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Operative Insights: Human Behaviour and Communication Strategies
Why “Calm Down” Can Make a Difficult Conversation Worse
You're in a tense conversation with an employee, a colleague, or a client. They're getting more frustrated, so you say two words that sound perfectly reasonable in your head: “Calm down.” Instead… they get angrier. You meant to de-escalate the situation. To them, it...
What If the Career You Chose No Longer Fits Who You Are?
35% of Canadian workers say they want to do something completely different in their professional lives. Among workers aged 45 to 54, that number climbs to 37%. So if you’ve caught yourself thinking, ‘I can’t see myself doing this for another ten years’, you have...
From Promising Candidate to Poor Fit: Why the Warning Signs Came Too Late
The resume looked strong, and the interview went well. The references confirmed what you hoped to hear. A few weeks later, your team was having a very different conversation. The new hire had the right experience, yet communication was taking more effort than...
Why Communication Breaks Down in Government Teams, and What You Can Do About It
Have you ever noticed how two people can sit in the same briefing, hear exactly the same words, and walk away with completely different takeaways? If you’ve spent any time working in a federal or provincial government environment, you already know this isn’t a rare...
Is There a Best DISC Style for Management Roles?
People ask me this question more than almost any other when it comes to leadership. Which DISC style makes the best manager? If I'm building a team, which profile should I be looking for at the top? It's a question worth taking seriously, and worth answering honestly....
When Saying Yes Feels Heavy, and No Feels Worse
There is a particular kind of pressure that comes with being a Supportive style. Caring deeply about people, honouring commitments, and not wanting to let anyone down are the qualities that make high S personas so valued in every room they walk into. They're also the...
Can Two People With the Same DISC Style Still Fail to Communicate?
Most people assume the hard conversations happen between opposite styles. A Direct (D) pushing too hard. A Cautious (C) asking too many questions. A clash of pace, priority, and energy. That assumption is understandable. It's also incomplete. Some of the most...
How to Hold a Difficult Conversation Using DESC (and How DISC Strengthens It)
Difficult conversations are not the problem; avoiding them is. In business and in life, most breakdowns in trust, performance, and culture can be traced back to conversations that should have happened earlier and often did not. People delay these conversations because...
How To Use The 7 Summits Leader’s Scorecard Through the DISC Lens
Recently, I was introduced to The 7 Summits Leader’s Scorecard. One glance at the wheel and I could see why it matters. In a single picture, it pulls together a leader’s spiritual life, thinking, health, relationships, fun, finances, and work. For coaches who use the...
Does Our DISC Profile Change Over Time?
During my recent Fundamental DISC Train-The-Trainer Certification, someone asked me, “JJ, can our DISC profile change over time?” It’s a fair question. Life has a way of shaping us. We grow through new experiences, adapt to changing circumstances, and learn what works...
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JJ Brun, The Retired Spy
JJ Brun is a globally recognized Human Behaviour and Communication Specialist, who served for 20 years in the Canadian Forces in the field of Human Intelligence. JJ has dedicated his life and his business to training thousands of people in the principles of human behaviour and effective communication practices across cultures.