Beyond DiSC: Why Modern Leaders Need a Growth-Oriented Assessment

The day a DiSC practitioner told me I shouldn't be a coach changed everything.

Not because I listened—but because I didn't.

Years ago, I sat through my DiSC debrief, eager to understand my behavioral style and how I could grow as a leader. Instead, I received a message that would eventually inspire the creation of Tilt365:

"You shouldn't be a coach. It's causing you stress because you're operating outside your natural strengths."

The practitioner meant well. This advice was rooted in DiSC's philosophy: when you experience stress, it might be because your role doesn't align with your natural behavioral quadrant. The implicit message? Stay in your lane. Don't push beyond what comes naturally.

But what if that's exactly the wrong advice for today's leaders?

The Problem with Fixed Identity

DiSC has helped millions of professionals understand their behavioral styles, and for good reason—it's a solid framework that's been around for decades. But here's what I've learned after years of working with leaders across industries:

The world has changed. Leadership hasn't gotten simpler—it's gotten infinitely more complex.

Today's leaders can't afford to operate from just one quadrant. They need to:

• Build trust AND drive results
• Think strategically AND execute quickly
• Innovate boldly AND analyze carefully
• Connect emotionally AND make tough decisions

The old model of "find your type and work within it" is no longer sufficient. And worse, it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy that limits what we believe we're capable of.

The Birth of Tilt365

That DiSC debrief happened years ago. Not only did I become a coach—I built an entire company around a radically different belief:

Intelligent leaders can and should develop all dimensions of themselves.

That's why we created Tilt365. Not to replace the four-quadrant framework (it's proven and valuable), but to evolve it for the modern world. To offer hope instead of limitations. Growth instead of fixed identity.

What Makes Tilt365 Different

1. We Explicitly Encourage Whole-Self Development

While DiSC helps you understand your natural style, Tilt365 teaches you how to "tilt" into any of the four patterns depending on what the situation requires.

Our four patterns—CLARITY, CONNECTION, STRUCTURE, and IMPACT—aren't boxes to stay in. They're capabilities to develop.

2. The Unique Amplifier Reveals Your "Why"

Beyond basic behavioral categories, Tilt365 includes 12 character strengths mapped across the four quadrants. This reveals not just what you do, but why you do it—your unconscious drivers and social preferences.

It's the difference between knowing you're "task-oriented" and understanding that your drive for significance and autonomy shapes how you approach every challenge.

3. Stress is Information, Not a Warning Sign

Here's where we fundamentally differ from traditional assessments:

DiSC says: "If you're stressed, you might be in the wrong role or operating outside your natural style."

Tilt365 says: "If you're stressed, that's data about where you need to develop. It's a growth opportunity, not a red flag."

This reframe is everything. Your role isn't the problem—it's your training ground for becoming more agile.

4. Explicit Growth Paths

Every Tilt365 assessment includes clear growth paths showing:

• Which quadrants to develop next
• How to "tilt intentionally" toward them
• Specific practices for building new capabilities
• Healthy belief statements to overcome limiting patterns

You don't just learn about yourself—you get a roadmap for development.

5. Situational Agility is the Goal

We've proven through years of research and application that intelligent leaders can develop situational agility across all four dimensions. You're not stuck. With awareness and practice, you can access all four patterns effectively.

This isn't about being good at everything all the time. It's about having the flexibility to show up differently when the situation demands it.

Why This Matters Now

Consider the modern workplace:

• Remote and hybrid teams require leaders to connect deeply without physical presence (CONNECTION) while maintaining structure and accountability (STRUCTURE)
• Rapid innovation cycles demand bold vision (IMPACT) backed by careful analysis (CLARITY)
• Complex stakeholder dynamics need both strategic thinking (CLARITY) and relationship building (CONNECTION)
• Constant change requires execution excellence (STRUCTURE) and adaptive creativity (IMPACT)

No single quadrant handles this complexity. Leaders need access to all four.

The Difference in Practice

Here's what happens when you adopt a growth-oriented assessment framework:

Traditional Approach:

"I'm a high D (Dominance) style. I'm direct and results-focused. Relationship-building isn't my strength, so I delegate that to others."

Tilt365 Approach:

"My primary pattern is IMPACT—I lead with bold vision and drive results. But I recognize I need to develop my CONNECTION and CLARITY to be most effective. When I'm in stakeholder meetings, I intentionally tilt toward CONNECTION. When I'm doing strategic planning, I tilt toward CLARITY. I'm building these muscles deliberately."

See the difference? One reinforces limitation. The other builds capability.

Real Results

Our clients consistently report:

• Leaders who thought they "weren't good with people" developing genuine emotional intelligence
• Analytical thinkers learning to trust their intuition and act boldly
• Big-picture visionaries building systems and follow-through
• Detail-oriented executors expanding their creative thinking

None of this would happen if we told them to stay in their lane. Click here to see a full breakdown of Tilt365 vs. DiSC

Moving Forward

I'm grateful for that DiSC debrief all those years ago. Not because the advice was good—but because it revealed a gap in how we think about leadership development.

If you've ever been told—explicitly or implicitly—that certain capabilities are "just not your style," I want you to know: that's not true.

You can develop situational agility. You can access all four patterns. You can become the leader your complex world needs you to be.

The question isn't whether you have a natural style. Of course you do. The question is: Are you willing to grow beyond it?

Learn More

If you're curious about how Tilt365 differs from traditional assessments, we'd love to show you. Our framework includes:

• Four core patterns: CLARITY, CONNECTION, STRUCTURE, IMPACT
• 12 character strengths revealing unconscious drivers
• Growth paths for intentional development
• Stress pattern recognition for productive management
• Agility tracking to measure your progress
• Healthy belief statements to overcome limiting patterns

Because the world needs leaders who can do it all—not perfectly, but situationally. Leaders who can tilt.

___

Ready to unlock your full potential? Visit www.tilt365.com to learn more about the assessment designed for modern leadership. Click here to schedule a call, we’d love to show you

Questions? Reach out to our team at [email protected]

___

About the Author: Pam Boney is the Founder of Tilt365, a workplace personality assessment framework that empowers leaders to develop situational agility across all dimensions of leadership. After being told she shouldn't be a coach, she proved that intelligent leaders can develop any capability they set their minds to—and built a company to help others do the same.