Surrounded by Idiots: The Four Types of Human Behavior and How to Effectively Communicate with Each in Business (and in Life)

by Thomas Erikson

This method is called the DISC—an acronym that stands for Dominance, Inspiration, Stability, and Compliance ability—system.

By adjusting yourself to how other people want to be treated, you become more effective in your communication.

You help other people understand you by creating a secure arena for communication—on their terms.

The temperament and character traits we have inherited affect our behavior, a process already begun at the genetic stage.

We all have several different masks. Having one at work and one at home isn’t that unusual.

Nowadays you might call a Red person bold, ambitious, driven, but also potentially hot-tempered, rash, or dominant.

It’s not unusual for a CEO or a president to have lots of Red in his behavior.

it’s the competitive element that keeps Reds running on all cylinders.

Reds have no problem being blunt.

If you need someone with extra energy, you may want to invite a Red into the team or project group.

As soon as a task becomes unclear or is taking too long, a Red will ensure that the momentum is maintained and spur things along.

Reds love difficult tasks, so their level of ambition is usually boundless.

Yellows often make decisions that are based on feeling simply because no thought was ever involved.

People with lots of Yellow in their behavior are focused on creating relationships.

Greens are the most balanced. They counterbalance the other more extreme behavioral traits in an elegant way.

Where Reds and Yellows start off in top gear, Greens are significantly calmer. And where Blues get caught up in details, Greens try to feel their way to what is right.

Unlike Reds, who only listen when there is something to be gained from it, or Yellows, who usually don’t listen at all (although they will normally deny this fact), Greens hear what you’re actually saying.

Reserved, analytical, and detail-oriented are some words you might associate with a Blue.

I asked him why he didn’t say anything two hours earlier. And, like a typical Blue, he said, “Well, you never asked.”

Cutting corners is simply not an option for a Blue.

Blue generally solves everything by creating advanced systems that manage the possible risks that may arise.

While a Yellow or Red would find new ways of doing something simply because they were bored, a Blue repeats the same thing time and time again.