Over the last 45+ years working with leaders and organizations across the globe, I’ve seen a common thread in underperforming teams: they have the skills, the experience, and even the ambition—but they don’t understand each other.

Great teams aren’t just built on talent. They’re built on clarity of behavior and alignment of motivation. That’s where the DISC and Motivators Assessments, used by The Abelson Group, makes all the difference.

Let’s talk about why this matters—and how it changes the game for any organization willing to look beyond the resume.

You’re Not Managing People. You’re Managing Patterns.

The real challenge in leading a team is not managing tasks—it’s managing behavioral patterns. Who communicates directly? Who avoids conflict? Who thrives in change? Who resists it?

Our version of the DISC Assessment captures both Natural and Adaptive behaviors—so you’re not just seeing how someone acts on a good day, but how they adjust under stress or pressure. That insight is gold when you’re trying to navigate deadlines, personality clashes, or high-stakes decisions.

When you combine that with Motivators, you now understand why someone acts the way they do. Are they driven by logic, loyalty, influence, innovation? You don’t have to guess anymore.

The DISC Wheel: A Snapshot of Team Dynamics

One of the most useful tools I use with teams is the Abelson DISC Behaviors Wheel. It allows you to visually place every team member on a single graphic, based on their dominant behavioral traits.

Why does this matter?

Because you can now see where your team is strong—and where you may have gaps. For example:

• Too many High Ds? You’ve got energy and drive—but you might lack harmony or detail-orientation.
• All High Cs? You’ve got precision—but may stall when it comes to fast decision-making or innovation.
• Missing High Is? You may struggle with influence and group morale.

Once a team is placed on the wheel, patterns emerge. Leaders can realign responsibilities, identify who to coach differently, and—importantly—see where future hires should complement the current group.

The DISC Wheel makes the abstract visible, and in leadership, that’s a major advantage.

Why Motivators Matter Just as Much

Understanding behavior is only part of the equation. If you want to keep your people engaged and fulfilled, you need to understand what drives them.

Some team members are driven by recognition. Others by autonomy, structure, service, or intellectual challenge. When those internal values are not acknowledged—or worse, are in conflict with how they’re being managed—people disengage.

Our Motivators Assessment allows you to align leadership, coaching, and even incentives with the unique inner drivers of each team member. This turns leadership into a strategic process, not a guessing game.

Conflict Doesn’t Have to Be Costly

Many organizations come to us because their team is experiencing conflict. What I always tell them is this: conflict is not the enemy—misunderstanding is.

When teams understand the behavioral and motivational profile of their teammates, conflict often turns from emotional reaction to professional dialogue.

Instead of “She’s just difficult,” we hear, “She’s a High C under stress and needs more data to feel confident.” That reframing alone can save projects, performance, and people.

The End Goal: Predictable, Sustainable Performance

Using DISC and Motivators doesn’t just make teams feel better—it makes them perform better. Consistently.

You can:

• Communicate more clearly
• Assign responsibilities more strategically
• Create development plans that actually stick
• Retain the right people
• Hire more intelligently

And you can do all of this with less trial and error.

Final Thought

People are the most valuable—and most complex—part of any organization. If you don’t understand how they behave and what drives them, you’re flying blind.

At The Abelson Group, we’ve spent decades using and showing our clients how to use tools that don’t just describe people—they equip leaders to get results through people.

If you’re serious about building a team that doesn’t just function—but flourishes—DISC and Motivators will give you the roadmap and we will be your guide.

Let us help you make the invisible visible and the impossible doable!