oh, that's a whole other interview on maintaining emotional neutrality, but that's uh we'll talk about that another time because that's a whole other set of tools. But but it's really important um to be able to stand back and not get defensive and to just say, okay, I'm willing to receive this feedback about myself.

SPEAKER_00 52:04

I have one more question before we get into our rapid fire questions and start to wrap this up. Um, would you be willing to share a piece of insight or something that you have learned about your own personality from the disc or any personality assessment that made that has made a really meaningful impact in your own work in life?

SPEAKER_01 52:29

Um attention to detail and accuracy. So the C and I, we can drive each other crazy, but they're my greatest teachers. And so when I do something, I always imagine this imaginary C standing behind me. And I'm like, oh, I'm not really finished, am I?

SPEAKER_00 52:50

Oh, that's so good. I love that. Um, well, I know that people are going to be curious about their type if they if they don't know about their style, if they if they're not familiar with it already. Where can people go to learn more about you and how to kick off the their their disk journey?

SPEAKER_01 53:10

Well, if you the easiest way is to go to my website, talentandgenies.com, and just click on the contact form and just say, I'm interested in the disk, because it's not like you don't just go to my website and you know click a few buttons and then you have your assessment. It actually um, you know, there's a there's a process to it. And so if it's a part of a coaching program, it's a part of a team training program, um, if you just want it for your own um personal enjoyment, uh, but but you do need to you do need to connect with me, and that way I can make sure that you understand what it's about. And I want to know why you why you need it, why you want to use it, and whether or not you know you need anything else to go with it. Um so that's talentgenius.com, and then there's like a contact button on every single page, just go there and share your info with me and just say, hey, I want the disk, or you can find me on LinkedIn. Um, I don't think there's any, I mean, I don't think there's a lot of Nancy Marmalejos on LinkedIn. So I'm pretty easy to find. That's the beauty of having a distinctive name. So uh if you want to connect with me on LinkedIn, uh just just say, Hey, I heard you on the Enneagram MBA podcast, I'm interested in the disk. You know, maybe you want to bring it into your organization, I'd I'd love to send you some sample reports and give you a little idea of how we how we use this um to help make stronger teams.

SPEAKER_00 54:32

Well, and that was my next question. So for leaders, organizations wanting to bring it in for their entire team, what type, what what are the options there and where can we learn more about that?

SPEAKER_01 54:42

Yeah, same thing. Just go to my website, contact me, or um find me on LinkedIn and ask about it. That's generally how people do it. Um it's pretty, I'm pretty um, I'm not analog, but I mean I'm uh it's pretty simple. There's not a funnel that you have to go through if you don't have to watch 20,000 videos, just like go, hey Nancy, I'm interested in the disk. And I'll be like, oh hi, it's me answering the email. Sure.

SPEAKER_00 55:07

I'm a real person.

SPEAKER_01 55:08

Oh person. Oh, I actually called you. Look at that. So yeah, I mean, I just I just want to find out, um, you know, how do you how do you see it benefiting you? Because the thing is, is I might hear your rationale and say, um, I think this isn't what you need right now. Or hey, you really need this, and you need this other thing too. So I I just like to hear what a person's situation is. And I'll I'm really honest with everybody. I'll I first thing I tell people is if I'm not for you, I'm gonna tell you that within 10 minutes because I don't want to waste your time. And um, it they might be looking, they might need an exorcist or a therapist, you know, right to a disk assessment, or the disk assessment might be the perfect thing for them. I I really need to find out some background info first.

SPEAKER_00 55:49

Yes, okay, I like that.

SPEAKER_01 55:50

I think I think our list of Ghostbusters, they need ghostbusters.

SPEAKER_00 55:56

Uh, I will appreciate that. Yeah, not just throw it out there to everybody. Um, because it is something, you know, you have you gotta you have to be ready for regardless of it. Um, because you know, it's it can be very um rewarding and and helpful. And sometimes it can also be kind of cringy, the things that you learn about yourself. So um, well, as we start to wrap this up, I have a couple of rapid fire questions. Um, one of mine for you is going to be, and I know we didn't talk a lot about that type seven energy, but you had mentioned you resonate with that a lot, which makes sense being a pretty strong eye on the disc. Um, they are, you know, really incredible at casting a vision and kicking off initiatives. They're just naturally um motivating and optimistic. They can see all the possibilities, they can be counted on to move things along. They're good at reframing problems into opportunities. Um, and then, like you said, you kind of mentioned with your own um see, you know, growth in in that area sometimes. It's the challenges around execution and bringing all of these ideas to life and avoiding bad news, maybe not being realistic when the time comes, only wanting to be positive. What about that energy do you see in yourself as an Enneagram seven?

SPEAKER_01 57:22

Well, I'm definitely a really positive person. The people in my life, they they kind of marvel at it. They say, I don't know how you can be so positive. I'm like, well, I just, you know, it's that part of me that's learned how to be, you know, access this place of staying neutral and trying not to let emotional charges hit me too much. Um, I'd rather my emotional charge be positive and enthusiastic uh than you know throwing things across the wall. So I I definitely um identify with that. Um I have learned to pace myself. I think a younger version of myself, um, I led myself to burnout uh a younger age because I was just so running on fumes and adrenaline and enthusiasm. And eventually, you know, you have to be really careful because burnout is real. And so eyes have a tendency of you know, burning out because we're just so high energy. Uh so I've I've learned a lot and I and I love I love reading about the Enneagram um different um styles because I mean they do match up really nicely with the disc as well. And it just it just I think the more we can understand and reflect about ourselves, the better we are.

SPEAKER_00 58:35

I agree. Yeah, so well said. Um, we have a lot of book enthusiasts here. What is a recommendation that you can give to us? Either your all-time favorite, personal growth, personal branding, professional development book, or something that you have read recently that was really interesting.

SPEAKER_01 58:52

Uh the book I am just crazy about right now, that I keep sending it to people and telling people to get it, is called The Four Pivots by Dr. Sean Jinright, G-I-N-W-R-I-G-T G-H-T, sorry. Um, and it is all about transforming um ourselves as leaders and creators and um givers to our communities through these four different um pivots. One of them is going from uh from problem to possibility, and you mentioned that a little bit earlier uh around the eye, um, and then taking relationships from transactional to transformational. It just blew my mind. I I read it and I said, oh my gosh, I've been wanting to like I I could have written this book. I I've been wanting to say this and waiting for somebody to say this for years, and I just highly recommend it. And there's also a podcast um from Brunei Brown where he's being interviewed, and I just think everybody needs to read that book right now because it it goes into personal growth, it goes into um just important social topics, uh workplace topics, all of it.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:02

Oh my gosh. Okay, you have convinced me to add another book to my already very long book list. So that sounds like an amazing one. Um, what is a tool? It whether it's an app or a website or a daily practice that you use in your own life to help you be more productive, more efficient, just to make life and work easier.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:23

I turn my phone off at 10 p.m. And then after when I wake up, I just started doing this actually recently because I tend to wake up in the middle of the night. Somebody said within the first 15 minutes of of waking up, go outside. And it helps to um replenish your your natural melatonin so you can sleep better at night. And I have some quiet time, reflective time, I read. When I'm done with that, then I get my phone. But the first thing I do is hurdle the the the Spotify like kind of name that tune song, and then I do wordle with a group of friends and we compare our scores, and then I'm also in an online trivia league, and I do that. And once I'm done with all of that stuff, it's probably been an hour and a half since I got out of bed. Then I go and turn, you know, check the email and do everything else. But I have sacred time at night and sacred time in the morning. And um, yeah, you just if you're trying to reach me after 10 p.m., sorry, I'm I'm like phones off the hook.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:31

That's so amazing, like very inspirational. And you're motivating me to re-look at my own morning routine there. Um, last question as we wrap this up. Um, there's a lot of talk about just live your best life and you know, just want to be successful and happy. Um, and then sometimes there's a stereotypical image of of what that actually is, but then we get there and we realize actually that's not that's not what I thought it would be. I don't feel that way. What is your version as Nancy? Um, what does success look like for you in your life?

SPEAKER_01 1:02:09

Oh, I mean, I I I just say to have my needs met and then some. And and my needs aren't really extravagant. Um, I have needs for close relationships and shared experiences. Uh, I want to have the money that I can travel and and go out and do fun things. Uh, you know, the the freedom to be able to be a business owner and and take a nap at two in the afternoon if I feel like it, or work at 2 a.m. I mean, I whatever. I mean, I just I I feel like success is being able to um be comfortable in your own skin, uh, to live life according to your, you know, your own moral compass and um and your passions, and to be giving back and doing good in the world.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:00

Well, this has been so fun to get to know you, um, both in this conversation and just in in preparation for this. I know that listeners are going to get so much from this, it's just really interesting topic, and to learn to have another tool on our belt to help us better understand ourselves, others, I think is always great. And you've just, I love the way that you approach it and and how you communicate it and talk about it. So such a great um resource to have for us. We've covered a lot. Is there anything else that you would add that I haven't asked you about today in order to make this episode feel complete?

SPEAKER_01 1:03:35

I I think we have covered so much. I just I just want to encourage everybody to just always, just always stay on the inner journey. Keep asking questions, keep finding things, keep asking yourself the hard questions. You know, find out what what do you need to work on? Who do you need to forgive? What part of you gets triggered when you see this feedback about yourself? And just I think we need to work on a lot of self-healing. And we have a lot of tools out there to support us with that, whether it's apps or meditation or journaling or sitting out in the woods, have something in your life where you can get a perspective. It is it is essential. You don't you don't want to die of a heart attack at age 50. I mean, we want you to live a long life and and to feel loved and feel worthy.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:24

Such a great way to end that. I appreciate you, Nancy. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you, Sarah.