Wonder Woman and the DISC: The Lasso of Truth

Last night I found myself watching the series premiere of Wonder Woman, a childhood favorite TV show I hadn’t seen in thirty years.

A co-worker loaned me the DVD of the first season on the theory that fun, mindless TV would be the perfect antidote to a rough couple of weeks.  I must admit that from the first notes of the theme song (“In her satin tights!  Fightin’ for her rights!”), I was completely transported to those innocent, escapist days of my youth.

The DVD Extra, Beauty, Brawn and Bulletproof Bracelets: A Wonder Woman Retrospective, was even better, though.

Not only did I learn all about how Wonder Woman became a camp yet feminist classic in the late 1970s, I also discovered that Wonder Woman was created back in 1941 by William Moulton Marston, a psychologist credited with inventing the lie-detector, or polygraph machine (Lasso of Truth, anyone?).

Pretty cool, but what the DVD didn’t mention (although they did have time to talk at length about Wonder Woman’s “bullet bra” – go figure) is that Marston is also the father of the DISC behavior profile.

Back in 1928, Marston published Emotions of Normal People, where he first laid out the DISC theory.

So what’s the DISC?  The DISC profile measures the presence or absence of four dimensions in communication and behavior:

• Dominance – how you deal with problems and challenges
• Influence – how you influence others to your point of view and deal with social situations
• Steadiness – how you set the pace of your environment
• Compliance – how you respond to rules and procedures set by others

I’ve been certified as a DISC trainer and interpreter since 2004, and I have been really impressed with how easy the online assessment tool is to use, how accurate most folks find it in describing them, and how useful it is in addressing communication challenges for teams of all kinds.  You don’t need super powers to understand and put it to good use – a plus when you’re working with diverse groups of people who take in information in really different ways.

Another strength is that it just focuses on observable behavior, not your values or personality type or character or other more ambiguous aspects of what makes you, well, you.  Instead, I should be able to get insights into what your DISC profile is by watching you shop for groceries or stand in line at the DMV (not that I’m going to).

Now that I know the WW connection, I’m surprised the folks who sell the DISC don’t talk up Wonder Woman more.  Sure, I like puns and cheesy metaphors more than the average bear, but there are just too many fun ways to go here!

Knowing your DISC profile is like wielding the Lasso of Truth in the workplace.  Want to deflect the bullets of misunderstandings and bad feelings on your team?  Employ the DISC bulletproof bracelets! There’s an invisible plane angle here, I just haven’t found it yet…

What does all this have to do with Crossroads, you ask?

I invite all Crossroads participants, Wonder Woman aficionados and all those curious about the DISC to do one or both of the following:

• Access the DISC profile online once you register for Crossroads at a very special, 50% off price of $25!
• Join me at Crossroads for what will be a very interactive, practical and fun workshop, The DISC Profile: A Practical Tool for Effective Communication.

Soon, you’ll be transformed when duty and danger call at the office into a wondrous communication super hero!  You’re on your own with the satin tights, though.