The Blind Spot in the Boardroom: When DISC Types Collide

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The Status Quo: The Master Negotiator

Lena Voss had a reputation for being unshakable. In the high-stakes world of corporate litigation, she was the lawyer who could dismantle a witness with a single question, the one who turned hostile boardrooms into her personal chessboard. Her secret? She didn’t just prepare for the facts—she prepared for the people.

She had studied DISC—Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, Conscientiousness—like a linguist studies dialects. She knew how to mirror a Dominant’s directness, how to slow down for a Steady’s rhythm, how to challenge a Conscientiousness’s need for precision. But today, in the glass-walled conference room of Hargrove & Lowe, she was facing something she hadn’t anticipated: a wall.

Across the table sat Daniel Mercer, the CFO of Vanguard Tech, a man whose resume read like a who’s who of corporate takeovers. He was all sharp angles in his tailored suit, his voice a blade wrapped in velvet. Lena had done her homework—Mercer was a high-D, high-I: Dominant and Influential, the kind of man who turned negotiations into performances. She had planned for it. She had scripts.

But Mercer wasn’t playing by the rules.

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The Incident: The Conversation That Wouldn’t Bend

The deal was simple on paper: Vanguard Tech was acquiring a smaller firm, and Lena’s client, the founder, was holding out for a better valuation. Mercer had flown in for the final negotiation, all charm and calculated pauses. But the moment the numbers hit the table, something shifted.

“Your client’s asking for 20% over market,” Mercer said, leaning back, fingers steepled. “That’s not just optimistic. That’s delusional.”

Lena’s pulse spiked. She recognized the tactic—devaluation framing—but Mercer’s tone was off. Too smooth. Too personal. She glanced at her notes. High-D, high-I. He should be pushing, not patronizing.

Then he smiled. “Tell me, Lena, do you really think your client’s numbers add up? Or are we just wasting time here?”

The room tilted. That wasn’t a negotiation question. That was a challenge. And worse—it was working. She felt her confidence waver, just for a second. Mercer’s eyes gleamed. He saw it.

She recovered, but the damage was done. Mercer had found her blind spot: he wasn’t just negotiating. He was testing her.

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The Struggle: The Emotional Labyrinth

Lena excused herself to the bathroom, her hands shaking. She splashed water on her wrists, staring at her reflection. What just happened?

She pulled out her phone and opened PAVIS, the conversation intelligence tool she’d been beta-testing. The app’s interface glowed to life, a real-time dashboard of the call she’d just left. She tapped Emotional Intelligence and watched as the system replayed the last five minutes of audio, overlaying a waveform with color-coded emotions:

Her stomach twisted. He got to me.

Then she noticed something else. PAVIS’s Shield Engine had flagged a pattern:

WARNING: POTENTIAL MANIPULATION DETECTED

Tactic: Gaslighting Lite – Undermining confidence through implied incompetence.

Evidence: Mercer’s phrasing (“do you really think…”) creates cognitive dissonance, forcing self-questioning.

Counter: Reframe the question as a factual inquiry. Example: “Daniel, let’s focus on the data. The valuation is based on X, Y, Z. Can we discuss those metrics?”

Lena exhaled. She knew this. She’d read about it in The Psychology of Deception. But in the moment, Mercer’s tone had derailed her.

She scrolled further. The Planning Features tab showed her pre-call goals, now highlighted in red:

A notification popped up:

EDGE ENGINE SUGGESTION:

Mercer’s DISC profile indicates he responds to direct challenges to his authority. Try:

- “Daniel, I respect your experience, but let’s stick to the numbers. Your team’s own projections show—”

- OR

- “You’re right, this is a waste of time if we can’t align on facts. Shall we table this and revisit with data?”

Lena’s fingers hovered over the screen. She had two choices: walk back in and let Mercer dictate the rhythm, or use PAVIS as her secret weapon.

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The Guide: The AI in the Room

She took a deep breath and returned to the conference room. Mercer was mid-sentence, his voice a velvet noose: “…and frankly, Lena, if your client can’t meet us halfway, we might have to reconsider the entire—”

PAVIS’s Edge Engine vibrated against her wrist, a subtle pulse. She glanced at her watch—Mercer’s last statement had triggered a contradiction alert:

SHIELD ENGINE UPDATE:

Mercer previously stated: “We’re committed to closing this deal by EOY.” (Meeting notes, 10/15)

Current statement implies disengagement. Possible tactics:

- Bait-and-switch (creating urgency to force concessions)

- Good cop/bad cop solo (positioning himself as the “reasonable” one)

Lena didn’t miss a beat. She smiled. “Daniel, I appreciate the candor. But let’s not lose sight of the bigger picture—your board approved this timeline for a reason.” She tapped her tablet, where PAVIS had pulled up the exact meeting minutes. “Page 7, paragraph 3: “EOY closure is non-negotiable.” So why are we renegotiating the valuation?”

Mercer’s smirk faltered. For the first time, he was the one off-balance.

PAVIS’s Emotional Intelligence feed updated in real-time:

The Edge Engine fired another suggestion:

NEXT STEP:

Mercer’s Dominance score is spiking. Challenge his authority indirectly.

Try: “Your team’s due diligence must’ve flagged the IP value at $42M. Did I miss something?”

Lena leaned forward. “Your due diligence team must’ve flagged the IP valuation at $42M. Did I miss an update?”

Mercer’s jaw tightened. “That’s not—”

“Because,” Lena cut in, “if there’s new data, I’d love to see it. Otherwise, we’re back to the original terms.”

Silence. Then Mercer laughed—a sharp, genuine sound. “Alright, counselor. You’ve got my attention.”

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The Transformation: The Invisible Layer Revealed

PAVIS’s dashboard lit up like a command center:

1. Emotional Shift:
- Mercer’s contempt (red) had flattened into respect (teal).
- Her own self-doubt (yellow) was gone, replaced by command (deep green).

2. Tactic Exposure:
- Shield Engine had mapped Mercer’s manipulation playbook in real-time:
- Phase 1: Undermine confidence (“delusional”).
- Phase 2: Create urgency (“reconsider the entire deal”).
- Phase 3: Force concessions (implied deadline pressure).
- Edge Engine had counter-mapped her responses, showing how each pushback disrupted his rhythm.

3. The Hidden Layer:
PAVIS’s Shield Engine revealed something Lena hadn’t seen: Mercer wasn’t just high-D, high-I. His Conscientiousness score was off the charts—but suppressed. He wasn’t just dominant; he was perfectionistic. His “reasonable” act was a facade. He hated being wrong.

Lena’s mind raced. She pulled up Mercer’s LinkedIn (PAVIS had pre-loaded it) and saw it: his last three deals had all closed at exactly the midpoint of the initial offer range. He wasn’t just negotiating. He was proving he could split the difference.

She grinned.

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The Resolution: The Deal That Wasn’t Supposed to Happen

Lena slid a new number across the table: $41.5M.

Mercer’s eyebrow twitched. “That’s not midpoint.”

“No,” Lena said. “But it’s the number your board will approve without a fight. Because you know $42M is fair. And you know pushing for $40M risks a walkaway.” She tapped her tablet. “PAVIS pulled your last three deals. You always land at the midpoint. So let’s skip the dance.”

Mercer stared. Then he laughed again, this time without the edge. “You’re dangerous, Lena.”

“I prefer ‘prepared’.”

Twenty minutes later, they had a deal.

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The Aftermath: The Lawyer Who Saw the Unseen

Back in her office, Lena replayed the call with PAVIS’s post-conversation insights:

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

1. Mercer’s DISC profile was a distraction. His high-C (Conscientiousness) drove his need to “win” the midpoint—not his Dominance.

2. Emotional triggers > logic. His gaslighting attempt failed when she reframed his authority as a shared goal (the board’s approval).

3. Real-time EQ was the tiebreaker. PAVIS’s voice analysis showed her confidence directly correlated with Mercer’s willingness to engage.

She leaned back, rubbing her temples. For years, she’d prided herself on reading people. But today, she’d realized something humbling: she couldn’t see the full picture without PAVIS.

Her phone buzzed. A text from Mercer:

“Next time, bring a less honest AI. Almost had you.”

Lena smiled. Almost.

She opened PAVIS and started planning for the next battle.

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Epilogue: The New Rule of Engagement
Lena added a new step to her pre-call routine:
1. Run PAVIS’s DISC + Emotional Baseline on the opponent.
2. Let the Shield Engine flag manipulation patterns before the call starts.
3. Use the Edge Engine to script emotional counter-moves, not just logical ones.

Because in high-stakes conversations, the real currency isn’t facts.
It’s who sees the invisible first.

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