A 2-hour workshop

DiSC

A map, not a cage.

Eric Connelly  ·  IUT Chalon  ·  April 22, 2026

Eric Connelly

Who I am

Executive coach. I work with founders, managers, and teams across the US and Europe.

I help people think more clearly and act more deliberately under pressure.

Engineering background. Based in France. Currently building AI tools for small businesses and coaches.

Executive Coaching Leadership Development AI for Managers

Manor

AI-powered operations for small companies. An AI assistant that helps run the business so owners can show up for the people.

CoachLoop

A platform for coaches and managers to track conversations and improve the quality of how they lead.

Why this class

You are future technical managers. The technical problems are not the hard part. People are.

The model

DiSC is four letters.

A shorthand for four patterns of how people behave at work. Everyone has all four. The question is which ones run hot for you.

D

Dominance

How you take action. Fast, direct, results-first.

I

Influence

How you connect. Outgoing, warm, energy in the room.

S

Steadiness

How you support. Patient, consistent, team-first.

C

Conscientiousness

How you think. Careful, accurate, standards matter.

A map, not a cage. You are more than your letter.
Your turn

Take the
assessment.

24 questions. About 10 minutes. Your phone, on your own.

1
Scan the code. Open the page.
2
Each question shows four words. Pick one most like you. Then one least like you.
3
Go with your gut. No right answer.
4
Submit when done. I will see counts, not names.
Scan to start
disc.runmanor.com/exercise
Now we work in groups

Form groups of 4.

We will do one round per letter. Same shape every time. Four rounds, twelve minutes each.

2

I teach the letter

At its best. When it costs. Two minutes.

8

Your group discusses

Where have you seen this letter? At its best, and when it costs.

2

One group shares

One sentence. Different group each round.

Groups of 4. Find yours now.
D
Round one

Dominance

At its best

  • Cuts through noise. Makes the call.
  • Takes on hard problems no one else wants.
  • Unblocks a team that is stuck talking.
  • Pushes a project to ship on time.

When it costs

  • Decides before everyone has spoken.
  • Rolls over quieter voices in the room.
  • Misses why people are hesitating.
  • Conflict feels like sport. Others feel it as threat.

Also sounds like: decisive, competitive, direct, bold, driven, commanding.

D
Group discussion

Where have you seen it?

At its best

Where have you seen this letter serve a team or a moment?

When it costs

Where has it cost something for the person, the team, or the work?

Groups of 4. 8 minutes. One group shares at the end.
I
Round two

Influence

At its best

  • Reads a room in seconds. Builds rapport.
  • Brings energy when the team is flat.
  • Sells a vision people want to join.
  • Turns strangers into allies.

When it costs

  • Talks past the detail. Misses the fine print.
  • Commits to more than can be delivered.
  • Avoids conflict by charming around it.
  • Optimism hides the real risk.

Also sounds like: enthusiastic, persuasive, warm, expressive, friendly, outgoing.

I
Group discussion

Where have you seen it?

At its best

Where have you seen this letter serve a team or a moment?

When it costs

Where has it cost something for the person, the team, or the work?

Groups of 4. 8 minutes. One group shares at the end.
S
Round three

Steadiness

At its best

  • Holds the team together under stress.
  • Listens more than talks. Actually hears.
  • Shows up the same way, every day.
  • Makes people feel safe enough to be honest.

When it costs

  • Avoids conflict past the point it helps.
  • Says yes to work that should be pushed back.
  • Slow to ask for what they need.
  • Loyal to a system that is failing them.

Also sounds like: patient, steady, loyal, reliable, cooperative, calm.

S
Group discussion

Where have you seen it?

At its best

Where have you seen this letter serve a team or a moment?

When it costs

Where has it cost something for the person, the team, or the work?

Groups of 4. 8 minutes. One group shares at the end.
C
Round four

Conscientiousness

At its best

  • Catches the mistake before it ships.
  • Holds the bar for quality. Raises the whole team.
  • Thinks in systems. Sees the edge cases.
  • Makes arguments with evidence, not volume.

When it costs

  • Analysis paralysis. Nothing ships.
  • Retreats from people into the spreadsheet.
  • Critical of work before it is ready for critique.
  • Silence reads as judgment to others.

Also sounds like: precise, analytical, careful, systematic, thorough, methodical.

C
Group discussion

Where have you seen it?

At its best

Where have you seen this letter serve a team or a moment?

When it costs

Where has it cost something for the person, the team, or the work?

Groups of 4. 8 minutes. One group shares at the end.
Open floor

What surprised you?

Four rounds done. Now pull back.

"Which letter surprised you about yourself?"
"Which letter surprised you about a teammate you work with?"
Take it with you

Now the useful part.

The value of DiSC is not in knowing your letter.
It is in watching it show up this week.
"Where do I lead with my strong letter when another one would serve better?"
"Whose letter annoys me the most? What is that about?"
"In my team or internship, who fills the letters I miss?"

One letter is not a person.

What you have now is a vocabulary. Use it to notice. Use it to name the pattern. Then get back to the actual person in front of you.

Notice the pattern

Next time someone frustrates you at work, ask which letter you are reading as wrong.

Name your default

Your strong letter is a habit. Habits cost you when they run unchecked.

Borrow another letter

The letter you are lowest in is a skill you can practice. Not a thing you lack.

Eric Connelly · runmanor.com · linkedin.com/in/ericmconnelly
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