Unlocking Team Potential: Tangentyere Council’s DISC Workshop Experience

In late 2024, Team8 People facilitated a DISC Workshop for the Youth Programs team within the Tangentyere Council. The Council provides a variety of support services to the Town Camp Communities and remote communities, and this workshop offered this critical work team with dedicated time away from their day-to-day roles to develop themselves as individuals and as a team.

The workshop, which introduced DISC Profiling to the team, provided a framework developing for self-awareness and communication using a shared language to foster deeper team connections and insights into workplace behaviours.

Ellen Gellis, Youth & Community Safety Manager, highlighted how seamless the preparation process felt for the team. “Organising training can be really challenging, but you [Team8 People] seemed to make it feel not challenging,” she shared. The simplicity and accessibility of the DISC questionnaire were particularly beneficial given the team’s diverse literacy and language backgrounds, English being a second language for many. “It was really helpful for us, especially thinking into the future, if DISC is something we want to roll out in other areas.”

One of the standout moments from the session was an activity that revealed participants’ natural and adaptive DISC styles. “That was really eye-opening for the team,” Ellen recalled. “It made a lot of sense in terms of, ‘Oh yeah, you’re definitely that style’ or ‘Oh, I should be that style.’” Another engaging activity, the ‘hand opening’ exercise, left participants deep in reflection. “At the end of the session, everyone was just sitting there, looking like they were thinking, ‘Whoa, I’ve just unlocked a whole part of my brain and details about myself,’” Ellen said, emphasising how the session sparked meaningful conversations after the event.

Nancy Turner, Youth Programs Support Officer, noted how the workshop helped staff recognise the impact of operating outside their natural DISC style. 

“If your adapted style is very different from your natural style, having to come up with ways to decompress or return to your natural style resonated with a few staff,” she explained. “That’s why some of us feel so exhausted at the end of the day – it’s not our natural style.”

Beyond individual insights, the workshop highlighted the importance of authenticity in leadership, especially within Indigenous communities. Ellen stressed that balancing professional responsibilities with cultural obligations is a unique challenge for Indigenous staff. “We really want to encourage staff to be themselves while maintaining professional boundaries, or legislative requirements that we have around duty of care for children or organisational requirements” she said. Looking ahead, she expressed interest in a deeper leadership-focused session. “I would love to further explore this concept of how we show up to work and how we continue to connect as a team.”

The DISC framework has already begun influencing everyday team interactions. Nancy keeps a printed DISC model at her desk, using it to guide communication with colleagues. “That was really useful to add those tips and tricks for the wider team,” she noted. Ellen observed that while some team members integrated DISC insights more actively than others, it provided a valuable platform for quieter staff members to engage and build relationships.

Team8 People also provided guidance on integrating DISC into ongoing team discussions and performance reflections. When reflecting on a project, you can ask questions like, ‘What behaviours did we bring that benefited or helped us achieve the outcome we wanted?, and ‘What could we have done better as a team, is there anything that was missing?’ This approach encourages constructive feedback, reinforces the language of DISC, and striving for continuous improvement without singling out individuals.

While the workshop was delivered online which can be a hard medium to gain high levels of engagement through, Ellen shared, “It was probably the best online workshop I’ve ever done, the most interactive and engaging.”

The success of the DISC Workshop has inspired discussions about embedding the methodology into the council’s leadership training and onboarding processes. “We’re currently in a big recruitment phase, and this could be a great way to bring new team members on board,” Ellen suggested. The potential for DISC to foster stronger leadership and team cohesion within Tangentyere Council is clear, with Ellen concluding, 

“It was such a great opportunity for us, our organisation getting to do something a bit different. It was all pretty seamless and staff still talk about, ‘Oh, that’s my DISC style’ and it was a nice way for us to have a shared connection. Yeah, I think overall the experience was really positive. I think all teams should be doing this.”

As Tangentyere Council continues to evolve, the DISC framework promises to be a valuable tool in strengthening their team relationships, enhancing leadership capabilities, and fostering a more cohesive and resilient workforce.