Letters to the Editor
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On gaming the tests
I gamed the DISC test after learning that our division president thought only high D's like himself could be leaders. I didn't particularly want to be a leader -- not at that company, anyway -- but everyone told me it's impossible to fake out this test, because poof! It's magic! I like a challenge, and I've always been a good test-taker, so I quickly figured out which "shape" I should be seeking out on the answer key, and after that it was simplicity itself. I mean, come on! These tests aren't written by rocket surgeons! I snottily pointed out what I'd done on the last day of the three-day seminar, and everyone oohed and aahed: "Only a REALLY high D could have could have pulled off a stunt like that."
I agree with a psych professor I had at business school who said that these tests are flawed because, as social creatures, our personalities are in large part determined by our network of social interactions. Not many people act like extroverts in a roomful of disapproving, snooty strangers. I truly have no idea whether I'd be measured as an introvert or an extrovert, and I have no doubt my circle of acquaintence would have strong but contradictory opinions about me. But maybe I'm unusual. Other people seem to be very comfortable with the "in-" or "ex-" label...