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Weekly Tools and Tips to Improve Any Relationship

January 31, 2017

8 Ways to Build Better Relationships with Reds

Reds are as bold as the color they represent — they are not going to go unnoticed. Mother Teresa and Helen Keller were both Reds. President Donald Trump appears to be Red, too. Get the picture?

Reds are society’s natural born leaders, and they know how to get from point A to point B efficiently, often with little fanfare. Reds are active and productive. They are very committed to causes, and they are all about being focused and determined to accomplish whatever life hands them. The Red motto is: “Lead, follow, or get out of the way!”

If you haven’t guessed by now, Reds are naturally the most dominant and intimidating of the four personality types and this can sometimes lead to a frustrated spouse, co-worker, employee, friend, child or parent if the Red hasn’t worked hard at becoming what we call “Charactered.” The aim of this article is to prepare you with some tools to understanding the innate Red personality so next time you’re at odds with one of these “Kings of the Jungle” it doesn’t have to be as frustrating of an experience.

Reds NEED to look good technically, to be right, to be respected and to attain approval from a select few people. They WANT to hide their insecurities tightly. They want to be productive, be in a leadership position and experience challenging adventures. If you struggle to understand how to effectively develop a good relationship with a Red, here are eight helpful tips to consider:

  1. DO present issues logically. Reds behave logically rather than emotionally, as do Whites. Blues and Yellows, however, are emotional beings. Reds can be opinionated and stubborn about a lot of topics and they are skilled debaters. However, they can be reasoned with logically. If faced with an argument with a Red, use your head and not your heart.
  2. DO be direct, brief and specific. Reds are impatient. Red employers cannot tolerate indecisiveness or poor productivity. A White who hates conflict or a Blue who gets too caught up in the details would be wise to heed this advice.
  3. DO demand attention and respect. Due to Reds dominant nature, it may be easy to let yourself go unnoticed by them. After all, they are glad to take the lead. But be careful not to let them walk all over you. Try asserting your opinions and using logic to your advantage.
  4. DO offer them leadership responsibilities. Reds want to be in a leadership position, and they are very strong leaders. Reds are able to get to the heart of a problem without being distracted by lesser concerns, and are able to quickly devise proactive solutions. Reds are visionary, assertive and determined.
  5. DO NOT embarrass them in front of others. Reds want to look good to others and they need to appear knowledgeable. They crave approval from people they respect for their intelligence and capabilities. They’d rather be respected than loved.
  6. DO NOT expect a personal and intimate relationship. Reds struggle to attain intimacy. They are so naturally determined and productive that their lack of intimacy can get overlooked as being a problem by themselves and their loved ones.
  7. DO NOT take their arguments personally. Reds love a challenge. They will frequently bring up controversial topics just so they can have a good debate. The other colors become frustrated by this, but they shouldn’t take it personally, because the Red may be doing it just to have the opportunity to banter.
  8. DO NOT use an authoritarian approach. Reds want control, they want their own way. Due to their resourcefulness and self-reliance, Reds frequently challenge authority figures and control their own destiny.

Now that you’ve learned some basics, hopefully you are on your way to developing a positive relationship with a Red or with yourself. These power wielders can be great assets to our communities. Now get going and do something productive!

–The Color Code Team