When it comes to understanding human behavior, most assessments offer a single snapshot of how someone shows up at work or in life. At TTI, we believe in capturing the whole picture. That’s where the power of blending our assessments (or sciences) comes in.
I sat down with Shaunna Adinolfi and Cassandra Nelson and explored what it really means to move beyond one-dimensional insights.
TTI: To start us off, when you say “blending the sciences,” what exactly does that mean? How is TTI’s approach different from the rest of the industry?
Shaunna: We aren't just a DISC provider, we aren't just a Driving Forces provider. We offer more, especially when we add in emotional intelligence for TriMetrix® EQ.
Those three assessments are incredibly powerful when used together; when somebody takes multiple assessments, we get different pictures of that person.
Cassandra: I always explain it like this: other companies are making a soup where they throw whatever into the pot, but TTI is baking a cake. Our approach is very exact. We're measuring behavior, motivation, and emotional intelligence. The blend comes from how all three of those assessments work together to reveal powerful insights. It’s a very purposeful measurement.
TTI: Nice. So it's looking at someone more holistically; the parts combine to create something more.
Cassandra: Exactly. We're looking at each assessment individually, and then we're looking at how they play together, counterbalance, and over-exaggerate one another based on those combinations.
TTI: How exactly do the assessments interact with each other?
Shaunna: Having DISC and 12 Driving Forces together reveals such an important picture because the behavior side shows how you do what you do, but the Driving Forces show why you do what you do.
When we blend those two, you see how the Drivers compel your behaviors into action, so you actually understand yourself better with the dual science versus a single science approach.
TTI: That just amplifies with more assessments, doesn’t it? If you’re looking at only behavior, there might be some aspects of a person that aren't really explained by that profile. But then, when you look at the motivation, the EQ, it makes sense and gives a fuller picture.
Cassandra: Yeah, absolutely. When we only look at a single science, we often create biases, boxes, or limitations without realizing it.
When we start to look at the whole person, you know, that holistic view, we're able to see a fuller picture. I do think that's not only the power of multi-science, but that is also its necessity.
TTI: Well put! How have you seen that play out before? I know you’ve both worked as coaches.
Cassandra: I have so many stories. The first person that comes to mind is a client who was asking some really hard questions about her interpersonal relationships and her career path—neither was where she wanted them to be. She grew up in a culture that valued marriage and was very focused on her education, but she hadn’t settled down in a relationship or found her ideal job.
Her DISC scores revealed that she was a Steady and precise communicator, which was strange. She had left jobs without having another one lined up, and she wasn’t interested in following cultural rules about relationships and marriage.
We worked with different assessments and made some progress, but everything really clicked when we used TTI tools. It all came together when she took the 12 Driving Forces. She had a very strong Harmonious Driver—if she didn’t feel like the environment was good for her, she would just up and quit.
When it came to relationships, we learned that she valued innovation and receptivity, and those Drivers trumped the cultural belief system she was raised in. It really was her Drivers that revealed so many of these answers she was looking for.
TTI: Wow. Was she feeling that conflict between her behavioral style and those motivators?
Cassandra: Absolutely. When we discussed behavior, she said, "I can see certain aspects of this where I'm willing to be compliant. I'm really careful, and I care about the rules. I do like consistency and security. I eat the same thing every week.”
But when it came to these big life decisions, like marriage and jobs, motivation impacted those aspects more than her behavioral style.
TTI: That makes sense to me. Even if she enjoyed the structure of rules, her motivations overrode that behavior. If you don’t have a reason to believe in the rules, you’re not going to let them rule your behavior.
Cassandra: Exactly. That was such a powerful experience for me. It really made the assessments come alive, where I was like, “Wow, TTI assessments make a huge difference.”
And then the multi-science approach! I worked with her for six months, and we were making little bits of progress, but when she was fully immersed in the TTI assessments and we added that motivation piece, everything clicked.
TTI: I love that you were able to help her when you had the right tool. Where did she end up?
Cassandra: She got into a coding certification and changed her entire career. We started looking at what type of career path would honor her attention to detail and the ability to be consistent, as well as that receptivity and innovation with her Harmonious Driver. She thinks that coding is beautiful, you know, and artistic.
Then, we worked really hard to ensure that she worked for a company culture that she aligned with and believed in. After all that, she became more comfortable in her singleness, recognizing that she was making a choice. She understood that she was looking for things different than what she was expected to accept societally. The assessments created that clarity.
Shaunna: Any time we only look at the DISC, I'll have people say, “This doesn't quite resonate with me. This doesn't make sense.” And I say, “ Hold on, let’s also look at motivation.”
That multi-science approach is where the ‘aha’ moments come in.
TTI: What do those ‘aha’ moments look like in practice?
Shaunna: I see them in conflict resolution all the time. Whenever I do a team session, it’s common to hear, “Well, we just don't get along because of our behavioral style.”
That’s not necessarily true. We can adapt our behavioral style. Yes, somebody can annoy you, but the real conflict comes from those Drivers because those are your values. Your values are being challenged by the other person. It feels personal, and that’s where the conflict comes in.
For example, my husband and I are complete opposites when it comes to DISC, but our Drivers are aligned. Opposites attract with behavior, but when it comes to our core values, especially around family and all of that, those Driving Forces align.
TTI: I’ve had the same experience! My partner and I have almost identical Drivers.
Cassandra: It can be really beautiful and connecting when passions line up. I’ve experienced this at work through a beautiful counter-balance. I’ve had the pleasure of working under Favor Larson, our Director of Strategic Partnerships in Professional Services. She’s got a 100 Dominance score.
But she has this Collaborative Driver, and she’s Harmonious. I can tell you that she has such an amazing combination of motivation and behavior. She’s results-oriented, but she always wants to hear from the team and collaborate to create the best experience for people. Our assessments, especially TriMetrix EQ, helped us both understand how to work as a team.
Shaunna: That’s the thing—a multi-science approach gives you a common language. I did a team session a year and a half ago, and they've checked in with me to say, “Your team session gave us a common language to use with one another.”
Cassandra: Absolutely, and when you add in high emotional intelligence, which Favor has, it all comes together.
I was actually asked once by a partner with a 100 Dominance score, “Cassandra, as my emotional intelligence develops, will my directness go down?”
I said, “No, but the best parts of it will remain.” That is what emotional intelligence does. It takes us, and then it enhances us; it maximizes our behavior and our motivation, and allows us to be our best self.
TTI: I’ve seen that on the other side as well. I have a low Dominance score, and I know that focusing on EQ helps me navigate conflict better. I can step into difficult conversations more confidently when I’m focusing on awareness and regulation.
Cassandra: Because we're multifaceted! We have these different layers. I think that's why people can get turned off by assessments, because they're like, “You're putting me in a box!” But the right approach will never do that. We’re uncovering, revealing, and having a dialogue to discover all of the different parts of who you are.
Thanks, Shaunna and Cassandra, for the insight and conversation!