Not all assessments are created equal.

You’ve probably taken a personality test or two. Maybe it was part of onboarding. Maybe it was a team-building day. Or maybe it was just a fun quiz your coworker sent over Slack.

There is nothing wrong with tools like the Myers-Briggs (MBTI), Big Five, or Enneagram test. They can be interesting and even insightful. But when it comes to building strong teams and creating a better business culture, one assessment stands out: DISC.

Let’s talk about why.

Most Personality Tests Describe. DISC Helps You Lead.

Personality tests focus on internal traits. They try to answer questions like “Who are you?” or “What’s your natural tendency?” These tools are usually based on self-perception and reflection, which means they are not always actionable.

DISC, on the other hand, focuses on observable behavior. It tells you how someone shows up in meetings, how they respond to pressure, and how they interact with others. It is the kind of insight you can actually use when you are trying to lead, hire, coach, or collaborate.

In a business context, understanding what someone does is much more useful than knowing who they think they are.

MBTI vs. DISC: The Case for Clarity

The MBTI, one of the most widely used personality tests in the world, gives you a four-letter code like INFP or ESTJ. While that can spark some helpful self-awareness, it often lacks clarity when it comes to workplace behavior.

DISC simplifies things. It looks at four main behavioral dimensions—Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness. Advanced DISC assessments go further and map people across 384 unique profiles. That means you get depth and precision instead of broad categories.

It also avoids jargon. Instead of talking about “introverted sensing” or “extraverted intuition,” DISC helps you recognize patterns like “tends to take control in meetings” or “prefers structure and clear expectations.” That is a language anyone can understand and actually use.

If you want to dig deeper into what sets DISC apart, we cover the accuracy and real-world use cases in our full breakdown on how DISC assessments drive team culture and growth.

Enneagram vs. DISC: One’s for Insight, One’s for Action

The Enneagram test has gained popularity for its ability to surface emotional motivations and deeper fears. It is often used for self-reflection or even spiritual growth.

But that is also its limitation.

While the Enneagram can be powerful for personal exploration, it is less effective in day-to-day business scenarios. It does not provide clear direction on how to manage conflict, improve communication, or align a team.

DISC does. It is built for real-time dynamics and provides tools that help people navigate meetings, projects, and feedback in practical ways.

The Big Five vs. DISC: Academic vs. Practical

The Big Five personality test is grounded in psychological research and measures openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. It is respected in academia and often used in research.

But in a team meeting? It is not going to help you much.

You might know that someone scores low in agreeableness or high in conscientiousness, but that does not tell you how to adapt your communication style to work more effectively with them.

DISC does. It helps you read the room, adjust your tone, and support your team in a way that gets real results.

For a snapshot of what this looks like in action, check out our behavioral insight examples blog to see DISC applied in real-world team settings.

Why DISC Works Better in the Workplace

Here is the bottom line: DISC was designed to be applied, not admired. It gives leaders, managers, and teams a framework that is both insightful and usable. You do not need to be a psychologist to interpret the results or put them into practice.

That is what makes it so effective for improving business culture, onboarding, retention, and collaboration.

If you are curious about using DISC in hiring, it is important to know how we see it at FSM. We do not use DISC or motivators as hiring benchmarks. Instead, we use them to help understand people more fully. We believe anyone can succeed when they are self-aware of their talents and strengths, and these insights can guide them toward roles where those strengths have the most impact. Learn more in our post on how to use DISC for hiring the right way.

Want to Go Deeper?

If you want to explore this topic further, listen to the full conversation with Dr. Michael Abelson on The Fast Slow Motion Podcast. You will hear practical stories about how DISC is being used to improve communication, resolve conflict, and strengthen culture.

And if you are interested in taking the next step with DISC or motivators, visit The Abelson Group to learn more about their assessments and training resources.