“My name is Ellen–I’m a White”

This month’s Ask the Expert article comes from a series of questions submitted by one of our subscribers, “Ellen”. Her actual email, while excellent, is too long to post here, however, we have summarized key questions in the responses below.

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Hello, Ellen.

Thank you so much for your email, and your excellent questions! I hope that my responses will be helpful to you. I’d like to address three of your main questions here in that hope:

Q: Do you have any advice for Whites on “success in a solo business setup”? (You mentioned feeling that business seems out of Character for a White.)

Q: If a White is doing something they believe in, do they “toughen up” naturally, or is there a set of conditioning practices I would suggest?

Q: How do Whites shine in business? In what sense, if any, are Whites “leaders”?

Rather than take these in sequence, I’ll attempt to summarize an answer to all of them.

First of all, please know that we absolutely believe that any Color can do any job or function in any kind of career. I’ve shared our program with so many people in all walks of life all over the world, and I know that to be true. There are in fact, many, Whites in business. They function very well in both team settings an as “solopreneurs”.

Typically Whites don’t require a lot of socializing and can prefer to work as independently as possible. However, that’s not true for all Whites. In fact, most of the Whites I know have the ability to both stand out as great team contributors or “fly solo” depending on their circumstances.

You have to remember that no two Whites are ever exactly the same. You might not know that we refer to Whites as the “chameleons” of the Color Code, because they are the most adaptable of any other Color. They have an uncanny natural ability (usually) to fit into whatever role that they need to. If that means that they must be more extroverted while in their work setting, so be it. They can do that and then comfortably step back out of that role when the job is done.

I think some of their best leadership characteristics involve being both powerfully independent, (you know you don’t feel the need to do what everybody else is doing, or thinks you should be doing) and being self-regulated. I think of the latter as having the ability to have “ice water in your veins,” so to speak. Whites don’t feel the need to hit the “panic button,” and are willing to replace emotional impulse with more rational thought.

Regarding leadership in general, I believe there are many White leaders who absolutely shine in their performance while maybe not having to be in the spotlight. I don’t know whether you’ve ever read any of Jim Collins’ work, but he wrote a blockbuster, best-selling business book called, Good to Great. The premise of the book is to identify the differences that exist in good, solid companies, and those that are truly great. One of the difference that Dr. Collins writes about is the fact that “great” companies are guided by something he coined as “Level 5 Leadership”. When I read about what a Level 5 Leader is, I thought that many of them must be Whites.

So, yes, Whites are cut out for leadership. They have a lot to offer – and that includes you specifically, by the way!

In terms of recommendations, the first thing that I would suggest is that you base your journey off of a solid sense of Self Awareness. Know who you are as a unique White. Understand what your strengths and your limitations are. One of the easiest way to do this is through our Character Code Assessment. It’s so revealing to take the assessment on yourself, and ask five other people to evaluate you as well. Ask them to be brutally honest and not try to protect you from feedback that could be perceived as being negative. (Believe it or not, but people are generally more protective towards Whites than any other Color, because they see you as being so nice and gentle and think that others will try to take advantage. Don’t take that personally. They just don’t know how tough you really are.) 😉

The assessment will encourage you to identify your top three limitations and then start to look for an antidote to those problems. I think that’s good advice, and I would look for people who can help you overcome those challenges. I would also advise you to identify (and even ask for feedback on) your top three strengths. Use those strengths to push forward in your leadership efforts and lean on them whenever you need to. This is important, because Whites often see themselves as being far less adequate than they actually are.

Again, accurate self-awareness can go a long, long way.

Another few bits of advice that I would offer Whites in general (and hopefully there is some application for you here), are as follows:

Learn to make decisions proactively. Trust in your decisions and take ACTION. Too many times White over-think and over-think and over-think. If you can’t decide on a project or a direction, just pick one, or find somebody you trust to help you make the decision and take meaningful action. Don’t give up when things don’t work out the first time. You might love the thinking stage, but staying in that stage is the same as confining yourself to a perpetual state of limbo. Try to work through that.

I would also advise you consciously decide to increase both the quality and the quantity of communication. Share what’s going on with other people, even when you don’t necessarily feel like connecting. It lets people know that you are engaged and interested. It helps them know where you are coming from and what you are feeling/thinking. You might be amazed at home many times people have expressed their frustration with Whites because of the lack of communication. I know that you may not need it, but other people do, and you need other people.

(It’s as simple as that).

In closing, I repeat myself when saying that you are more powerful and capable than you probably realize. If you want to go into business and the thought of it excites you, do it. You are tougher than you think.

Thanks, Ellen, for asking. I wish you all the best on your upcoming business ventures.

Many happy returns!

Jeremy Daniel
Training Director
Color Code International

Jeremy Daniel (Core Color: Yellow) has been working with the Color Code since 1998 in various capacities from training in the field personally with Dr. Taylor Hartman to designing customized corporate solutions and new training programs for various industries.  To ask about Jeremy’s training or speaking services, please email and inquiry to jeremy@colorcodetraining.com.