10 ways to make your New Year’s resolutions stick

This article was previously published in the Deseret News.

Sarah wants to lose 20 pounds. Bobby wants to make a million dollars. Kerry wants to find a job. No matter the goal, ultimate success (or lack thereof) is dependent on your ability to make resolutions that stick. If your resolutions aren’t sticky, your goals will fall and quickly wither away, like leaves before winter’s first snow.

Here are 10 ways to make New Year’s resolutions that are sure to stick:

1. Know thy commitment

“Any fool can know. The point is to understand.” ― Albert Einstein

In football, the term “Hail Mary pass” denotes a low probability effort to get the ball to the end zone and score. In essence, you throw the ball as far as you can, cross your fingers and pray like crazy. This play is generally reserved as a “last ditch” effort, and it very rarely leads to success.

Some resolutions are what I call “Hail Mary resolutions” or “Hail Mary goals,” not because the goal itself is impossible or unrealistic, but because the execution is so improbable to yield success. If you are truly committed to achievement, you cannot approach your goals in this way. You can’t simply throw a goal out there, cross your fingers, pray like crazy and expect to achieve the results you seek.

In order to make resolutions that will stick (and lead to success), you have to do the work up front a) to truly understand what it is you’re after, and b) to know what it’s going to take to get you there. Once you’ve decided that the ends and the means are absolutely worth it to you to achieve your goals, your propensity for success will increase tenfold.

2. Equip yourself

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” ― Benjamin Franklin

Preparation is your most important ally if you hope to create resolutions that stick. All too often, people blame failure to achieve on not having something they need to be successful (for example: the right tools, important knowledge, adequate support, etc). If you acted on the first tip, you should know exactly what you need to achieve success. Now, do the work to surround yourself with what you need to win. No excuses.

3. Engage others in your success

“Enthusiasm spells the difference between mediocrity and accomplishment.” ― Norman Vincent Peale

Please, please, please get others involved in your success. There is absolute magic in accountability.

4. Plunge in 100 percent

“Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes but no plans.” ― Peter F. Drucer

Making your New Year’s resolutions happen is about making an absolute commitment — 100 percent. Even if you commit at 99 percent, guess what? You’ll achieve 0 percent of the results. That tiny, seemingly insignificant 1 percent lack of commitment has the power to poison every ounce of your remaining resolve.

5. Grow down

“Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds? Lay first the foundation of humility.” ― Saint Augustine

You “grow down” in two ways:

1. Don’t be so “grown up” that you can’t take a fall. Setting goals and working towards reaching them is like learning how to walk all over again; you’re going to wobble and you’re going to fall. Follow a child’s example and just keep getting back up. Don’t take yourself so seriously that you can’t handle a little failure along the way. When you mess up, forgive yourself, stand back up, put a smile on your face and move on.

2. Take root. Tree roots grow down for a reason. Be firm in your resolve, and the winds of circumstance will have no power to tear you from your solid foundation.

6. Open war on distractions

“Distraction is the only thing that consoles us for miseries and yet it is itself the greatest of our miseries.” ― Blaise Pascal

We love distractions because they keep our minds off the difficulty of the goal at hand.

There is a strategy to help you stay focused: Act on the things that lead you to achieving your goal each day before you do anything else. Don’t allow yourself to start on any other activities on your to-do list until your resolution activities are complete.

7. Iterate to success

“We all want progress, but if you’re on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive.” ― C.S. Lewis

In other words: 1) identify what works for you, 2) do it again, 3) improve each time along the way, 4) repeat. Iterate to success also means to stop doing what doesn’t work and return to what does. Too often we find something that onlypartially works in reaching goals and quit. Instead, try taking what works (learn from what doesn’t) and experiment on the working part again — only this time, add something new to the mix and incrementally innovate your way to success.

8. Narrate progress

“Happiness quite unshared can scarcely be called happiness; it has no taste.” ― Charlotte Brontë

Don’t keep your progress to yourself. Tell someone (who is rooting for you to succeed) all about what you’ve done. This keeps you excited, gets them excited and helps you remain accountable to others. Also, when you mess up, talk about it and ask for advice on how to proceed. Often you’ll find that you already know how to proceed; there is just something about talking about it that make the solutions happen.

9. Go, go, go

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you’ve imagined.” ― Henry David Thoreau

Woot! Woot! That is the sound of your self-talk cheering you on as you make your dreams happen. Doing nothing is depressing. Doing something is elating. Stop worrying. Just go.

10. Keep going

“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” ― Thomas Edison

The previous nine tips form the mnemonic: keep going. This year, do it for real. Don’t give up. Take these 10Terrif tips to heart, to mind, to action and then to the bank, the scale or wherever you want your goals to take you.

Richie Norton is a “yellow.” He’s the author of “The Power of Starting Something Stupid” and No. 1 Amazon download “Resumes Are Dead and What to Do About It.” Connect on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/RichieNorton
FB:www.Facebook.com/RichieNorton
Blog: www.RichieNorton.com

Ask the Expert

Good day;
My name is Rene;
I just wonder why when redoing the test there would be drastic changes in one’s color code? My friend had done the test in 2009 with strong blue as primary color and white as secondary color. Now, after redoing the test, she says she is still blue as primary color but her secondary color has changed from white to red. She is very confused regarding her new results. I am puzzled too as you mention our color coding are coming from birth. Any explanation why their would be such a drastic change a few years down the road?

Thank you for your help!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Hello, Rene.

Thank you so much for your excellent question! I understand how this could be confusing, and I hope that my response today will help clarify things for you.

So why would somebody take the Color Code Personality Assessment and come out a Blue Core with Secondary White, and then a few years later come out as a Blue Core with Secondary Red?

There are actually a couple of possibilities.

The first possibility is that your friend was not taking the assessment entirely properly. 🙂

Here’s what I mean. In the instructions, we ask the profile taker to answer the questions based on the earliest recollections they have of themselves. In other words, we ask you to answer the questions based on what you were most like as a child. The reason why ties back into our belief that Core Motive is innate, and therefore present at birth– just as you correctly mentioned as part of your question. We want to know what people are like before they begin to change based on external influences, or “filters”.

Sometimes profile takers skip over this part of the instructions and answer based on what they are most like today. That could certainly explain changes that occurred over a period of three to four years.

If people want to assess what they are like today, we actually recommend our Character Code Profile which is designed to address just that.

The second possibility here is that perhaps your friend’s sense of self-awareness in regard to how he/she actually was as a child has become more refined. It is very common for people to take the assessment the first time, learn more about the Color Code through a webinar, workshop or personal study, and then want to retake the assessment as they understand things a little more clearly.

My experience is that the second time that they take it, they usually feel like they are viewing themselves a little more accurately. They typically see themselves more for who they actually are as opposed to what they would like to become. This is commonly a function of feeling less insecure about themselves and less apprehensive about the assessment process in general.

My own personal experience with the Color Code was actually quite like this. The first time I took the assessment, I came out about 51% Yellow and about 49% Red. Once I learned more about it and took the assessment a little more carefully, I actually discovered that I am a “Purist” Yellow (meaning I have no significant secondary Color) scoring at about 82% in the Yellow category.

Thanks again for taking the time to email me with your question, Rene. I hope that my answer is helpful for you and for you friend. Please let us know if we can do anything else to help you.

Very best of living,

Jeremy Daniel

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.

Confessions of a Red–New Year’s Resolutions

I resolve to diet.

I resolve to exercise.

I resolve to improve my relationship with a certain Blue.

I resolve to (once again) work on my limitations.

Does this sound familiar? As you read this, I have (most likely) failed at every one of my resolutions. Yet, every year I, along with millions of people worldwide, insist that this year will be different.

One area I think we would all like to improve upon is our relationship with others. I admit that there are areas I can work on.

Over ten years ago, I was given a book entitled Life’s Little Treasure Book on Wisdom. It is full of sage advice such as: Remember that the person who steals an egg will steal a chicken. As I continued thumbing through this amusing tomb, I came across this bit of advice—more of a challenge, really—that rocked me. It said: For the next twenty-four hours, refrain from criticizing anyone or anything. I decided to try it. Easy enough, right? Well, I am a Red, and like it or not, it’s part of my innate personality to criticize, even if it’s muttering to myself. I said to myself, “The twenty-four hours starts now. Dang. Now. Doh. Now.” Then, “OK, I’ll start tomorrow”. I don’t believe I was ever successful. I challenge everyone to try it—not just the Reds and Blues.

But you don’t need a Book of Wisdom to become better person for yourself and others. Use the skills you’ve learned from the Color Code.

Work on getting rid of your limitations and building on the strengths you have from you driving core motive and your secondary colors. In other words, resolve to become charactered.

For instance, if there is someone at your job who rubs you the wrong way, begin each morning with a positive greeting. That’s enough for now. Don’t push it. You will seem insincere to the person and most likely you will feel like a phony. After you are comfortable with that first step, go a step further. Ask how their job is going (or some other semi-personal question). Reds…be sure to listen and respond without being impatient. Yellows…don’t interrupt—this isn’t about you. Blues…don’t get too personal too fast and remember the TMI (too much information) rule. Whites…well, you need to look them in the eye and really pretend to care. You may be surprised that the animosity between you is only a bad habit. Heck, you may have a lot in common. According to statistics, 88% of people leave their jobs because of a bad relationship with a co-worker or supervisor. Maybe your efforts will make it 87%.

But work shouldn’t always come first. According to pittsburgh.about.com, the number one New Year’s resolution is to spend more time with family and friends—a great way to strengthen relationships. Set aside that precious time. Listen and recognize the needs and wants of your loved ones. Remember, your needs and wants may be in conflict with theirs. Your Yellow spouse wants to go dancing while you as a White, would rather go to a movie. Your Blue spouse wants to tell you more than you, as a Red, really want to hear. Your Yellow child follows you around chattering until you wonder why an on/off switch for children hasn’t yet been invented. Before you react, take a moment to think about why they feel the need to share these moments with you, and learn to appreciate that they do.

Becoming charactered will be more difficult than losing twenty pounds, quitting a bad habit, or going to the gym, but in the end, you will see results beyond your expectations.

Now, I better go and practice what I preach.

Happy New Year

Blended Families…Making it Work for the Holidays

Over the river and through the woods seems mild compared to getting to Grandma’s house these days. All you want is to get your 2.5 children (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr051.pdf) and their families together to enjoy a nice quiet holiday meal without the frenzied rush to get everyone to the next place.

Sadly, family breakup is something most of us have experienced. Since the national average for divorce is near 50% for first marriages, your family probably resembles the Brady Bunch, with the yours, mine and ours thing going on—the blended family. These stepfamilies usually have many hurdles to overcome.

This time of year can be especially trying with so many loved ones vying for what precious time there is.

Example

Let’s do the math. Story problem: Your son was married and had two children. He was then divorced and married a woman with two children of her own. They then had one child together. You want them all at your house at 3:00 pm for Thanksgiving, Christmas (you fill in the blank), dinner.

As you can see by the (slightly exaggerated) illustration below, there are 24 people involved in this decision–juggling times, fixing calendars, etc.

And that is just one of your 2.5 children.

Assuming (and don’t laugh when I say it) everyone gets along, the problem becomes easier to solve. But, if there is any derision in the family, the problem is compounded.

SOLUTIONS

First and foremost, consider the children. This is not the time for emotional blackmail, demands of loyalty, or manipulation. Holidays should be a fun and memorable time for the children. Don’t allow their memories to be those of family squabbles. Include all those relations who are important to the children, including step-siblings.

Be considerate. Schedule your time around other family traditions. You can’t expect your ex-daughter-in-law to be happy about you scheduling a dinner at the same time as a long-standing family tradition of dinner at her mother’s house.

Advanced planning. Ask well in advance to have your date put on everyone’s holiday schedule. If one or more of your children lives out of town, make travel arrangements well in advance, and plan accordingly.

Eliminate the Competition. Who says that Thanksgiving, or any other holiday needs to be celebrated on the day it’s posted on the calendar? Go ahead and make your own holiday when you can have your entire family to yourself.

My friend Morrena has her Thanksgiving on Wednesday evening rather than the traditional Thursday. All the kids are available and she never has to worry about “whose turn it is”. Everyone shows up, they have a nice quite, unhurried dinner. According to Morrena, the best part is that she is able to get up on Thanksgiving, and spend her day reading the paper and planning her Black Friday while eating leftovers.

Manage your Expectations. You have it pictured in your mind—all of the family sitting around the table—with impeccable manners and grand sophistication. Then your dream turns to nightmare when you recall Uncle Fred asking one of your kids to “pull his finger”.

If you have images in your mind of the perfect get together, you might be setting yourself up for failure. Don’t expect everything to go well all the time. When so many people are involved, there will be personality clashes.

Take the High Road. When dealing with “steps” expect to hear comments like, “My other grandma doesn’t do it like that” or “you’re not my mother”. Some of these comments might make you bristle, but let them slide. This is difficult for them too.

Incorporate Other’s Traditions. All families are different. For example, in some families it’s not only okay to have the football game playing during dinner, it’s tradition. Find a happy medium that will incorporate other’s tradition without jeopardizing your own. If you respect theirs, they will respect yours.

This is the perfect time to bone up on the Color Code. Use the tools Color Code provides to help you understand those around you. Remember that we are all different, and that is what makes the world go ‘round.

From everyone at Color Code, have a wonderful holiday season!

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.

The Waiting is Over! Introducing Color Code’s New Website

At last…the waiting is over. Our new website is launched and we want to walk you through it step by step.

Like everyone who designs a new website we started with the question, “What do our visitors need and how do we provide it?”

First, it was time for a new look. We changed the look and feel to a new and vibrant design with updated and pleasing colors.

But, as everyone knows, beauty is only skin deep. It’s what’s inside that counts—and that means more information, education and application—and it’s all there.

First, when you check out our new home page, you’ll not only see information about each color, but as your eye scrolls down, solutions on applying the Color Code in life, relationships and business.

Bonus Material:

Under PERSONALITY TEST, you’ll see that some things haven’t changed. We still offer this powerful tool free of charge. But, for those who choose to upgrade, you not only will receive the usual 20 page personalized report–unique to you– but you will also receive a whole lot of bonus material–$97 worth to be exact. Included are ebooks specific to your color as it pertains to home, work, and play, audio files of Taylor Hartman explaining the relationship interaction of the colors and how to play life to win. Also included are videos that emphasize the strengths and limitations of your color and how to use that knowledge to improve your life.

The tab, RESULTS still provides you with your color that will help you to begin to understand why you do what you do.

Still curious about the power of the Color Code? Go to the ABOUT tab to find out more and download the free whitepaper entitled The History of Personality Theory and Assessment, that goes all the way back to Hippocrates and the middle ages!

The Color Code STORE has also been revamped and includes some great new products including ebooks on marriage, workplace, sales, and more.

New on the website is the Color Code BLOG. Each month we use our enewsletter to introduce new articles covering every aspect of your life: At Work, At Home, At Play, and an Ask the Expert Column that we encourage you to write in for answers to all of your Color Code questions. We want to hear from you, so please comment on the articles you find helpful, and let us know what other topics you’d like us to write about.

For those of you who are interested in training the Color Code or having us do the training for you, the tab TRAINING CENTER has all the information you need to meet your goals.

Finally, we are excited to include an EDUCATION tab where educators can find both information and valuable tools for teaching Color Code to students in secondary schools and higher education. If you’d like to know more about this new program, please see this month’s blog/enewsletter article entitled: “Color Code Introduces a New Program for Schools”

We encourage you to take the time to explore our new website. And, as an added bonus, we are offering a $15.00 off the Comprehensive Analysis coupon for the first week of November to celebrate our grand opening! Just click on the comprehensive analysis button and then, when a coupon box appears in the top left side of your screen enter the code: GRNDOPNNG

Also, if you have a Facebook or Twitter account, make sure to “like” or “follow” us as we will be giving out all sorts of free stuff on both sites. This is also a great opportunity to share the Color Code with your friends and find out what color personality they are.

Already upgraded? No worries. You may go back and log in with the email link we originally sent you or the user account you created at any time to access all the new bonus materials free of charge.

Happy navigating!

The Color Code Team

Color Code Brings Valuable Teaching Tools to the Classroom

“The only thing more expensive than education is ignorance.” Benjamin Franklin

There are few things in life that are more rewarding or challenging than educating our youth. Every year teachers are presented with a sea of new faces for which they must create connection and meaning. The students behind the faces represent tremendous variety in their personal histories and family cultures. Even so, teachers must make sense of the students’ individuality as well as create a community wherein they can work together and learn.

We have high expectations for what teachers must accomplish in order to be considered legitimate in society’s eyes. However, none of our expectations can equal those set by the teachers themselves. For many, teaching is their passion and mission in life. They want nothing more than to make a difference in the lives of young people. They have knowledge they want to share and lives they want to touch. They welcome any tools that will assist them in accomplishing their goals. They are eager to make the type of relationship with their students that allow them to successfully teach their message.

The new Color Code curriculum, Getting It! helps both high school and junior high school students and their teachers connect with a mutual understanding that enriches both their personal and professional connection.

Getting It! includes a special assessment report geared to the needs of students. In addition to explaining the students’ driving core motive, they will also find helpful study guidelines, possible career choices and much more. The curriculum is made up of two units each with a 50-minute seat time. The first unit, Getting Yourself, focuses on the students and their own needs and wants, and strengths and limitations. Young people are especially open to discovering new insights about themselves. They feel far less threatened than adults by the prospect of looking inward at their inherent strengths and limitations. They freely challenge each other and seek feedback from their peers about how they are perceived. For many, this awareness is extremely positive because it provides an identity separate from their family and cultural foundations. It frees them to see themselves at their raw, innate core.

I finally felt like I was somebody I could accept. I had tried all my life to be what my parents were like—who they want me to be—and this gave us all permission to like me for who I really was inside.” -Lisa, California

The second unit, Getting Others, focuses on relationships and how each personality reacts and interacts with others. Young people begin to see peers, parents, siblings, and yes, teachers, as separate personalities with their own specific needs and wants, and not as antagonists.

Both teacher and student bring their personalities (and biases) to the educational experience. Blending personalities and preferences for learning may well be the most daunting challenge yet also the most magical achievement in the entire education process. For example, a Blue teacher who believes that students should always act appropriately and be well mannered may struggle with Yellow students. Yellow teachers, on the other hand, may cause stress for Blue students who are looking for structure and clear directions. Red teachers can be heavy authoritarians that may cause White students to react with passivity rather than challenge the educational leaning process. Neither benefits the other if this relationship is not well understood.

Educators know that their work goes far beyond the classroom and are often eager to make al long-lasting impact with students. They simply must be armed with the tools to do so. Getting It! provides those tools.

Color Code recognizes the budget constraints that most schools face. With that in mind, Color Code has developed a sponsorship-based model for getting the program into the schools at no charge. Businesses in the community will have the opportunity to bring this program into the schools for a nominal fee. In return, Color Code has put together a great sponsorship package that includes banner ads visible to each student as they take the assessment, as well as a complete Color Code training package for their business.

For more information on bringing these tools to your schools, or for sponsoring a school in your area, fill out the form below.

Ask The Expert

Dear Jeremy,

As a Blue father, I really worry about my children taking their schooling seriously while preparing for a future career. That said, are there certain careers that are better fits than others for people with different personality “colors”. I have a Blue son, who is very my like me, a Blue daughter, and a Red daughter. Any insight that you can give would be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely, Dan

Dear Dan,

Thanks so much for your question. As a father myself, I certainly understand those types of concerns. We want the best for our children, and we want to be able to guide them and to make sure that they are given the best opportunities in life. I hope that my answer will be helpful to you.

As I begin, you’ll have to please forgive me, because I will need to be a little vague first, but then I will get more specific in terms of which colors are best suited for which types of careers.

So, the vague, short answer is that any of the Colors can do any job. That is really true. You don’t have to be a Red to be a CEO, for example. There are many Blue, White, and Yellow CEO’s in the world. Each Color will put a different spin on the same career and will simply do it a little differently than the next Color.

That said, however, there are different opportunities that each Color looks for in the types of careers that they pursue, and I think it is helpful to explain those dynamics so that you can help each of your children find something that fills the patterns that I am about to explain.

First off, I will begin with the Reds…

Reds typically look for careers that provide them with:

Leadership opportunities.
Opportunities for financial gain.
Things that challenge them/allow them to compete.

If they are to go into medicine, a Red might pursue a specialty such as brain surgery as opposed to opening a family practice for instance. If they were to pursue law, they might enjoy the challenge of the actual courtroom battle as opposed to something more paperwork-oriented, etc.

Now to the Blues…

Blues typically look for careers that provide them with:

The opportunity of working with people.
The opportunity of working with details/aesthetics.
Purpose and meaning.

A Blue might very much enjoy working as an M.D. working in a family practice where they can get to know people and take care of them over time. They could also be happy in the detail/people work involved in banking or accounting, or the aesthetics involved in architecture for instance.

As for Whites…

Whites typically look for careers that provide them with:

More of a technical and/or mechanical focus than perhaps a people-oriented focus (in some cases).
Opportunities for working independently.
Opportunities for using their logical minds.

To continue with the M.D. theme, I always tease Whites and tell them that they would make great anesthesiologists! 🙂

Seriously, though, they like independent work where they don’t feel like people are always looking over their shoulder. Think programming, also practicing law (but perhaps the type involving more written exchanges rather than heated courtroom battles), archeology, etc.

And finally, the Yellows…

Yellows look for careers that provide them with:

The opportunity to use their social skills.
Lots of variety with higher emphasis on using their creativity.
Short term, high-energy projects (as opposed to long term, slow-moving projects).

As a medical doctor, I would think of a Patch Adams type. Someone who is competent, yet personable and playful. Remember, any Color can do any job. Yellows are also good in “compliance” professions (think sales, marketing, advertising, etc.), and almost anything that allows them to lead with their social skills.

With your children, I would ask them what careers they are thinking about, and then have a fair discussion about what those types of professionals do on a day-to-day basis, and whether those daily duties play to that child’s strengths.

It might also be helpful to have them interview people in those roles and ask them whether their job affords them the opportunity to be competitive, or purposeful, or independent, or social, etc. After doing so, I believe that they will either be more – or (perhaps) less – excited about that particular career.

Thanks again for asking such a great question, Dan. I really hope my explanation is helpful to you.

Very best of living,

Jeremy

Ask the Expert

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? They are driven, assertive, focused, and so visionary that they are always thinking five years down the road. That’s the positive side. On the flip side, they will also battle for control and believe that they are always right. When left alone to manage their respective teams, they are great, because they are in charge, which others readily recognize, and they call the shots. When forced to work together, however, what you are running into is basically a turf war.

Here’s what I mean: They are both convinced that their way is better. Plus, they are highly competitive, and are therefore willing to fight for their ideas. So, how do you solve this? Remember to always go back to the Driving Core Motive of the people involved. In this case, they are both Red. They are both driven by power. They both want to get from “A to B.” Well, what is “B?” In this case, it is likely that they want the company and the executive team to be successful. They want a positive result. And, by the way, they want to look good to their superiors and/or the board of directors. You can use this knowledge to your advantage when you discuss this with them.

Here are a couple of things to remember when you have the conversation with them, which you can do with them together, by the way. First of all, you want to keep the conversation brief, factual, and to the point. Do not spend the meeting talking about how valued they are and how people look to their example, and therefore it’s important that they get along. Just stick to the facts. Tell them the truth. “The company needs this team to be successful, and the two of you aren’t working so well together,” might be a way of opening the conversation up. If you are not Red, this may seem difficult or too bold, perhaps, but the point is you must communicate in a way that will mean something to them in their Red “language.” You can tell them that it is obvious that they are both highly successful in their own teams and that you expect them to lend their talent in a more positive way to the executive committee.

Here’s the part where you assert your leadership: Give each of them a specific set of responsibilities within the committee, and tell them that they are to allow each other room to operate in their respective areas. When the team comes together to discuss things that need to be done, both of them can participate openly, but once decisions are made, they are individually responsible for their portions only. Really, all you are doing is separating the turf. If they really are both highly capable and produce results, chances are that they have mutual respect for each other. If they don’t respect each other, you have a deeper problem, especially because they are both Red, but we won’t get into that in this column.

The point is they have to rely on each other to get the job done. They both hate to waste time. They both want to get to “B.” You decide who is in charge of what, or which type of issues, and clearly delineate the line of responsibility. This will actually free both of them to not get caught up in what doesn’t reflect on them individually. Consequently, they will both work to make their respective assignments successful just as they do with their own teams.

Continued Success!

Jeremy Daniel

____________________________________________

Confessions of a Red—Trick or Treat

I have two granddaughters, both born and raised in the same household by the same parents and yet, they couldn’t be more different. The oldest, age 12, is clearly a Red. She is determined, confident, impatient, and more than a little bossy. Her younger sister, age 8, is as Yellow as can be. She is happy, charismatic, and, yes, sociable. I love her with all my heart, but sometimes I want to ask her to please be quiet for just a minute to give her Red grandma a little respite. But, I don’t.

As Halloween approaches, all the talk is about what they “want to be” on that magical occasion.

My Red invariably goes for the creepy costumes. Being, say a cheerleader, isn’t good enough. She has to be of the bloodied, ghoulish, undead variety of cheerleader.

My Yellow? Well, she likes the princess, angel, or good witch look. She is pretty—and knows it. She doesn’t want blood and gore to mare her own good-looking self. No matter what she is, you can count on her costume being festooned with lots of glitter, sequins, streamers, and other spangley detritus.

But Halloween isn’t just for kids. According to the National Retail Federation, $1.2 billion will be spent on adult costumes this year. The witch costume remains at the top of the popularity chart, but this year plan on seeing a fair share of zombies, vampires, and other creatures made popular by best selling books and movies.

Given what we know about the colors of the Color Code, it would be fun to guess what each color will be on Halloween.

Reds are motivated by power. They like to be in control, experience challenging adventure, and need to be respected. What better costumes than a witch, a vampire, or something really scary like a CEO?

Blues are motivated by Intimacy. They have the natural gift of quality and service. They like to be good, and need to be appreciated. They would be the perfect super hero, nurse, doctor, or President of the United States.

Yellows are motivated by Fun. They are fun loving, carefree, and not a little vain. They make the perfect fairy, princess, sumo-wrestler, pirate, or any other character that personifies fun.

Whites are motivated by Peace. They would rather stay home and turn off the porch light, so they are unbothered by trick or treaters that require social niceties. If they are required to go to a costume party, they are likely to go to the nearest drugstore and buy the least expensive mask.

If none of these appeal, maybe Halloween is a good time to try on your secondary colors just to let loose and mix things up a bit.

Whatever you decide, have and safe and happy Halloween.

Reduction In Force

SCENARIO:

While the economy seems to be improving, and unemployment numbers are stabilizing, we are still seeing employers that are faced with a reduction in force. As difficult as it is for managers to give this terrible news, it is even more difficult to be on the receiving end. So what can you do as a manager? How can you make the news a little more bearable? Each color will prefer to have this conversation differently.

LIKELY REACTION:

REDS:

In having this difficult conversation with a Red, don’t bother beating around the bush. Reds respond best to direct communication. Don’t ramble on with excuses, personal feelings, etc. Instead, tell them the facts. The Red employee will want to know why he or she is being fired, so be prepared with a logical, concise answer. If your reason is logical, a healthy Red will respond well. Although he or she will not enjoy hearing the news (who would?), a healthy Red will respect your leadership decision and see the value in doing what’s best for the company’s success. An unhealthy Red, however, may want to challenge your authority (especially if he or she doesn’t see the logic in your decision).

Red employees will not find comfort in hearing your personal feelings about the situation. Rather, they will want to hear just the bottom line (after all, the minute they hear the news they will probably begin planning their next move). Offer your assistance in making the transition smooth and in whatever the Red’s future plans might be. Reds like to feel in control, so naturally this situation is going to be unsettling for them. If possible, allow Red employees some say in what is happening—keep them up to date and, when appropriate, allow them to make some decisions.

BLUES:

Having to tell someone his or her job is being eliminated is never easy, and with Blues the conversation seems even more difficult. As Blues are hard on themselves, they are going to take the news quite hard. So what can a manager do to help the Blue manage this stressful news? A good manager will be sincere and genuine in explaining the situation. This will help greatly and reduce friction during the conversation. Remember, Blues need security and this situation will undoubtedly take them to the edge. The manager who takes time to explain why this is taking place and is willing to answer the Blue’s questions, will help the Blue see the road ahead.

Now that the manager has set the tone for the conversation, the next step would be to commend the employee for all his or her dedication and hard work. Although to some this might seem like a slap in the face, Blues will take it to heart, as they pride themselves on being at the top of their game. Blues can accept bad news, as long as it is given in a respectful and thorough manner. The manager should take time to express gratitude and appreciation for all the Blue employee has done. As long as there is kindness and respect in the manager’s tone, Blues will respect the position of the manager having to make these tough decisions.

Although these days are stressful, remember there is a person at the opposite end of the table. The manner in which you handle the conversation has a lasting impact.

WHITES:

The most important thing to remember when breaking bad news to a White is to take the logical path. The manager who explains in a clear and concise manner to the White will have a much better outcome. Whites are very logical and like their information in that manner. Whites are known for their clarity, so don’t bother trying to fool them; they’ll see right through you. Be honest, but don’t be rude. Whites are kind and respond well to kindness in others.

The manager should not come across too intense, as Whites will not react well to this type of behavior. Whites will accept what is taking place, but that doesn’t mean they are happy. They understand situations with such clarity that they tend not to get caught up in the emotion (don’t expect to see a huge display of emotion during the conversation). Rather, they take it all in and look forward to the next step. Whites are great listeners, so the manager should seize this moment, perhaps adding career goals as they begin their search for new work. This is something a White will appreciate, as they are great at taking input from others.

Remember, we are all human and need to help one another through difficult situations. The time you take today could greatly enhance someone’s life tomorrow.

YELLOWS:

Yellows hate negativity. So, even in a negative situation like this, you must try to stay positive. Be as upbeat as you can, and the Yellow employee will really appreciate it. You can be positive by praising the good the employee has brought and showing your appreciation for all the work he or she has done. Try not to be too critical. Remember, Yellows love to be loved, so don’t make the situation personal. (You can still like this person, even though you have to fire him or her). Reinforce all the things you like about the Yellow employee.

Because they are so lively and enthusiastic, we often forget that Yellows are quite sensitive. Although you should try to be upbeat and positive, don’t be insensitive. Give Yellows a chance to express themselves. They are sometimes afraid of facing the facts, so be patient while they process what is happening. Offer your help in getting them organized and ready for the next step they’ll be taking. Yellows are forgiving by nature, so they likely will not hold a grudge. They’ll want to leave on good terms, having celebrated their achievements and after plenty of goodbye parties!