Let’s Get Organized!  Oh, how we love our Yellows! The enthusiasm and energy these fun-loving creatures bring into our lives make the world that much more of an enjoyable place to be. With the world being such a fun-filled adventure, Yellows need the freedom to experience creativity in a work environment that maximizes their opportunities.     Yellows are unique individuals and need to be organized in their own way. Even if you don’t understand their rhyme or reason, Yellows must have a degree of autonomy to build out their tasks for the day. I do recommend that when giving Yellows this freedom, refrain from barking at them t

There have been significant changes. We've all noticed them. Buzz phrases like 'the great resignation' and 'the era of the employee' are all over the news and business blogs. There are help wanted signs in many establishments. The U.S. now has more job openings than at any time in history. Employees are jumping ship in record numbers. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that in September of '21, over 4.4 million people voluntarily left their jobs. It's being called, 'The Era of the Employee.' With nearly 11 million job openings in the U.S., workers have the advantage and are making decisions to improve their working condit

Many organizations have restructured at some point in their history.  Some do it regularly.  Where I work, it was never done, which made this series of events I’m about to tell you about even more impactful.  Our Color Code make up greatly affects how we deal with change.  Let’s go back to February 2020.  Do you remember what it was like back then?  The world had not yet been flipped upside down by Covid.  No lockdowns, no working from home, no constant state of change. I was working in a team of eight people, with several contract employees and the rest seasoned training professionals. Our corporate director met with us about s

I work in Human Resources.  It’s important for our employees to know if we are in the office when they come to the department with questions. The admin of our department (a purist Blue) sets up a weekly meeting reminder for us to submit our calendar for the following week to her by Thursday morning at 8:30 AM.  Seems simple, right?  The question really is, when is the deadline? We have three of the four of the color personalities represented in our department.  The majority of us are Blue personalities.  This makes sense, given Blue’s natural talent to serve others.  Many of us think the calendar is silly, but we do what the admi

I was facilitating Color Code workshops in a large organization that had tens of thousands of employees and around 3,000 leaders at various levels. This organization had well over 100 locations and depended on Location Leaders to be in charge of each of those locations.  Location Leaders had hundreds of employees under their purview. They were compensated well, and they carried a massive basket of expectations put upon them by the organization.  The organization worked hard to build a pipeline of lower-level leaders to fill these ranks as spots opened up, and over time, a common thread appeared—the candidates often hired into the Locat

Editor’s Note: Names have been changed in the following story to protect the individual’s identities  In my executive coaching practice, I have found that differences in communication styles can play a larger role in someone's success in an organization more than other skills. That was the case when Barb reached out to me about some difficulties she was having with her boss in her new job.   In addition to training webinars, I use the Color Code as a tool to help solve real-world business problems. Barb was brought into a mid-size industrial organization to lead their HR department.  She was so excited fo

Many of the world’s most successful business people such as John D. Rockefeller and Jack Ma as well as renowned psychologists and researchers including John Mayer, Peter Salovey, and Daniel Goleman, have for years touted the importance of emotional intelligence in leaders as a critical factor for a company’s success. 

But what about the rest of those at a company? 

Does increased emotional intelligence in managers, employees, and staff directly translate into more effective, higher producing, and happier teams at work? 

In an article titled “What Makes a Leader,” written for The Harvard Business Review, D

If there are any Reds out there who haven’t been frustrated with a Blue at some point or another, we would be shocked. Reds and Blues are very different personalities. Reds are insensitive, while Blues are too sensitive. Reds want to get the job done and Blues want to get the job done perfectly. Blues go on about their feelings and Reds get to the point. Get the picture? Reds, we know it can be frustrating for you to maintain and/or foster relationships with Blues, but odds are there are several Blues in your life you want to maintain your relationship with. So instead of getting fed up with the process, listen closely. We’re here to pro

Dear Jeremy, I work in a company with a little over 10,000 employees, and in the top leadership tier, I have two VPs that I’m currently dealing with that I’m not sure how to handle. They are both Red, and when they run their individual teams, they’re amazing, but when they work together on our executive team, they are constantly butting heads. What can I do to make this work? Gavin Dear Gavin, What you have described to me sounds like a classical Red on Red issue that actually isn’t too tough to resolve. Here’s what typically happens: Reds by nature love to fit into leadership roles, and why not? T