The Methodology

Athlete Assessments' sports profiling products are the only sport specific behavioral profiles of their kind available in the world today. These unique profiling systems, one for coaches, one for athletes and one for team managers & sports administrators, draw on a large body of research relating to personality and behavioral theory.

Further down this page you can learn about:

Brief history of measuring personality and behavior

Historical and contemporary research reveals more than a dozen models and methods of measuring our behaviors and profiling personalities. From the Greek philosophers to modern-day psychologists, one common thread to many of these models is the grouping of behavior and personality into four basic categories.

William Moulton Marston started creating DISC Theory in 1928. DISC is a measurement of behavior within a given context. It focuses on patterns of external and observable behaviors. The DISC model identifies four areas of behavior, namely Dominant, Interactive, Steady and Compliant.

It is this model, along with the internationally recognized and respected work of Dr Tony Alessandra, that served as a foundation for the development of Athlete AthleteDISC, CoachDISC and ManagerDISC sports profiling systems sports profiling systems.

Bo Hanson has used his extensive experience as a multi-medal winning, four-time Olympic athlete, as well as his work as a specialist coaching consultant, to create his company Athlete Assessments and develop these very specific sports profiling products.

The role of personality in sport

Observing and responding to the personalities of people around us is a major part of our daily lives. Consciously or not, we are constantly responding to a range of personalities and behaviors that combine in countless ways in all sorts of different situations. This includes coaches' and athletes' personalities in sports training, teams and competition environments.

Personality is made up of the characteristic patterns of thoughts, feelings and behaviors making each of us unique and distinct. From approximately 21 years of age personality remains fairly consistent throughout life, even under varying circumstances and environments.

Personality has a huge role in sport.

• As a coach, understanding your athletes' personalities enables you to draw out their best performances in a deliberate and skillful manner.
• As an athlete, understanding how you operate as an individual or within a team, and what training and competitive environments suit you best, helps you reach your potential.

Profiling is a very effective tool to help you understand personality and behavior - both your own, and those of others. The importance of sports profiling cannot be overstated for any coach or athlete aspiring to reach their potential - no matter what level of sport they are involved in.

This also applies and is just as important for those who work in the sports industry. Whether you are the team manager, work in sports administration or other role within sport, you make a vital contribution to the success of your organization and/or team. Understanding yourself and others plays a significant part in improving your results and how you connect with those you work with.

Personality theory

There are different theories about how personality develops. Different schools of thought in psychology have influenced many of these theories.

The three major perspectives on personality are:

1. Type theory
   The earliest theories suggest there are a limited number of 'personality types' of which we are born and develop further preference over time. (For example left or right handed preference).
2. Trait theory
   This theory views personality as the measurement of certain traits. Traits are habitual patterns of behavior, thought and emotion. Traits are stable over time, differ amongst individuals, and always influence our behaviors.
3. Behavioral theory
   This theory suggests personality is a result of the interaction between the individual and the environment. Behavioral theorists study observable and measurable behaviors. The AthleteDISC, CoachDISC and ManagerDISC model follows this theory.

Personality, behavioral profiling and the environment

A widely accepted view of the interactions of personality, behavior and the environment can be summed up in the work of Kurt Lewin. Kurt Lewin was a pioneer in the social psychology sciences. He is recognized as being the founder and first researcher to study team dynamics.

Lewin found that, in the debate of 'nature versus nurture', neither could claim to be sole contributor to a person's behavior. Rather, it is the interplay and combination of a person's inherited tendencies (nature) and their life experiences (nurture) that creates the individual's behavioral responses.

This well-found theory is the basis for the AthleteDISC, CoachDISC and ManagerDISC model and methodology.

Behavior is flexible, changeable and adaptable. Personality is not.

Overview of the AthleteDISC, CoachDISC and ManagerDISC model

The AthleteDISC, CoachDISC and ManagerDISC are behavioral profiles. That is, they measure observable (external) behavior. Recognizing that personality is consistent, but behavior is flexible, is a central factor to the development and application of these profiles.

This diagram shows the AthleteDISC, CoachDISC and ManagerDISC model, and its associated core behaviors (Dominant, Interactive, Steady and Compliant).

Like all people, athletes and coaches may behave differently in different situations and environments. For example, a common core factor impacting behavior is the level of pressure an athlete or coach is feeling. The same is true for any professional, including those working in the sports industry. By studying how individuals behave differently, we begin to understand the types of behavior creating poor or great performances. Besides understanding your own DISC style, you can also learn how to identify another person's DISC behavioral style. Once the behavior profile is understood, it is possible to modify and adapt behaviors to improve performance.

The AthleteDISC, CoachDISC and ManagerDISC profiling system creates in-depth personalized reports identifying an individual's core behavior style. The report identifies ways the person can apply their behavior style's strengths, or modify their style's limitations.

It's important to note there is no 'best' behavior style. Each style has its own strengths and its own opportunities for improvement and growth. The key is in recognizing and understanding each individual's style. This is known as self-awareness.

Becoming self-aware

Knowing your behavioral style is an example of being 'self-aware'. Great athletes and coaches have self-awareness. They know what they do best, and where they need to improve. The same holds true for any successful individual.

Studies suggest that 75 percent of making behavioral changes is being
self-aware of what it is you currently do.

Self-awareness is the recognition of our behaviors, our strengths and weaknesses, our beliefs and values, and how this all creates the outcomes we experience in life. High level self-awareness goes deeper into our core beliefs and values, both of which shape our actions, decisions and behaviors.

Developing self-awareness can help us to recognize the specific triggers creating certain emotional and behavioral responses. Self-awareness is also a prerequisite for effective communication and interpersonal relations, as well as for developing empathy for others.

The bottom line is, people perform in their chosen fields to a higher level if they have greater levels of self-awareness.

When we develop self-awareness, we can begin to choose
the types of behaviors that
create great and consistent performances.

Gap analysis

Gap analysis is a way to graphically illustrate where you are and where you want to be, and the impact time has on outcomes and performance, as shown in the diagram below. Self-awareness is all about knowing where you are now, where you want to be in the future and how you plan on getting there.

Closing the gap - emotional intelligence

The ability to modify your behavior (and 'close the gap') is called behavioral flexibility or adaptability. Behavioral flexibility or adaptability is the degree to which an individual is able to adjust their behaviors to suit different environments, situations and people.

It is now apparent the highest performing teams, athletes and coaches
are those that are able to adapt to suit their environment,
be it in training or in competition.

Social scientists call this ability to adapt and be flexible in our behavior 'emotional intelligence'. If you are interested in learning more about this subject, delve into this article about Behavioral Adaptability and Modifying Your Behavior.

Adapting behaviors for sporting success

Once you, as a coach, athlete or sports professional, become aware of your behaviors and how they influence performance, the ability to reach your potential is greatly enhanced.

Behavioral adaptability follows a distinct process:

1. First, understand your current behavior patterns and the results these create for you as an athlete, coach or in your current role.
2. If you are not currently getting the desired results, you must be able to 'DO' something different.
3. In order to 'DO' something different, you need to be aware of the alternative choices/behaviors you can select from.
4. Finally, you must also WANT to adapt, or try a different behavior. This requires the right attitude, and trust in yourself (and your coach).

This is the crux of what the AthleteDISC, CoachDISC and ManagerDISC sports behavioral profiling system enables you to do.

Despite his more recent behavior in his personal life, Tiger Woods summed this up perfectly when he said:

"People thought it was asinine for me to change my swing after I won the Masters by 12 shots. ... Why would you want to change that? Well, I thought I could become better. If I play my best, I'm pretty tough to beat. I'd like to play my best more frequently, and that's the whole idea. That's why you make changes. I thought I could become more consistent."

IMPORTANT NOTE: An athlete only modifies their behavior, or changes their technique, if the coach suggesting the change is, in the eyes of the athlete, more credible, respected and worthy of being listened to than the person (coach, parent, fellow athlete) who firstly taught them to do what they are doing.

How coaches and athletes can use this behavioral profiling

The AthleteDISC and CoachDISC behavioral profiling system has been specifically developed to give you detailed insight into your behavior as a coach or athlete. Coaches can also use the AthleteDISC profiles for their coaching purposes. The profiles are a valuable tool in providing specific advice you can use to become self-aware, analyze the 'gaps', and affect positive changes that ultimately translate into improved performance.

As a coach, the CoachDISC behavioral profiles, will allow you to:

1. Assess your preferred coaching style.
2. Understand how your style may help or hinder you to coach different types of athletes.
3. Learn how to adapt your style to suit different athletes.
4. Learn how to best communicate with your athletes and team.
5. Understand more about the team dynamics that will exist within diverse groups of people.
6. Better understand your own and your athletes' unique motivation strategies.
7. Create the type of environment that your athletes and team may most likely succeed in.

As stated, your choice of coaching style is determined by the athlete's needs for task and relationship behaviors. The AthleteDISC Model can be used to suggest certain behavioral types are more likely to want a certain style of coaching. For example, high D or C styles may want more task oriented behaviors from their coaches.

The AthleteDISC Model can also be used to identify:

1. How athletes prefer to take in information and express themselves (communication style).
2. Athletes' priority to focus on tasks or relationships.
3. What athletes' preferred environment to train in will be.
4. How athletes are motivated.
5. The amount of information athletes prefer to process.
6. How athletes 'see' things (big picture or detail).
7. The pace (speed) at which athletes do what they do. Pace includes the speed at which they physically move, make decisions, change technique and adapt to other changes in their environment.

Improve your performance with AthleteDISC and CoachDISC

No matter what level of sport you are involved in, from community clubs to Olympic competition, any athlete or coach can benefit from this behavioral profiling system. For product information relevant to you, see either the Information for Athletes or Information for Coaches page.

How sports professionals can use behavioral profiling

The ManagerDISC behavioral profile has been specifically developed for team managers, sports administrators and others who work in the sports industry. It gives you detailed insight into your behavior and how you perform your role. Just like for the coaches and athletes, this profile is a valuable tool in your professional development. It provides specific advice to help you become more self-aware, analyze the 'gaps', and affect positive changes that ultimately translate into improved performance in your work.

If you want to be an exceptional sports professional and want to ensure your career continues to develop, here is the place to get a great head start! Go to the page specifically for team managers, sports administrators and other sports professionals for more information.

If you are interested in finding out more about the services Athlete Assessments offers, please contact us today.

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