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Color Code and The Great Global Shuffle

When I first started using the Color Code in my team-building trainings, I was imparting to individuals this magnificent tool that establishes motive and gives you ideas to help with people unlike you. Each personality type has a bright side and a ‘not so bright’ side.

I’ve witnessed team-building exercises be so helpful for leaders because once they know their company’s color portfolio, they have an easier time when team members come to discuss their problems. Usually, they don’t drop in with how happy they are and how great their job is! So my question to you in the midst of this global shuffle we have been experiencing (i.e. the entire world’s challenges and changes) is how are you holding up?

I call chaos “the great teacher,” because it is during these times of crisis that we are pushed to find out what we are really made of, and the Color Code helps with that. As managers, we need to be the listening ears and hearts to solve dilemmas and often resolve personal life travesties that affect performance as well. The pandemic and global shuffle can actually create more loyalty with your workers than before. Here’s an example of how.

My first live training post-pandemic was with 20 essential workers — plumbers. With people at home 24/7, their toilets and sinks had more usage and problems than usual. This plumbing company and team had more than enough work, and when we gathered, I was anxious to see how people would interact—socially distanced—on the post-pandemic side of life.

The owners of the company got their goals met in a half-day training. They wanted staff appreciation, team development and fun. Their excitement and the team’s response meant a home run for everyone.

What we all need right now is the reminders of how gifted and unique we each are and that every personality type is fully equipped for the challenges of this great global shuffle. Here are four suggestions to help leadership manage the four motives of the personality colors better:

1) Know How to Control Fear and demonstrate this to your team. The Blue personality is worry-prone, and leaders can alleviate Blue’s worry-prone personality by showing them the way to capitalize rather than awfulize when unexpected bad news arrives. The boot camp of COVID taught us we have to capitalize, (Zoom Meetings, anyone?) and good things can result as teams adjust — remind Blues to focus on this.

2) Build Up Confidence! Do the tasks that build confidence FIRST! This strategy can help your White personality team members get motivated. When Whites feel good, they can then tackle the other challenging tasks with the feel-good serotonin to help them stay confident and move along.

3) Release Old Defeats. Reds are so driven to succeed, this mantra has to remind them to get back to their visionary selves and create a better future. Whatever complications the COVID world took from the Red leaders, they can’t bemoan it now — let go and get back on track.

4) Be Socially Positive, even though things are taking longer to get back on track. Enlist your Yellows’ talents to be optimistic and cheer up the rest of those who are carrying around past drama and baggage. We are at the dawn of a new day, and new days don’t like yesterday’s troubles! Shine the light of Yellow to diminish gloom and doom.

Trainers and team-building events can assist with creating team involvement in setting new goals. How you integrate the events in your life define your life. Teaching others how to thrive during unexpected crises has defined my speaking and coaching career for the last 20 years. I’m convinced that self-care and team-care is imperative to have a long, successful and healthy company. The Color Code is a tool to use or revisit to strengthen your team in this global shuffle.

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Carolyn Gross is a 20-year trainer for the Color Code and is located in Southern California. As a professional speaker and trainer, she has authored several books and CD’s: “Rise Above the Chaos,” “Managing Chaos with Confidence’ and “Staying Calm in the Midst of Chaos.” She has been featured on ABC, NBC and Lifetime TV. She is a frequent guest on NPR, too. She delights in interactive team-building trainings. With the churning of the global shuffle, her favorite work is supporting mental health and productivity. For more information, visit www.creativelifesolutions.com or email info@creativelifesolutions.com. To schedule a call, you can reach her office: (760) 741-2762

Building Relationships through Personality Decoding

As an HR professional with years of corporate and consulting experience, I’ve had the privilege of working with some very savvy managers and business owners. Interestingly, it always seems that the number one issue they all face is difficulty understanding and connecting with the very people they are closest to, whether it’s personal or professional. They all ask, “How do I get better at understanding and communicating with these people that I need in my life?”

Just the other day, I had a long-term CEO client call me (we’ll call him Mr. Big), and he was at the end of his rope. He said the key person he’s been working with for years is just “not getting it,” and if things don’t change, he’s going to have to let her go…but he really didn’t want to lose her.

After talking Mr. Big down from the ledge and getting to the heart of the matter, it all boiled down to the perception he had that she just didn’t understand what he was trying to tell her, but she never asked questions until it was too late.

While I tried not to chuckle and maintain my professional demeanor, I asked him if he was willing to give her a little time to learn something new and was he willing to invest a little money in her training? He said he was, but he didn’t hold out much hope for any changes.

My next step was meeting with the employee and getting her read on the situation. By the end of our conversation, I was certain we’d be looking at a very successful solution in a short matter of time.

For me, a Color Code believer and management trainer since the late 1980’s, the obvious solution was pretty straightforward. IF this employee was willing to learn the magic of the Color Code personality assessment, do her homework, and then have the courage to apply the concepts, then I knew success was within her grasp.

However, the biggest stumbling block she came up against (and let’s face it, so do most people who come to Color Code for the first time) was getting past the skepticism of, “what’s the big deal about another personality test?” And to be perfectly honest, that’s a valid reaction based on how impractical solving work issues may have been with these kinds of tests in the past.

After taking her test and spending a little time with her personal assessment report, I asked her what she thought. She said it was very interesting, and she thought it would help her understand herself better, but she wasn’t so sure it was going to do anything about the problems she was having with Mr. Big, because she was pretty sure he wasn’t going to take a personality test, much less read the assessment.

Well, as we all know, here’s where things began to make a turn for the better. I told her he didn’t have to take a test for her to solve the question of what makes him tick and what she needed to do to make things work out better.

Was she skeptical? You better believe it. But she was also curious and courageous enough to give it a try.

Enter the concept of Quick Decoding.

Using the “quick decoding primer” that Dr. Hartman had the forethought to develop to help anyone who understands the basics of Color Code readily follow, she got busy learning the basics of decoding and experiencing for herself how simple the process really is.

Here are the basic decoding questions we asked her to focus on and use in her first homework assignment – Discovering Mr. Big’s Primary Color.

Decoding Question #1: Introvert or Extrovert? Does this person seem to be more introverted or more extroverted? (There’s a lot of definitions and a lot of controversy about introverts and extroverts, but for purposes of this decoding, we define an extrovert as someone who not only enjoys social interactions, but also gets their batteries charged by them.) Or does the person seem genuinely drained after engaging in large social interactions or meetings and just needs to be alone afterwards? Here’s a perfect example: I’m a Yellow, and I remember doing a speaking engagement to what I considered a small group (less than 100), but for me it was fun and fast and networking with people afterwards left me totally energized and raring for more. My business partner, who was my co-presenter for the evening, is a warm, organized, and lovely blue. She did her on-stage part, then engaged in many small conversations after the event, but finally grabbed me and said, “IT’S TIME TO GO.” As I chattered all the way into the car, she just got in and stared at me. As she looked at me, she put her head down on the steering wheel and said in a world-weary voice, “Please be quiet. I don’t understand how you have any energy left. I’m so tired of talking, I’m not going to speak or even see anyone for at least a week!” There you have it, folks…the perfect example.

So, here’s the bottom-line answer to Question #1: As a general rule, Reds and Yellows display extroverted personalities. Whites and Blues are introverted. Reds and Yellows get energy from being in the thick of things and taking center stage. Blues and Whites walk away needing quiet and solitude to get their equilibrium back on track.

Decoding Question #2: Logical or Emotional? How do they process information and what words do they use when they’re responding to statements, questions, or just life in general? Reds and Whites tend to be more logical and want to be sure that their ducks are in a row. They want the facts and the figures and will generally do a quick analysis to make certain that everything adds up. They use words like, “I think, I will, wouldn’t it make more sense to, the facts are…” Blues and Yellows are more emotional when they process information or ideas. They use words like, “I believe, I feel, I sense, My gut is telling me…” These are very common words in their vocabulary. Blues and Yellows sense and feel things and most are true believers in following their instincts. While they do deal in facts and figures just like all of us, you’ll often hear the passion and emotion that lurks just behind what drives their decisions and motivates them to take action.

The bottom-line answer to Question #2 is pay close attention to what people say and what words most frequently enter their vocabulary. Listen to whether they are emotional or passionate about things they have strong opinions about. Are they more comfortable with facts and figures and want to leave the “touchy-feely stuff” to someone else?

Decoding Question #3: Communication Style Is their normal way of speaking rapid-fire or is it more deliberate and thoughtful? As you’ve probably figured out by now, Reds and Yellows can be very rapid-fire communicators, especially when they are in a hurry. They speak quickly. They make decisions quickly. And they move on quickly. The downside of that is that they can be in a hurry, so they speak before they hear the whole story. Typically, Whites and Blues are very deliberate speakers and want to have their responses well-prepared. They put a lot of thought into how and what they are going to say and do before taking action. And when they’re put on the spot for an immediate reply or reaction, paralysis of the brain can appear to set in. In more common vernacular, Whites and Blues are the people who will aim very, very carefully before firing. Sort of like “ready, aim, aim, aim, aim, and then let’s aim again.” Reds and Yellows have already fired the gun…and maybe several times.

Here’s the bottom-line answer to Question #3: Listen and watch how people respond to situations and how they go about taking action. Watch how they move and charge through life and the effect this “charge through life” has on other people. Pay attention to how they make decisions and what they need before they are willing to make a final commitment.

So fast-forward a couple of weeks to my follow-up meetings with the employee and discussions about her second homework assignment…Putting her Decoding lesson into action.

Here’s what she had to say:

“I think that he’s a Red and very, very comfortable being a Red. The reasons for saying that is because he’s very straightforward, he makes so many decisions so fast, he has a vision of where the company is going, and he’s not afraid. But most of all, he doesn’t have a clue about the effect his actions have on those of us trying our best to keep up with him. Now please understand, it’s not because he’s mean or bad or anything like that, but just because he’s so focused on what needs to get done next, and his goal is getting it done. And then once he is ‘finished’ (in his mind anyway), it’s on to the next thing. If you don’t have your running shoes on, he’ll leave you in the dust without ever meaning to.

“Now that I know I’m a Blue and that telling the whole story is part of who I am, I feel better knowing about how he reacts when I get put on the spot. I think I understand why he seemed to tune me out or appear not to care about what I had to say. I understand I’m responsible for me, and I just didn’t understand what I was giving him isn’t what he needed from me. He just wanted to hear the bullet points, and I wanted him to read the novel.”

She went on to tell me that she put her theory to the test during a recent meeting she had with him and the other directors. She said he asked her to give him a quick rundown of some of the things that were happening in her department. She said she looked him straight in the eye, gave him a quick synopsis of the major issues, and then handed him a written report containing some additional data he might need …and then she sat down.

In her words, “He was floored. He asked me if I was ok and did I want to add anything else.” When I said, no I was done unless he had questions, he turned to the remainder of the directors and said, “Now that’s the way an update should be given.”

In looking back at this one event, it really personifies the impact Color Code has on people’s lives – both at work and in their personal lives. Of all the classes we teach about the Color Code concepts, I believe that decoding is the one that brings the most value to our students and has the largest impact on how people navigate their world.

While other classes like Why You Do What You Do may have the more “AHA moments,” learning and practicing the concept of Decoding brings us the ability to really understand and to connect with people in all aspects of our lives and can benefit all of us for our entire lifetime.

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Carol Westberry was introduced to Color Code in 1994 and certified as a Color Code Trainer in 2011. Carol has made Color Code and the principles outlined by Dr. Hartman an integral part of her human resources professional services and client trainings. A fun-motivated (flaming) YELLOW, Carol uses her natural talents of enthusiasm and optimism to guide her clients through all the serious facets of human resources. Her career includes being a certified Human Resources professional in the corporate as well as the consulting worlds, a management and leadership trainer, an international best-selling author and an accomplished workshop and seminar presenter. As a featured speaker at numerous annual conferences and conventions, Carol has designed and delivered HR Compliance Color Code-focused workshops to thousands of people. Carol is married to her high school sweetheart, has traveled extensively, and admits that she plays “at” playing golf. She also enjoys reminding her Red husband that she is the only one in the family who has ever made a hole-in-one.

Reducing Stress Through Personality-Specific Yoga Poses

I remember the first time I did yoga. I was in a warm, smelly gymnasium, surrounded by my fellow sixth graders. The lights were dim, and my hippie-dippie sixth-grade teacher, Mrs. Harris was leading us in the zen practice she loved so dearly. I stifled laughter the entire time. The idea of pretending to be a tree or a chair could not seem crazier to me. I thought it was so stupid and did not care for the experience at all.

More than 17 years have passed, and I’ve not only come to love yoga since then, I recently started my training to become a certified yoga instructor. Maybe it’s the added stress life has handed me since the somewhat carefree days of sixth grade, but I now find yoga to be extremely soothing and joy-inducing! One of the things I love most about it is that it can be tailored to individuals so that everyone is going at their own pace and doing what feels right to their body that day. As Color Code teaches us, we are all different, and some of those one-size-fits-all workout programs out there are just not going to work for everyone.

Another thing I love about yoga is that even just doing one pose in a day can increase mindfulness and reduce stress! Stress-free, sixth grade me found chair pose and tree pose to be difficult and pointless, but fast forward a few years, and 16-year-old me relished the minutes I spent focusing on my breathing in corpse pose as I let the stress of high school melt off of me. As adults living in a global pandemic, I’d say we could all use a stress reliever. If yoga seems intimidating to you, or you feel you are too busy to do an entire yoga flow, have no fear: I am here to introduce you to just one pose you can do each day that caters to your personality.

FOR THE BLUES

Blues, as you know, life is all about relationships. You guys constantly work hard to serve others, spend time with loved ones and provide a listening ear for friends and strangers alike. You are doing a great job on building relationships with others, but what about your relationship with yourself? Do you ever feel overwhelmed by how much you are giving to others? Does it ever feel like you are giving way more than you are taking? Instead of letting that feeling build up inside you until you start to hold grudges, try taking a little of that time you put toward others, and put it toward yourself. It’s amazing to me how powerful the practice of giving yourself a hug is. I remember the first time I did this in a yoga practice, and it felt like I was being swallowed up in love. Try doing this by lying flat on your back and then drawing your knees up toward your chest. Wrap your arms around your legs and slowly begin to rock back and forth. Then, close your eyes, focus on taking deep breaths, and feel that love radiate throughout your body!

FOR THE YELLOWS

It might not seem like Yoga and Yellow go together, but my very Yellow sister loves to do yoga! Yoga really helps with concentration and can actually be really fun. One of the most fun poses to try out is Crow. Now don’t get me wrong, Crow is challenging and took me years to master. However, part of the reason it is fun is because you can get a good laugh out of making yourself look like a fool the first several times you try it. And the great thing about Yellows is y’all are great about laughing at yourselves. Once you do master it, you’ll have a blast doing it. To get started, get into a squatting position with your toes and knees pointing outward and your hands placed flat on the floor in front of you. Then, begin to lean forward until your legs are resting on the backs of your arms and you’re holding almost all of your body weight with your hands. Finally, lift both of your feet off of the ground so that you basically look like a frog in mid-flight. Pro-tip: To keep your balance, keep your gaze focused just in front of you. Fun, right?? 🙂

FOR THE REDS

A Red personality’s core motive is power, and I can’t think of a better power pose in yoga than Warrior I. When I do Warrior I, it makes me feel strong and brave, which, let’s be honest, is probably how Reds feel most of the time. But life is stressful, and even Reds could use a reminder now and then that they can slay any project that comes their way. To do Warrior I, get into a lunge position and raise your arms up toward the sky. The deeper the lunge, the better the workout and the stronger you’ll feel.

FOR THE WHITES

For a White personality who values peace above all else, the chaos of the world can get extremely overwhelming. Yoga brings a lot of inner peace to its students, so I would recommend becoming a practiced Yogi to any White. However, if a regular yoga flow doesn’t appeal to you and you’d rather stick with one pose a day, I’d suggest Child’s Pose. Child’s Pose is perfect for checking in with yourself and recharging for a minute or so. It brings immediate peace and relaxation, and it’s pretty comfortable, so it’s a pose you can stay in for a while. White’s, we all know you are silently stubborn and do NOT enjoy feeling controlled. But, inevitably, life is going to feel like it’s controlling you at times. Child’s Pose to me is a pose of surrender. Envisioning yourself surrendering to life and your circumstances in this pose can help you feel like you’re taking a leap of faith and accepting your journey rather than allowing others to throw your peace off balance. To get into Child’s Pose, get into a kneeling position, then lean forward so that your forehead is resting on the floor. Reach your arms out in front of you and let the mindful breathing begin!

If you’re one of the many who wishes they had less stress in their life but can’t seem to figure out how to make that happen, give your respective yoga personality pose a try. Breathe in, breathe out, and let us know in the comments if it helps! Namaste.

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Megan Christensen is a Blue who has been writing her feelings for as long as she can remember. Megan graduated from BYU-Idaho in 2014 with a degree in communication. A lifelong fan of the Color Code, she’s thrilled to be the content editor of the blog and hopes to help as many people as possible become more self-aware. When she’s not writing, Megan can be found reading, doing yoga, and spending as much time as she can outdoors.

How Teachers Can Build Teamwork in the Classroom

High school seniors, in October, right after lunch. As teachers, we understand what this means as far as classroom dynamics go for about the first 5 to 10 minutes of class. Students go off campus, load up on sugars and carbohydrates, chat in the parking lot with friends, conjure up the next plan for the weekend events, commentary on social media, and have a moment of disconnect from the demands of performing on AP assignments and exams and college preparation as well as maintaining a work-school-home balance.

It was this class that prompted the utilization of Color Code as I recognized a disconnect with clique-like groups that had formed throughout the last several years of their education. High schoolers do tend to connect with those who have similarities such as athletics, academics, extracurriculars, work schedules, and hobbies, but they lack skills to work in collaborative teams that are outside their norm. I witnessed groups of students always leaning towards their comfort group without thinking through how many different perspectives might lead to a greater outcome and build socio-emotional skills in others and as future leaders.

As we shifted into project development, this collaborative disconnection remained important for me to overcome and began to think through ways to differentiate the class into working groups. It was Color Code that offered the platform to bring the class together and implement strategies that encouraged students to reach across the aisle and understand how personality characteristics can impact collaborative work and build skills for college and career readiness.

To introduce the idea of an experiential learning project and working in collaborative groups, I used water bottle rocketry as the means to deliver Color Code. After having my seniors (and juniors in a different class) take the free assessment, we split into teams of like colors to discuss our differences and also begin to understand the perspectives and similarities of others that we may not have understood previously. Students then received a colored dot to place onto their student badge (required) so that there was a visual representation for the remainder of the school year.

The first step of the design build was intentional grouping of same personality color groups, which engaged students in working with others that they would not normally select. Knowing full well that the Reds and Blues would likely break out the rulers, calculators, and draft their designs, the Yellows would likely be the last group to finish and have a non-functioning rocket that looked really pretty, and the Whites would have a horrible time getting going on their design. It took a room tour for two groups of Whites to look at other projects and see where to begin. Blues and Whites experienced struggles working together. In fact, there were times where students created their own representation and then brought it to the group as an addition instead of a cohesive and collaborative plan. As suspected, my prediction was true. The Reds had the highest flying and functioning rocket, and the Whites, well, I can’t even recall if it left the ground, because its paint (many layers at that) was still drying.

The reflection piece was the most pertinent for growing students in this process. It set the stage for a large collaborative project that would be their final STEM capstone. They learned from one another and began to understand the skills that people bring to a group and lessened the hesitation of working with those that they didn’t know or value. Students learned how to value one another differently and were able to set clear expectations of their teammates based on their personality color.

This was a reminder of the importance of creating classroom structures, even for seniors, that offered an environment that was inclusive of all ideas and captured the skills of all learners. As we send students off into a world that is full of people with lots of different skills, I hope that this process inspired them to reach out to others, different from themselves, who offer a great deal of knowledge and value to any collaborative team.

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Machin Norris is an 11th year STEM/STEAM/STEMM educator in northern Colorado. With a background in Agricultural Education from Colorado State University as well as a former Emergency Medical Technician, she has developed her passion of aerospace and environmental education via experiences with the Space Foundation, Space Center Houston, the National Air and Space Museum, National Geographic, and the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship. Norris is a believer in experiential and transformational science education specific to strengthening skills of underserved, underrepresented, and at-risk students. Color Code, alongside mentorship, has offered her a platform to develop effective teams in and outside her classroom and encourage student growth in self-efficacy and agency.

On Being Judgmental

Have you ever looked at someone and thought to yourself, “She shouldn’t be eating that ice cream cone,” or, “That tattoo is awful,” or laughed at a meme that shows someone who might not look “normal?”

A month ago, I attended a birthday party at a casino. I am not a big gambler, but the person whose birthday it was is important to me, so I went. After the birthday celebration, everyone dispersed to the slot machines and gaming tables. I retreated to the Keno pit. Keno is a very slow game. Placing a bet was my ticket to sit in the comfort and quiet of the pit to do one of my favorite things—people watch.

I found myself looking at a cocktail waitress who, at a guess, was in her late 40s and a bit overweight. She was squeezed into the tight and revealing bustier uniform that the management, in their infinite wisdom, thought a good idea.

I found myself wondering how she could demean herself like that.

And quite suddenly, I was ashamed—very ashamed.

What makes me so special that I can judge others? I have no idea of that waitress’s life experience. Maybe that outfit makes her feel good. Perhaps she is doing whatever it takes to survive, and by putting on that outfit, she becomes a superhero. Either way, it is no business of mine.

Why Are We Judgmental?

According to Psychology Today, being judgmental is what we do to enhance our own sense of worth by making comparisons with the (supposed) lesser status of others.

While possessing good judgment is the capability to turn knowledge into understanding, being judgmental serves no purpose other than making us feel superior at someone else’s expense.

A Blue’s natural limitation might be judgmental, but we all can fall into the habit of judging. Being a Red, my limitation is being overly critical. A Yellow can be insensitive by making someone the butt of a joke, and a White can be indifferent and detached.

Empathy—The Missing Element

It’s human nature to pass judgment when we see someone who looks or behaves in a manner we think unacceptable. However, suppose we instead choose to stop and place ourselves in another person’s shoes. In that case, our differences might not be so noticeable.

Some studies show that empathy is on the decline in our society. Unfortunately, it isn’t easy to develop empathy if it doesn’t come naturally to you.

We Reds need to use our strengths of focus and confidence to recognize when our selfish arrogance rears its ugly head. We tend to hide our insecurities by finding fault with someone else, as if it might bring comfort. Unfortunately, it’s a short-lived solution.

With Blues, empathy is natural, but as stated, so is being judgmental. It’s time to let the strength of sincere compassion override the limitations of being self-righteous and judgmental.

Yellows need to look past their need to look good, possibly at the cost of others, and use their natural strengths of insight and social skills to be inclusive of those they would have judged.

Whites are generally kind and accepting. If they lack empathy, it might be because they feel ambivalent about the comments and observations of others.

The Challenge

I own a tiny book called The Little Book of Wisdom that includes this entry:

“Try to go 24 hours without criticizing [judging] anyone or anything.”

It isn’t an easy challenge, but one at which I am working hard to achieve. I have had to restart my clock every single day. Still, I’ll continue to strive to understand why I am judging and try to fix myself instead of others. I am learning to recognize the difference between good judgment and judging others in a way that has no other benefit than to make me feel better about myself.

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Teresa Glenn has been working with the Color Code since 2006, where her main focus is product development. She has been in the publishing and product development field for over 20 years. Teresa is a core Red with a strong Yellow secondary.

Different Personalities Responding to the Same Business Meeting

Have you ever watched and listened during a work meeting and wondered about your co-workers?

Before learning about Color Code, I did.

Years ago, I can remember sitting in a meeting and listening to all the statistical data about the end of the current fiscal year and how it affected the numbers for the next fiscal year budget. My boss at the time was merely giving facts. There was a note of compassion in that he felt we needed to know what was going on with the agency, but the focus was more on what needed to be done, what would be cut out, and how he wasn’t going to be hiring additional staff to keep from being in a position to have to lay off in the future.

Even with the increase in workload, he decided it would be best for the agency as a whole to do what we could with who we had. I thought everyone should be appreciative of his consideration for his staff. After all, his main goal was to not have to let anyone go. As I looked across the room, I saw some who seemed to view the situation as I did. But, there were several other types of responses in the room, too.

There were some co-workers who were asking questions that I thought were already answered because he was direct and forthcoming with the information. He didn’t leave anything out or any areas gray. The questions were things like, “Will staff be getting assistance with the increase in volume?” and “Will there be layoffs next fiscal year?” There were a few who would roll their eyes as the questions would be repeated using different wording as if the answer was going to change.

Then, there were the ones who were preoccupied the entire meeting. They were passing notes to each other and smirking (especially at the questions) and choking back laughter. They would frequently get up for bathroom breaks and never appeared to be paying attention. These were the same who would be clueless after the meeting as to what went on in the meeting. They weren’t paying attention AT ALL. They just wanted out of the meeting and grumbled about being there (before and after).

Finally, there were the ones who NEVER said anything in any meeting. I don’t care what was being discussed. They would sit barely blinking or seemingly breathing for the entire meeting. They never had a concern big enough to state a position. After the meetings, if you talked with them about the content of the meeting, they would be able to tell you about every detail. The craziest part about it was that while sitting there, they were the ones who were already mapping out a plan as to how they were going to fit the extra work into their schedule and how they were going to continue to be compliant. They were the ones who rationalized the harsh comments and saw everyone’s perspective. I called them the peacemakers. They never made any waves, but were also the ones who were mistreated in the office by management.

Looking at this meeting through the lens of the Color Code, the behavior of each individual gave me all I needed to know about everyone in the room. Have you figured it out?

My boss and those who thought like him were ‘Reds,’ because of the directness and the way he related information to the staff (with facts and data).

Those who asked a ton of questions, were more engaged in the meeting, and couldn’t wait until the floor was open for questions were ‘Blues,’ because they’re the ones who had to know the “WHY” about everything.

The ones who played the entire meeting, walked out frequently, and passed notes were ‘Yellows.’ They couldn’t tell you all the details of the meeting, but could definitely tell you how they felt the meeting was a waste of time.

Finally, there were the peacemakers (‘Whites’), who were in the meeting figuring out how they were going to comply. They were the ones who wanted to always consider the position of everyone involved and felt there was always a way to live harmoniously without making any noise.

Learning about the Color Code didn’t just open my eyes to the differences in personalities, it also helped me to really see others and not judge their reaction or response to what was going on at any given time. My only regret is not learning about it 20 years earlier.

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Dr. K. Olivia Packer is a Blue who has been helping people discover who they are and their full potential for years. Being a certified Color Code Trainer has allowed her to incorporate an awareness component to the techniques used when counseling (especially marriage counseling). When Dr. Packer isn’t working, she’s spending time with her grandchildren, reading, and trying new recipes.

Peace Before Productivity: Motivating a White Personality

Picture this: Two people are in love, and since one of them had been married before, they endeavor to do all the right things and plan pastoral premarital counseling.

They failed every test.

The pastor said, “Are you sure you want to do this? The couple said, “Yes!”

And they did.

Several years later, they were listening to a speaker talk about the Color Code personality test. The woman enthusiastically said to the man, “I’m a Red, you’re a White, and this explains EVERYTHING!”

Less than two years later, I (yes, the woman is me) certified as a Color Code personality trainer.

Knowing Color Code was a game-changer in our marriage. Then it was a game-changer at work. And it can be a game-changer for you, too.

Color Code asked me to write a blog post about how to “motivate a White.” I must admit, I laughed. You don’t necessarily “motivate a White.” You provide an environment where the White sees the logic of the situation and then acts accordingly. Think soft stretches.

Given the challenge presented to me, I went to my White personality spouse and said, “Here’s what I think would work to motivate a White.” He told me, “You nailed it. Present the logic and don’t rush or pressure.”

If you have studied Color Code, you may have gleaned that the superpower of a White personality is their incredible ability to provide clarity. They examine a situation in a logical manner and will provide a perspective in a way that helps you practically use the reasoning to continue forward – especially when it is a situation of complex personalities and multiple emotions. How? They are not necessarily looking to win. They are looking to keep their inner peace and steady state. And that, dear reader, is how you use that superpower for motivating a White Personality.

Need a White to take action, pursue a goal or just simply take a position?

Consider these suggestions:

Avoid yelling. And if you are a Red who likes to vent – work on this.
Trust me.
Avoid applying direct pressure on the situation. If you are working towards organizational goals, provide soft stretches toward those goals.
Avoid forcing a decision immediately.
Avoid entering into direct battle (see no. 1) and being demanding. If you indicate to them that you have control, they will be silently stubborn, and you will get nowhere. While the White does not need control, they do not want to be controlled.
Avoid rushing. The goal is to help the White maintain their steady state.
Keep the environment comfortable and casual.
Honor them and their strengths – acceptance is imperative, because they already accept you.
Give them time to think. See no. 5.
Present the logic behind the situation.
Know their secondary color. It will have a mighty impact on motivation during a stressful scenario.

Recently, when I was coaching a White Personality, I asked this question, “What do you do when someone starts yelling and pushing you to move and do?” This quietly confident woman said with a big smile, “I dig in my heels. I’m not doing anything at that point.” Spoken like a true White!

Are you a White personality? Let us know in the comments below what motivates you!

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Kelly L. Knowles is a senior trainer at a regional law firm, where she develops and provides technical and professional skills training to all levels of the organization. Kelly is also an adjunct instructor in the Business Management department at MTSU. In 2017, Kelly obtained a Color Code certification and began Kelly K. Consulting. Kelly K. Consulting focuses on helping individuals and teams discover, develop, and dig into their inner leader. She guides this through one-on-one and group coaching as well as through corporate team training.

Atomic Habits and Your Personality Type

Have you ever thought about your habits and how much they really influence your life? If you’re like me, you might have never given it much thought.

However, I recently had the opportunity to do this and can safely say I was surprised to come to the realization that more often than not, it’s been my HABITS which have had the greatest impact on my life in almost every facet. For example:

My habits surrounding study and school were ultimately what determined much of my educational success and opportunities—or lack thereof.

My habits surrounding eating and exercise have determined much of my health—or lack thereof.

My habits surrounding friends and family have determined much of my relationship happiness—or lack thereof.

And finally…

My habits surrounding my work efforts and side hustles have determined much of my financial success and personal satisfaction—or lack thereof.

You get the idea.

Of course this is an over-simplification, but, in short, I basically came to the conclusion that I can make all the goals I want and have all the dreams in the world, and even have great connections and opportunities… BUT, if I don’t have the HABITS to back up those dreams and ambitions and leverage those connections and opportunities, I won’t have nearly as much success in accomplishing my goals and realizing my dreams.

Can you relate? Have you ever experienced how the right or wrong habits have powerfully influenced you or someone you know in positive or negative ways?

If you take some time to reflect back on your life and/or the lives of others, hopefully we can agree that forming good habits is critical in creating the life we want.

That just leaves one little problem: Forming good habits is hard, right?!

Definitely!

But there is good news: It also turns out that if we have the right tools and are self-aware enough to create the types of SYSTEMS that set us up for success, forming good habits is much easier.

So, along the lines of helping you create a better system for yourself, I wanted to share with you a four-step process on forming habits from a fantastic book called Atomic Habits by James Clear and encourage you to think of these things from a Color Code lens.

Quickly, before we begin, a disclaimer: Obviously, it goes without saying that for the real meat and potatoes of Atomic Habits, you’ll need to pick up a copy of the book—and I highly recommend it. But, for the basics, you’ve come to the right place.

Okay, so let’s dive in!

The very first thing to understand is how habits are formed:

Let me introduce you to Cue, Craving, Response, and Reward.

Cue: A cue is what triggers your brain to initiate a behavior. Cues come in the form of time, location, events, emotional states, other people, and even smells or memories. They can be conscious or subconscious. We can create new cues or build off of existing ones. We can even create or manipulate cues to influence others—this is why big companies spend millions on advertising.

Craving: Cravings are the motivational force behind every habit. The reason is, habits are pretty much just dopamine-driven feedback loops for our brains. Also, it’s important to note that it is the anticipation of a reward—not the fulfilment of that reward—that gets us to take action.

Response: This is what we do with the craving—or the actual habit we perform. It can be a thought or an action, and usually our brains will attempt the “easiest” routes first. The reason is the human brain is always searching for more efficient ways to do things and to automate as much as possible. It’s also why habits can be formed subconsciously for good or bad depending on how motivated we are and how easy or difficult the habit is to perform.

And finally:

Reward: The reward part of the habit loop serves two functions: 1) It is about satisfying the craving first and foremost. And, 2) The reward teaches our brain what actions are worth remembering for future reference.

And there you have it! The Habit Loop. Cue, Craving, Response, and Reward.

In his book, James Clear takes each part of this habit loop and goes into great detail with the following outline to help his readers know how to form a new habit successfully.

Make it obvious (Cue)
Make it attractive (Craving)
Make it easy (Response)
Make it satisfying (Reward)

Let’s go over each one a bit and hopefully give you some ideas on how you can use these tools and your self-awareness of Color Code to create habits more easily.

Make it obvious.

“If you want to make a habit a big part of your life, make the cue a big part of your environment.” -James Clear

When forming a new habit, you want to set yourself up for success as much as possible, and it all starts with the cue. The easiest way to do this is by something Clear calls “habit stacking,” where you take something you ALREADY DO and then just add the desired habit right after the fact. For example, you would tell yourself after (current habit), I will (new desired habit). This actually works really well. It might be a little too much information, but when I wanted to learn to speak Italian, I trained myself so that every time I had to use the restroom, I would do a quick Duolingo lesson directly after. It worked like a charm and by far has generated the most success I’ve experienced in learning Italian.

The other important thing to do to maximize cues is create an environment that will launch you into the desired behavior. For me, since I am a Yellow and easily distracted by shiny objects, I know if I have my phone with me in the mornings while I try to work, I can pretty much be guaranteed to check social media instead of do what I am supposed to be doing. So one thing I’ve done to combat this is I put my phone on the “do not disturb” setting (which only lets emergency calls come through), and I place it in a difficult-to-reach location far away from my desk. I am not allowed to check my phone until AFTER I have accomplished whatever I have assigned myself that day. This might not be realistic for you, but it’s an example of how I designed my environment to help me counteract my natural limitation of being easily distracted.

Make it attractive.

In his book, Clear suggests using something called “temptation bundling” to make your desired habits more attractive. “After (current habit), I will (habit I need). After (habit I need), I will (habit I want).” For example, if you don’t necessarily love going to the gym, but you love Starbucks coffee, you can say “After I put on my shoes, I will go to the gym, and after the gym, I will get a coffee on the way home (no sugar of course). 😉 The idea is to do something SIMPLE and EASY. Don’t say, “I will go on a trip to Hawaii if I go to the gym every day for 6 months,” but you could say, “I will put a dollar into a Hawaii jar each day and look at pictures of Hawaii for 10 minutes.” Whatever will motivate you to look forward to doing the new habit instead of dreading it is the goal.

From a personality perspective, this boils down to being self-aware enough to know what sort of things would be motivating to you and what sort of things would get in the way of designing this craving. Remember, this ISN’T the reward, it’s the CRAVING your brain will associate with the reward that comes at the end.

Make it easy.

In his book, Clear says, “If you want to master a habit, the key is to start with repetition, not perfection.” I’m looking at you, Blues. 😉 He goes on to suggest (STRONGLY) the “Two Minute Rule,” which states, “When you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do, and it shouldn’t feel like a challenge.” The actions that follow can be challenging, but the first two minutes should be easy. What you are looking for is a “gateway habit” that naturally leads you down a more productive path. “The one push-up challenge” is a perfect example of how this works. It’s easy to convince yourself to do one measly push-up, and then since you’re already down there, you end up doing a few more, and before you know it, you’ve got yourself a habit! You get the idea. The point is not to do the one thing. The point is to master the habit of showing up—so make that as EASY as possible. Another example is for writers who struggle to, you know, write. Clear would suggest setting a goal of writing one sentence or one page a day instead of a goal of writing five or ten pages a day. Then, once you’ve mastered the art of showing up every day to write that one sentence, you can build from there.

From a Color Code perspective, knowing your needs, wants, strengths, and limitations is really helpful in crafting this part of your habit loop, because Color Code can make you aware of possible sticking points and leverage points you can use to your advantage.

Make it satisfying.

Have you ever heard the phrase, “What is rewarded is repeated, what is punished is avoided?” A satisfying reward is the last piece of the puzzle in setting up a successful new habit. The trick is to make it an “instant gratification” type of reward—or at least seem like it—because that is what humans are hard-wired to desire, even though we all know intrinsically that delayed gratification is a better approach.

For example, it can be really hard to stick with habits like, “no frivolous purchases” or “no alcohol this month,” because nothing happens when you skip happy hour drinks or don’t buy that pair of shoes. Instead, you want to make avoidance visible. Clear suggests doing this by opening a savings account and labeling it for something you want—maybe “Leather Jacket.” Whenever you pass on a purchase, put the same amount of money in the account. Skipped your morning latte? Transfer $5. Passed on another month of Netflix? Move $10 over. It’s like creating a loyalty program for yourself. Do you see the difference? This way you can make a long-term goal feel rewarding every single day.

And from a personality perspective, knowing what is satisfying to you probably comes pretty naturally, so no need for Color Code here. 🙂

And there you have it! The four steps to make creating any new habit easier!

One final note on personality and habits that’s worth mentioning:

In one of the later chapters of the book, Clear compares the Olympic athletes Hicham El Guerrouj—a famous long-distance runner, and Michael Phelps—a world-class swimmer, and points out that if they were to flip sports, it would be nearly impossible for them to succeed. One of the main reasons being that both Guerrouj’s and Phelps’s height and body type are optimized for their respective sports. He uses this analogy to make the point with habits that it is much easier and feels much more fulfilling to know that you are improving yourself around things that you genuinely enjoy doing and are gifted at. I think that’s where becoming self-aware with tools like Color Code and others can be very helpful, so I encourage you to keep “knowing thyself” as Aristotle suggested.

Anyway, that’s it for me! If you’re interested in creating better habits and having more success reaching long-term goals, consider picking up a copy of Clear’s book and look for ways you can apply Color Code insights to it.

As for me, now it’s time to learn some Italian 😉

Here’s to you and your… HABITS!

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Joe England has known about the Color Code ever since 1994 when his Grandpa caused quite a family controversy by “quick coding” everyone. Luckily, Joe could see the value in what Grandpa Don was going for and years later, when the opportunity arose to work for the Color Code in marketing and product development, Joe jumped at the chance. He is a Yellow, enjoys Swedish Fish, travel, surfing, snowboarding and being a dad.

How to Keep Your Color Code Knowledge Fresh

Like many other things in life, Color Code is easy to use when the information is new and we are excited about it, but over time, our recall of the information begins to diminish. Like a muscle, the less we use our knowledge, the less effective and useful it is. It has been said over and over that “knowledge is power,” and that is true, but it has also been said that “knowledge is only power if we use it.”

So what are some ways we can use this powerful, life-changing tool? First of all, we need to make a conscious effort each day to use it. Keep reading to learn about a few exercises I do to keep this information in my arsenal.

I always keep my color cards with me, so instead of pulling out my phone and looking at social media when I am bored or waiting somewhere, I will sometimes look at my cards and pick out a color to read up on. I will refresh my memory concerning different colors’ strengths and weaknesses.
Another great exercise I often use is during date night with my spouse. While at a restaurant waiting for our food, me and my wife will “people watch,” but with a purpose. We will watch the parking lot for a car to drive up, then we’ll watch a couple get out of their car, walk in, wait to be seated, then seated at their table. The whole time, we are reading their body language, mannerisms, and lips. We discuss certain things that stand out about each person. We previously agreed we cannot give our conclusions until the couple gets their food and they begin eating. By this time, we have a pretty good picture of their traits. Then, being the Red that I am, I will blurt out what personality color I know they are, while my White/Blue wife waits patiently for me to ask her what she believes their personality color is. If we totally disagree, which is not very often, I will get up (to my wife’s dismay) and act as if I am going to the bathroom. In passing, I will make a comment to the couple we are watching just to get their reaction. After a very brief conversation, I will look at my wife and give her the “I told you I was right” look and go on my way. Now, I understand you don’t need to be that Red, but the exercise keeps you sharp, and it is just plain fun.
During the pandemic, watching music videos has kept my Color Code profiling skills sharp. I make sure the song in the video is a duet, so I can watch two people singing to each other. I will then give the song and each actor or singer a personality color. Then I will ask someone who also is familiar with Color Code to watch the same video, and we will discuss our conclusions.
One last thing you can do to keep Color Code fresh and useful is to write out a list of family members, co-workers and friends (I have even used my pets). Next to each name, write down their personality traits. At first, you will start to figure out what that individual’s primary color is. Once you get the primary color down and you are brave, move on and start working on that person’s secondary color. Obviously, we don’t just give a test to every person and know their personality traits, so it is up to us to get as much information as possible and compare it with the Color Code science. The benefit of this exercise is twofold: It helps us to use our acquired knowledge and it helps us grow our relationships with others.

If we want our relationships to be better than they currently are, then we must make a conscious effort to work at them so that we understand others’ perspectives instead of expecting them to see life as we do. Then, and only then, can we help make the world and our relationships the best that they can possibly be.

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Glade Shinsel is a Red/Yellow that loves life and helping others by pointing them towards the good things in life. Glade is a Ziglar Legacy certified trainer for Ziglar, Inc. and a certified trainer for Color Code. Glade loves new challenges, and his sales and management experience keeps him competitive and drives his winning attitude. As a motivator, he has a passion for helping people to become the absolute best they can be. He also loves spending time with family and friends in the great outdoors with his two dogs and his side-by-side.

Avoiding Pitfalls of a Red/Blue Leader at Work

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 Location Leader roles were almost always Red/Blue. (For the purposes of this article, primary Red/secondary Blue will be treated the same as primary Blue/secondary Red).

I was in a position that allowed me to observe the selection and development process up close. It became clear that what made the Red/Blue type attractive to the organization for the Location Leader role is that they wanted to take charge and be in charge of all aspects of the business. These were massive locations, so that made sense. The Red/Blue knew how to inspire an understanding of the high-level vision and mission of the organization (Red trait), but they were also adept at breaking the work down into regimented systems and processes to ensure efficiency in production (a Blue trait). They could quickly make far-reaching decisions, (a Red trait) but also take the time to analyze complicated business problems and find errors and problematic procedural weaknesses (Blue). They knew how to get things done fast, (Red) and they demanded accuracy and quality (Blue). These leaders wanted to be in charge of the direction the location went as a whole, (Red) and they wanted to be involved with all the little details (Blue). To the organization, the Red/Blue was an ideal steward—they were both visionary and detail-oriented, and they naturally wanted to drive both those efforts.

Many of the Red/Blue leaders found great success, but also, many did not.

Of those who struggled, their expectations of their employees weren’t just high, they were unrealistic. With just a little bit of examination into the Red and Blue traits, we can see that a Red/Blue leader may inadvertently demand too much of their employees from conflicting objectives. For example, if an employee got the job done quickly, they might be criticized for missing important details, but if they got the job done with great detail and accuracy, they could be criticized for going too slow. Similar conflicting objectives often arose around the desire to follow policy, but be flexible to the employee’s individual circumstances, or possibly asking for quantity of production one day, then expecting quality of production the next.

The Red/Blue Location Leaders who were successful worked hard at self-awareness and learned how to avoid being unrealistic. They learned how to rely on both their Red and Blue strengths, while mitigating the weaknesses. They often spoke of having balance in their expectations and proactively reducing stress and tension in the workplace, as they knew they could often be the source of the stress.

The two things that the most successful Red/Blue leaders did that made the biggest difference were: 1) They listened first, and they listened patiently (mitigates the Red limitation), and 2) They allowed others to have their own opinions without heavy criticism (mitigates the Blue limitation).

If you’re a Red/Blue type who is in a leadership role, learn from the teachings of Color Code; they can make or break you. Start with the two communication skills of listening openly and actively and giving others the freedom to express their feelings and beliefs without heavy-handed criticism. Then, focus on balance. It’s ok to expect speed and accuracy, but mind the degree of expectation; keep it realistic and carefully increase your expectations over time. Knowing when and how to adhere to policy and when to bend the rules is a difficult skill to master and should be mentored—seek out your mentor for this (and of course partner with HR on policy matters).

Red/Blue leaders who choose to follow these strategies and the teachings of Color Code will find that the reaction they get from their employees and the production they get from their teams could reach break-through levels. Be a Red/Blue leader who diligently works toward self-awareness and balance.

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Derek Pangelinan is the owner of Derek Rey Consulting, a workplace-culture and leadership development company. He has been teaching Color Code for nine years and has taught teams in large and small organizations, for-profit and nonprofit, and has used it as a coaching tool. You can reach out to Derek at his business email address: Derek@DerekReyConsulting.com