Author: teresa.glenn

How to Conduct a Harmonious Workplace

One textbook definition of harmony is a situation in which there is agreement…a worthy goal for any effective work environment. However, when I hear the word harmony, I think of my husband, the choral conductor. He has developed his natural talent and acquired remarkable skills in creating harmony out of disparate student voices from years of education and experience. The process is not so dissimilar in the workplace. Using the Color Code, leaders can become talented conductors, of a sort. Understanding how various core colors interact with each other can build on your natural talents and help you acquire greater skills to minimize conflict and bring more harmony to your organizations.

Similar to the Color Code, choral music has essentially four voices: soprano, alto, tenor and bass. The process of bringing those voices into accord begins first within each section. For example, the conductor must discover the differing range and quality of each voice in the soprano section. With that information, he or she is better able to position each member of a section in the most advantageous configuration to achieve the highest quality of sound. So too must managers understand how each motive type interacts with others who share their core color. Each color interacting with another of their same motive type has areas of natural synergy and areas of natural conflict.

Reds working together share vision, leadership, determination and high levels of motivation. On the flip side, they can encounter power struggles if each must always be right. The combination of Blues on a team brings unparalleled quality, creativity and commitment. However, they can become self-critical and overly preoccupied with details. Two or more Whites interacting on a project lend objectivity, balance and problem solving skills. On the other hand, productivity can suffer if both fall into the trap of silent stubbornness. Each can quietly refuse to budge on an issue and neither one will be likely to raise the issue to find resolution. Yellows working with other Yellows bring boundless enthusiasm, optimism and social skills. They can also be unfocused and irresponsible, neither willing to step up and lead. This understanding empowers managers to anticipate both the strengths and limitations brought to bear when you have two or more of the same core motive type on a team. And, like the conductor, you are better able to position members of a team to their best advantage to maximize the desired result.

Complementary Similarities

Women’s voices, alto and soprano, combined and men’s voices, tenor and bass, combined represent complementary similarities. They each enjoy an ease of blend and enhanced quality that provides a richness of sound surpassing that of individual parts singing alone. Likewise, certain combinations of colors are naturally drawn together for their shared strengths to produce a better outcome than either could achieve individually. Reds and Yellows share strong verbal skills, are excited about change and enjoy freedom from emotional clutter. Blues and Whites are able to set ego aside, share an interest in team success and are in tune with others. Understanding how these complementary similarities function together lends insights into how to make the most of team members’ natural skills.

Complementary Opposites

Sopranos singing with basses and altos singing with tenors yields the kind of results seen with complementary opposites. The higher range of a soprano blending with the opposing deep, resonant sound of a bass provide a quality of sound that is at once intriguing and beautiful. You will, no doubt, note similar complementary opposites among your co-workers. Reds like to lead and Whites are happy to follow. Whites’ sense of calm and balance tends to temper the fiery disposition of the Red. The steadiness of Blues helps ground the flightiness of Yellows. The spontaneous fun of Yellows helps to pull Blues out of their intense focus on duty and perfection. Complementary opposites are obviously great for teams as these combinations compensate for each other’s limitations and enhance each other’s natural strengths.

The Stars

Every singing group has their soloists and others who we will call “blenders.” Soloists have the talent and skill to stand alone and sing. They can be the rainmakers in an organization, the ones who get noticed. Others sometimes resent their prima dona attitude and apparent egotism. “Blenders” are those who are not particularly interested in or proficient at singing alone but are capable of skillfully singing multiple parts. They are the ones, who when added to any musical line, make everyone else singing that line sound immeasurably, almost inexplicably, better. It is not difficult to draw a work/life analogy here. Reds and Yellows are most often the soloists. They like to look good in their respective ways and are often self-centered. Blues and Whites tend to be the “blenders” or worker bees. Whatever the project or assignment, they are very capable at multiple assignments and able to set ego aside for the good of the team. With their assistance, the outcome is always improved. Who are your soloists and “blenders?”

Consonance and Dissonance

Western music is written in such a way to provide both consonant  and dissonant harmony. Consonant harmony is the kind that sounds pleasing to the ear. Dissonant harmonies are those that sound almost as if a mistake has been made. Some color combinations also work together in a way that can seem almost as if a mistake has been made. The example most often cited is Reds and Blues. While the potential for a powerfully positive  combination exists, this duo can readily be resoundingly dissonant. From their foundation they conflict in logic versus emotion. Reds are all about high productivity. Blues tend toward strong perfectionism. They are polar opposites regarding sensitivity. Reds lacking and Blues possessing an overabundance. The list goes on. Learning how to recognize the areas of natural synergy between this sometimes dissonant color combination is critical to success when confronted with these two power house colors. Reds and Blues are both dependable and oriented toward high achievement. They both have great loyalty: Reds to tasks and Blues to relationships. Reds provide vision and Blue can be counted on for quality. A manager must understand these shared strengths to then help the Red and Blue co-worker recognize and respect the positive traits and not focus unduly on the areas of potential conflict.

Resolution

What conductors understand and managers must learn is that creating harmony in the workplace does not mean the absence of conflict or dissonance. Singers, irrespective of their part, can be dissonant with other parts or even within their own section. Likewise, all colors have the potential for discord with other colors or even someone who shares their core color. An awareness of the potential for consonant or dissonant harmonies within your organization can help to minimize unproductive differences. That same awareness can also help to explain how some disagreements can provide a dynamic source of strength as each color works through the dissonance. As with Western music, the resolution of the dissonance is where the most beautiful music is found. The same can be true in your organization.

Similar to the Color Code, choral music has essentially four voices: soprano, alto, tenor and bass. The process of bringing those voices into accord begins first within each section. For example, the conductor must discover the differing range and quality of each voice in the soprano section. With that information, he or she is better able to position each member of a section in the most advantageous configuration to achieve the highest quality of sound. So too must managers understand how each motive type interacts with others who share their core color. Each color interacting with another of their same motive type has areas of natural synergy and areas of natural conflict.

Reds working together share vision, leadership, determination and  high levels of motivation. On the flip side, they can encounter power struggles if each must always be right. The combination of Blues on a team brings unparalleled quality, creativity and commitment. However, they can become self-critical and overly preoccupied with details. Two or more Whites interacting on a project lend objectivity, balance and problem solving skills. On the other hand, productivity can suffer if both fall into the trap of silent stubbornness. Each can quietly refuse to budge on an issue and neither one will be likely to raise the issue to find resolution. Yellows working with other Yellows bring boundless enthusiasm, optimism and social skills. They can also be unfocused and irresponsible, neither willing to step up and lead. This understanding empowers managers to anticipate both the strengths and limitations brought to bear when you have two or more of the same core motive type on a team. And, like the conductor, you are better able to position members of a team to their best advantage to maximize the desired result.

Complementary Similarities

Women’s voices, alto and soprano, combined and men’s voices, tenor and bass, combined represent complementary similarities. They each enjoy an ease of blend and enhanced quality that provides a richness of sound surpassing that of individual parts singing alone. Likewise, certain combinations of colors are naturally drawn together for their shared strengths to produce a better outcome than either could achieve individually. Reds and Yellows share strong verbal skills, are excited about change and enjoy freedom from emotional clutter. Blues and Whites are able to set ego aside, share an interest in team success and are  in tune with others. Understanding how these complementary similarities function together lends insights into how to make the most of team members’ natural skills.

Complementary Opposites

Sopranos singing with basses and altos singing with tenors yields the kind of results seen with complementary opposites. The higher range of a soprano blending with the opposing deep, resonant sound of a bass provide a quality of sound that is at once intriguing and beautiful. You will, no doubt, note similar complementary opposites among your co-workers. Reds like to lead and Whites are happy to follow. Whites’ sense of calm and balance tends to temper the fiery disposition of the Red. The steadiness of Blues helps ground the flightiness of Yellows. The spontaneous fun of Yellows helps to pull Blues out of their intense focus on duty and perfection. Complementary opposites are obviously great for teams as these combinations compensate for each other’s limitations and enhance each other’s natural strengths.

The Stars

Every singing group has their soloists and others who we will call “blenders.” Soloists have the talent and skill to stand-alone and sing. They can be the rainmakers in an organization, the ones who get noticed. Others sometimes resent their prima dona attitude and apparent egotism. “Blenders” are those who are not particularly interested in or proficient at singing alone but are capable of skillfully singing multiple parts. They are the ones, who when added to any musical line, make everyone else singing that line sound immeasurably, almost inexplicably, better. It is not difficult to draw a work/life analogy here. Reds and Yellows are most often the soloists. They like to look good in their respective ways and are often self centered. Blues and Whites tend to be the “blenders” or worker bees. Whatever the project or assignment, they are very capable at multiple assignments and able to set ego aside for the good of the team. With their assistance, the outcome is always improved. Who are your soloists and “blenders?”

Consonance and Dissonance

Western music is written in such a way to provide both consonant and dissonant harmony. Consonant harmony is the kind that sounds pleasing to the ear. Dissonant harmonies are those that sound almost as if a mistake has been made. Some color combinations also work together in a way that can seem almost as if a mistake has been made. The example most often cited is Reds and Blues. While the potential for a powerfully positive combination exists, this duo can readily be resoundingly dissonant. From their foundation they conflict in logic versus emotion. Reds are all about high productivity. Blues tend toward strong perfectionism. They are polar opposites regarding sensitivity. Reds lacking and Blues possessing an overabundance. The list goes on. Learning how to recognize the areas of natural synergy between this sometimes dissonant color combination is critical to success when confronted with these two power house colors. Reds and Blues are both dependable and oriented toward high achievement. They both have great loyalty: Reds to tasks and Blues to relationships. Reds provide vision and Blue can be counted on for quality. A manager must understand these shared strengths to then help the Red and Blue co-worker recognize and respect the positive traits and not focus unduly on the areas of potential conflict.

Resolution

What conductors understand and managers must learn is that creating harmony in the workplace does not mean the absence of conflict or dissonance. Singers, irrespective of their part, can be dissonant with other parts or even within their own section. Likewise, all colors have the potential for discord with other colors or even someone who shares their core color. An awareness of the potential for consonant or dissonant harmonies within your organization can help to minimize unproductive differences. That same awareness can also help to explain how some disagreements can provide a dynamic source of strength as each color works through the dissonance. As with Western music, the resolution of the dissonance is where the most beautiful music is found. The same can be true in your organization.

Wendy C. Archibald, J.D., CCP, is the Dean of Students at BYU School of Law. Her involvement with Color Code began 20 years ago.

Color Code T-shirt Contest

As you may or may not be aware, we are on the verge of launching our newly re-designed website at the end of this month-unless our web developer is playing a mean April Fool’s trick on us.

But seriously, we can’t wait for you to see the new look and features we’ve added. And along with this new look will come new t-shirts, mugs and all sorts of fun Color Code products.

So in the spirit of our new look, for our “At Play” section of the blog this month we’ve decided to hold a contest:

Whoever can come up with the best phrase(s) for our t-shirts or mugs will win a new t-shirt of their choice!

At the end of the month, our team will vote on the ideas you post below and pick a few winners!

Note: of course these shouldn’t be offensive or improper and should be true to each Color Personality. Here are some examples from our current shirts:

Happy brainstorming and good luck!

The Color Code Team

Ask the Expert

Dear Jeremy,

I have a Yellow staff member who is great when dealing with clients. People love him, and he brings a lot of business to the company. However, he does not do well with turning in paperwork, expense reports, etc., on time. I have had to come down on him time and time again, but he just gets flippant and tells me to relax. What can I do?

Daphne

Dear Daphne,

Thanks for writing. I appreciate your question, and as a Yellow myself, I may have some insights that will help improve your situation.

The key to dealing with this staff member effectively is to understand how Yellows think. You see, people are generally confident in areas where they feel secure, and not-so-confident in those where they don’t. For example, Reds are very logical. When people become emotional in front of them, Reds typically feel uncomfortable. Their response is often, “Take some time to get yourself together and come back once you’ve had time to think things over.” They don’t feel as secure in dealing with someone emotionally as they do logically.

Your Yellow staff member probably feels very confident when interfacing with clients. That part of your business involves his social skills, spontaneity, and charisma. He feels valued and knows that he is contributing something of value to the company.

Now, let’s take a look at the behavior that needs changing—the tardy paperwork. Yellows are notorious for struggling with follow-through and organization. We often joke that a Yellow’s idea of organization is “labeling the piles.” Your Yellow employee most likely feels less confident in dealing with detail-oriented tasks than he does with people.

Since he believes that paperwork is no fun, he will put off doing it. Then, once his procrastination lands him in trouble (again), and he’s confronted for his lack of cooperation, he probably becomes flippant and verbally manipulative, like the problem is yours and not his. He may justify his lack of follow-through by believing that the work he does with clients is more important than paperwork. Of course this notion is not true, but you’ll need to retrain his thinking in general to convince him otherwise. Let’s talk about how to do that.

If you have read The Color Code (republished as The People Code), or own a set of Code Cards, it will be helpful to review some of Dr. Hartman’s tips for effective interaction with Yellows. I’ll summarize two of the most applicable tips for your situation here:

1.   Offer praise and adoration for his positive behavior

2.   Don’t be too negative when providing criticism or feedback

The bottom line in working with Yellows is that they need to feel like you like them. They seek general approval, and want to know that they have a rapport with those they work with. So you have to begin by praising them for their high-level performance with the client work that they do. Show them that you genuinely appreciate the gifts and talents that they bring to the table. That will open the door for you to begin the process of creating change in other areas of their work that are a little less praiseworthy.

Something you may not know about Yellows is that they actually CRAVE structure. Yellows generally know that they lack organization and time management skills, and would love to have someone help get them up to speed. That said, you have to approach it in a way that doesn’t feel negative. You are more likely to elicit the desired result by approaching him teasingly or playfully, than by a way he will perceive as negative. The hard part for Blues and Reds alike in this type of situation is that they typically want to address this in a hard-hitting way, or they don’t feel that they’ve communicated their point adequately.

You almost have to take a step back and remember what you are trying to accomplish—correcting the behavior. To do that, you have to appeal to the other person’s driving core motive (in this case, Fun). Always look at the motive. If you care enough about the result to let your own reactions be placed to the side, you will likely be more successful in creating the outcome that you desire.

Continued Success!

Jeremy

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.

As simple as possible…

In his book, Life on the Mississippi, (1883) Mark Twain wrote, “Plain question and plain answer make the shortest road out of most perplexities.” Rubbing my chin… I smile. Yep, I like simple things.

I was first introduced to the field of mind development while coaching employees in my first professional career. After graduating from Georgia Southern University with a degree in Human Resource Management, I worked in H.R. and used several different tools to help develop and build leadership, interpersonal skills and individual performance in our employees. Some of the tools we used to try to help people improve were behavioral profiles.

One of the challenges we encountered with the behavioral tools was implementation. That is, how do we keep our people using, learning and applying the information they learned once they returned to real life? Talk about frustrating! It was my own dissatisfaction with behavioral profiles that led me to The Color Code.

Leonardo daVinci: “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”

I finally came across a video of Dr. Taylor Hartman (developer and author of The Color Code) talking with a local news reporter about The Color Code.  The video only lasted maybe 3 or 4 minutes, but during the course of the segment I was able to capture the essence of the Color Code and each of the 4 colors. It was very simple to understand.

I immediately ordered Dr. Hartman’s book online (now called The People Code), read it several times and started sharing what I learned about the 4 Driving Core Motives with my family and friends. It wasn’t long before I knew I should look for a way to go deeper.

I’ve had the privilege of sharing The Color Code material with many groups and individuals over the past few years. I find it thrilling to see people experience breakthroughs in their lives when they learn what drives them and others to do what they do. They get it, and understand how to apply it. By keeping it simple, Dr. Hartman created a tool that can be used by everyone.

Over the years, I’ve heard others criticize Dr. Hartman and the Color Code specifically for its simplicity. Critics argue anything as simple as a 4 color-system cannot be valid or accurate to help know one ’s self better. They say it’s too simple. Well, as Albert Einstein (the genius many once thought a simpleton) wrote… “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” Hey! Now that would make a great slogan…

The Color Code: As simple as possible… not simpler.

Guest author, Michael Hancock shares his discovery and use of the Color Code. He is a presenter, master inquirer and neo-Renaissance man. He has held numerous leadership positions in both for-profit and non-profit organizations, with professional experience in the worlds of media, business, politics and technology. Michael currently owns and operates Creative Dynamics, and conducts training, coaching and consulting using the Color Code interpersonal skills program. Michael enjoys change, change management and asking “Why?” Michael values fun, family, freedom and fellowship. He enjoys learning, trying new things, seeing new places and meeting new friends. An outstanding speaker/presenter, Michael is a natural “info-tainer” whether in front of an audience delivering a speech or leading a GOLF (Great Opportunity for Learning and Fun).

Michael is married with 2 children, lives in sunny Florida and is (what else?) a Color Code Yellow.

March Madness is Not Just About Basketball

March Madness started a couple of days ago and College Basketball fans all around the country are rejoicing.  But for many parents of Junior High and High School students, “March Madness” has a different connotation.  It means that report cards and College acceptance/rejection letters are here.

Anxieties are high for both parents and teens.  Some parents are really mad because their teenager’s grades are not up to “standard” and they will spend the majority of the evening yelling about studying or homework. Some teenagers are mad because they know they will be in hot water and can’t understand why they can’t or need to do better. However, the bottom line is this March Madness for those parents means extra money will be needed for tutors, test prep classes, study books and aids.  The teenagers will have punishments or reduction of free time and/or extra curricula activities.  In general, many people are just turning off the TV sets and video game consoles, with the hopes that doing all of these things will bring about the desired result of academic success.  Unfortunately, time is running out for this school year and parents have exactly three months to “put the house in order” to achieve set academic goals.

If you are one of the lucky ones, your teen has brought home a glowing report card or is going to his/her dream college.  I would like to offer my sincere congratulations to those students for their academic success.  You probably don’t need to read any further.  However, my guess is that you probably should.  While having a child who gets good grades or obtains entry into the school of their choice is great academic success, it is not always a given if there isn’t a strong foundation or a sense of self directed learning.  In life there will be some challenges or limitations that will impede one’s success, and quite honestly, it is in understanding our own limitations and addressing our personal challenges that we will be able to grow.

For the rest of us who are concerned with how we are going to assist our children in achieving success, we need to take a step back before we spend another dollar. Today, we are all are faced with so many more challenges and opportunities than past generations. Parents should get a true assessment of our teenagers’ driving core motives and learning styles to better assist in the development of skills for self-directed learning.  Most importantly, in this global society with blended cultures, our teenagers must take a more comprehensive and inclusive approach to their own educational and life goals.

Teenagers are better served academically when parents take a holistic approach with students and provide them with the having the right tools and supports. A critical goal of parents should be developing teens to have a strong character with a clear understanding of their driving core motives and personality traits.  Youngsters, who cultivates this mindset effectively accentuate their personal strengths and reduce their limitations.  Furthermore, understanding these concepts creates a supportive foundation for teens to accept the challenges of effective effort. Meaning, people get smarter when they work hard.  In addition, by creating fulfilling relationships with their teachers, classmates and other educators who will assist them in achieving self-directed learning teenagers who are on a mission to develop their own intellectual capacity through self-directed improvement based on knowing their strengths and limitations will achieve academic mastery.  These well-rounded students will boost their confidence and develop greater ownership over their academic and professional goals, by increasing their investment and motivation in school.

The perfect assessment tool available to understand one’s driving core is Dr. Taylor Hartman’s, “The Color Code.”  Using this tools with teens and parents will help them become more productive, create closer and more meaningful relationships within the family, with educators.  Additionally, this tool has the potential to reduce conflicts, minimize stress, foster independence, increase teamwork ability and encourage a sense of social-emotional freedom.  Being able to explain why you do what you do is the first step in taking responsibility for one’s own life.  How powerful is that!

A whole new world will begin to open up for both you and your teenager.  Youngsters will be able to begin a dialogue about the challenges they face with ease and build peer networks with confidence focusing on others with similar academic and professional goals.  With a newfound confidence your teen may recognize that having a quality of life means more than just achieving academically.  Understanding his/her driving motive core can help them to appreciate having a strong sense of character, as well as encourage being a positive, contributing member of his/her community.

So parents, before you drop that bundle of cash on tutors and study aids, find a Color Code professional to discover your teen’s Color Code.  By the way, while you’re at it, take the Color Code personality assessment for yourself and learn why you do what you do too!  Cheers to March Madness… both in the lives of teens and parents, and in the world of basketball.

Karen L. Booker, CIT
The BeBe Group President
Certified Independent Color Code Trainer

Karen Booker, a New Yorker, is a lifelong learner with over thirty years of experience in the real property management and business services specializing in, policy analysis and operational diagnosis, and Community Education and Outreach. Ms. Booker is a Certified Independent Color Code Trainer and Instructional Technologist, and holds a MS in Urban Affairs, Policy Analysis and Professional Management from New School University She is currently working on a PhD in Applied Management Decisions with a concentration in Leadership and Organization Change.

 

 

 

Ask the Expert

Dear Jeremy,

I have a question about the Color Code Personality Assessment. I just took it prior to attending a workshop last week and I came out Blue. I remember taking it back in High School and coming out Yellow. Is it possible that I’ve changed my color, and how does that happen?

Victoria

Dear Victoria,

I get this question a lot. At almost every workshop we teach, someone brings this up, so let me give you the short answer, and then I’ll explain…

The answer is no—it is not possible that you’ve changed your color.

Pretty simple and straightforward, right?

Okay, let me explain. This usually happens, and I don’t mean to embarrass you, when somebody doesn’t follow the instructions while taking the assessment. In the instructions, we ask you to answer the questions on the earliest version of yourself that you can recall. In other words, we want you to answer the questions as a child.

Obviously, the childhood version of you isn’t going to change from today to twenty years from now. You were who you were, so if you answer the questions accurately, the results should never change.

One of the major underlying prolegomenon of the Color Code is that you are born with your driving core motive (or color) intact. That is why we ask you to answer the questions as a child. We want the results to reflect the earliest version of you possible. In other words, we are trying to capture a snapshot of what you were like, before the world started telling you how to behave.

We also state that you can never change your color. The fact that anyone might want to is a topic for a completely different column, as we wouldn’t have time to address it here.

That doesn’t mean you can’t learn skills you didn’t come with. Practically every person on this planet has done that. You can learn limitations too, and most of us do.

The key to all of this, is that you first have to be okay with and accept who you are. That’s step one. Once you embrace your driving core motive, you can start to learn the skill sets of the other colors. If you try to cast your own color to the side in an attempt to adopt another, your insecurities will always hold you back from reaching your full potential as a human being.

Now, some people say that they were not themselves as children. Circumstances such as an overly domineering parent, or various forms of child abuse or trauma were present. For these types of situations, we would give alternative instructions for answering the questions on the Color Code Assessment.

We would tell you to answer the questions on the version of yourself you feel is “the real you.” This is harder, because it becomes much more subjective. The tendency to answer the questions on how you want to be (as opposed to how you actually are) is harder to resist, but all in all, your results will feel more correct to you.

If you still want to know how you have changed over time, that is where the Character Code comes in. The Character Code is a completely different assessment that measures what you are like today. It is a follow up to the Color Code Assessment. The Character Code Assessment can and should change over time as you learn new (and drop old) habits. It is the instrument we use when we are helping individuals and work teams put the Color Code into action by working on various development initiatives.

Thanks, Victoria, for your question. Like I mentioned before, we get it all the time. I hope that this explanation helps. In your case, if you are still not sure what color you are, you may want to go back and retake the assessment again with this new perspective in mind.

Continued success!

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.

The Cost of Conflict

Tonight I was punched in the eye…HARD.

No, I wasn’t caught in the middle of a bar brawl, or anything gossip-worthy like that. I was driving a basketball in for a lay-up. The guy who hit me is a good friend of mine. There was no retaliation, no angry flare-up or heated exchange of any kind. I knew it wasn’t personal, or even intentional. He was simply going for the ball and missed. It was just good, competitive basketball.

Everyday, we experience situations that have the potential of creating varying levels of conflict—especially in the workplace. Granted, they usually don’t involve physically hitting people…though that probably happens too, I suppose. The more common variety of office-place conflict involves issues like arguing over how something should or shouldn’t be done, poor performance, disrespect, passive-aggressive behavior, or general frustration with co-workers or perhaps even difficult customers.

How we deal with these types of situations is up to us. Do we let our tempers get the best of us? Do we allow our feelings to get hurt? Do we spend time gossiping with fellow co-workers about everything that’s wrong with So-And-So or the organization in general?

Unfortunately, the statistics on how we are handling conflict in the workplace are not terribly encouraging. Experts have estimated that a typical manager spends 19-29% of his/her time resolving petty personality conflicts. Tim Roberts, a conflict management and transformation specialist at the University of Chester, in the United Kingdom, claims that managers spend 40% or more of their time dealing with conflicts in one form or another (see: http://www.bpir.com/workplace-conflict-resolution-bpir.com/menu-id-71/expert-opinion.html).

For the sake of being fairly conservative, let’s use the first statistic to calculate how much time managers spend “babysitting” employees rather than engaging in meaningful business activities. First of all, a manager taking two weeks of vacation a year will work fifty weeks annually. Now take those fifty work weeks and multiply them by 19% and then again by 29% to see how many entire work weeks are lost to negative conflict. If you do the math, you will see that that the average manager loses between 9.5 and 14.5 work weeks per year. That’s an entire business quarter lost!

To calculate the hard numbers of what this costs your company, try the following math:

  1. Take the average salary that you pay a manager for one week’s work and multiply that by the total number of managers in your organization.
  2. Take that number and multiply it by 9.5.
  3. Take the same number and multiply it by 14.5.

If your organization fits within the normal, national average for time spent on negative conflict, you have just calculated the range of direct economic impact conflict has on the bottom line of your business. Of course, there are indirect costs as well. Think of the unnecessary stress, poor morale, turnover, and other issues that conflict causes. When people do the math, they usually realize they can’t afford not to deal with this problem.

Let’s talk about how and why this happens, and then how to use an understanding of the Color Code and motive to help resolve some of these issues.

Mary Rau-Foster, attorney and certified mediator writes, “Conflict arises from a clash of perceptions, goals, or values in an arena where people care about the outcome.” This means that a workplace setting must be an ideal location for breeding conflict.

The truth of the matter is, a business cannot survive without conflict. A business has to compete, or it has to fold, and the players within the business from the shareholders down through every level of employee understand this concept extremely well. And when you really think about it—what’s wrong with that?

Conflict can be the single most positive force that drives a team forward. It can also be the most destructive. In one of Shakespeare’s best-known plays, Hamlet, he writes, “Nothing is good or bad, but thinking makes it so.”

Here is where the knowledge of driving core motive and the Color Code can be extraordinarily valuable. Each of the colors processes information differently, but without this education, most of us assume that everybody sees things the same way we do. Therefore, when stressful situations arise at work and people are on their worst behavior, oftentimes the end result is negative conflict.

This usually happens because people take what others say and do personally rather than simply dealing with the issue at hand.

Let me give you an example. Let’s say that sales revenue is down, and unless it reaches an acceptable level, there will be a massive layoff. People spring into action. The atmosphere becomes intense. Every lead becomes more precious than it was a month ago, and co-workers are pushing each other for better results. If Brad, a salesman, fails to close on an important contract, his manager, Michelle, might have to give some very direct feedback about how he is not doing a good enough job at discovering the needs of his potential clients before he pitches the features and benefits of the product.

At that point, Brad has to decide how he will assimilate that feedback. He could turn it into a positive situation where he might ask Michelle to explain what she is observing and help him understand how he can perform more effectively. It could potentially be a turning point in Brad’s sales career, or at the very least a small improvement that will help him close a few more sales per month.

The outcome that is more common, however, involves Brad taking Michelle’s comment personally. He might think that she is picking on him, that she doesn’t like him, that she is trying to force him off the team, or that she is just simply being the jerk that she is to everyone. He might get defensive and fight back, or he might just pretend to agree to try harder until he can vent his frustration to fellow salespeople later.

Whenever someone personalizes, the result will be destructive.

With a basic knowledge of the Color Code, people are empowered to change the way they think about, react to, and communicate with others. Knowing that Michelle is a White, for instance, would help Brad realize that she is probably giving very objective and clear feedback and that she is not trying to attack him personally.

The Color Code also allows people to monitor their internal reactions to various situations. Brad might realize that as a Yellow, he has the tendency to run away from anything he would perceive to be negative or critical. Knowing that about himself makes it easier for Brad to redirect his reaction in a way that would allow him to revisit the situation more logically rather than retreat into a negative emotion.

There is true power in knowing what makes people tick. It allows us to be more forgiving of our differences, and to engage in a more constructive form of conflict. When people can give feedback in a way that is not easily misinterpreted, and receive it without having to personalize, a work team becomes much more competitive, productive, and profitable.

For me, getting punched in the eye just made me play harder. It made the competition more intense. I wanted the win even more than I did previously, which made my teammates feel the same way. Instead of turning that energy into something negative, we rallied together, and came from behind to take the game.  <


 

JeremyDanielJeremy 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.

 


Employee Accountability

How is accountability defined in your organization? When you hear someone talking about accountability, are you afraid it might be applied to you? Accountability is defined as “the quality or state of being accountable; and obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one’s actions”. The dictionary also states that responsible is a synonym for accountable. Simply stated, accountability is neither positive nor negative, but for some reason, most people in organizations feel that there is a negative connotation to accountability. We usually hear the phrase “who is accountable for x?” when something has gone wrong and we are ready to pronounce blame on someone. I usually don’t hear someone asking who was responsible for achieving a great result.

Some of the best work that I have seen published on accountability comes from a book “The Oz Principle” by Roger Connors and Tom Smith. I would highly recommend reading and applying these principles in your life and organization. Accountability should be applied when people do a good job and also when their work is in question. When applying Performance Management, we follow these three easy steps:

  • Clear define your expectations, whenever possible in writing
  • Follow though on your expectations
  • Hold people accountable for the results, good and bad

Both good and bad, both positive and negative, in other words people want to know how they are doing. Roger D’Aprix reported that from his research employees wanted the following information from their employers, these are listed by importance to the employee:

  1. What is my job?
  2. How am I doing?
  3. Does anybody care?
  4. How are we doing?
  5. Where does my team fit in?
  6. How can I help?

Accountability is part of all six of these types of communications, people want to know what the expectations are and how they are performing. How well do you do? There may some inherent strengths and opportunities that we may want to acknowledge based upon our Core Motives.

Let’s explore a few. Here is my caveat, these are my own observations and thoughts and may not reflect the work of Dr Hartman.

REDS

As I work with REDS and their ability to hold themselves and other accountable I have seen some interesting dynamics. I don’t usually see this group struggling with enforcing necessary rules, policies, and regulations. For a RED, the rules are the rules, if not we would call them suggestions. So rules are enforced. What a RED needs to be cognizant of is how they do it. Sometimes, (speaking as a recovering RED), I find that I am not as empathetic as I could or should be. Not that I don’t believe that this is important behavior – I just don’t always think about it. This has been a life-long endeavor for me to learn this type of behavior, and use it. I am fairly sure I am not the only RED that works on being more empathetic. I have learned a lot from my BLUE friends, they seem to be quite natural at this.

BLUES

BLUES usually have the empathy part of management down, they seems to always be aware of how people are feeling and how what they do affects other people. When they hold others accountable they do it right. However, there seems to be a conflict with letting empathy stand in the way of accountability. Over the years I have found that as I have coached a BLUE in leadership we have found it helpful to come up with systems, processes, and routines to help them hold themselves and others accountable. It helps to manage a process, these seems to take the emotion out of the equation. Now it is just about managing tasks. Something our BLUES do extremely well and in a very qualitative and detailed manner.

WHITES

Whites do a good job or holding themselves accountable and can do a great job of holding others accountable if they have learned to allow themselves to be involved with a little conflict. At times, accountability will involve some conflict. If you shy away from conflict in order to achieve “peace”, it may produce the unintended consequence of conflict. This can be a learned behavior, and most of us don’t look forward to conflict, but have learned to deal with it as it arises. Whites can also pick up this trait from observing and emulating others, but this tends to be their Achilles heel.

YELLOWS

Sometimes accountability is not fun. That becomes the nemesis of a Yellow leader. There are other things or tendencies that would be preferable. Yet when focused on accountability, and their naturally charismatic way, a yellow can be quite good at holding others accountable. They may struggle more with holding themselves accountable. That can be less noticeable that when dealing with others and their success. A Yellow may feel more an obligation to hold someone else accountable. Accountability for good work is much more fun, therefore, a Yellow will have some fun with this type of positive recognition. Correcting performance can be a different story.

Conclusion

So when you look at accountability and Core Motive it would appear that each color has attributes that can help them hold themselves and others accountable and each color has limitations that can provide obstacles with accountability. One question that I use with leaders as they work to create a culture of accountability is this: “Do you have a rule book that needs to be adhered to for yourself and others or do you have a list of suggestions. Each leader is free to make whatever choice that they would like to make, however, you cannot choose the consequences of your actions.”

It is your choice, make it a good one!

 

The Good Way to Deliver Bad News

While no one likes to deliver bad news, it’s something that most of us have had to do at some stage in life. Whether it’s announcing company redundancies, or telling a partner we’re moving on, it can sometimes take all we have to get the words out and our message across at the right moment. And then once it’s done, we’re often left wondering if perhaps we could have handled it a little better…

There are a number of reasons why someone would want to avoid delivering bad news. Whites, for instance, might not feel confident about handling any potential conflict their news is likely to generate, while Yellows might not want to risk becoming unpopular as a result of delivering a difficult message. Whatever they fear most, the situation is often a lot worse in the imagination than it is in real life, especially for a Blue who broods on the issue. He will replay the imagined scenario over and over in his mind, rehearsing his “bad news” lines, until the situation seems almost completely unbearable. So if there is a right way to deliver bad news, what is it?

Choose Your Medium

Sometimes people are given a choice as to how they deliver their bad news. If you have a number of options, it may be very tempting to choose the one that offers you most “protection” against any fall-out (eg, email or letter). However, if you want to be certain that your message has been understood then you need to choose a medium that best facilitates this. Wherever possible, deliver bad news face-to-face. Not only does this approach show respect, care, and compassion for the recipient, but it provides an opportunity for him or her to discuss the matter further with you and to ask any questions.

Another reason that face-to-face delivery is best is that whoever the recipient is, he or she will understand just how difficult your task is and appreciate that you haven’t resorted to using e-mail or the telephone. And whether used in the bedroom or boardroom, your recipient will respect you more for telling him or her face-to-face instead of taking the easy way out and delivering your news by other means.

Delivering news face-to-face also allows you to read the recipient’s body language and to deal with those non-verbal aspects of communication that would be missed over the telephone or in e-mail. Regardless of whether the situation is a personal or professional one, non-verbal communication is important when delivering bad news as it allows you to gauge how your message is being received and can help you to deliver your news in a way that helps you achieve your desired outcome.

Sometimes face-to-face delivery will be impossible; distance, for example, may prevent it. The next best medium when telling someone bad news is the telephone. However, while delivering your news to someone over the telephone will allow him or her to ask questions, this situation could become difficult if you’re addressing more than one person at a time, in a workplace setting for instance. Even with teleconferencing or videoconferencing facilities, it may be difficult to control the situation if you’ve got a large group of people all clamoring to ask questions at the same time.

Choose Your Words

Nothing is less helpful than communicating an unclear message. Therefore, it’s important to think about what you want to say before actually saying it. When choosing your words, think about how they will be received and the effect they’re likely to have on the recipient and your relationship with him or her. However, while you may wish to deliver your news in a way that will spare someone’s feelings, avoiding the crux of the issue could result in your message being misconstrued, which in turn could lead to big problems in the future. Try to put aside any fear you have and avoid giving a diluted version of your news.

Reds, beware. Both directness and sensitivity are needed if you want to effectively communicate your message. Blues and Yellows: don’t dance around the issue in a preamble to saying what it is you want to say. While you may think that this will put you in a good light, most people would rather be told bad news without any waffle.

Furthermore, when a key message is embedded in other messages, it can easily get lost. If you have to tell one of your team members that unless his performance improves he will be fired, don’t bury that message in praise for the wonderful job he’s done to date. By all means acknowledge the good work he’s done for the company, but make it clear to him why you’re talking to him. When bad news is delivered at the same time as high praise, the recipient will often listen to the high praise and ignore all the rest! This strategy applies whether you’re in a professional or personal situation: don’t start reminiscing with your lover and highlighting all their good points if you’ve come to tell him or her that you’re moving on.

When delivering bad news, focus on the outcome of the situation. The recipient will be focusing on the negative, so try to get him or her to focus on the positives that can be gained from the situation. When bad news is placed in the context of future growth it may no longer be seen as bad news, but as an opportunity to move on and achieve success. CC

Playing Life to Win

In his  book, Playing Life to Win, Dr. Taylor Hartman uses the metaphor of baseball to represent the game of life, shares dozens of personal and professional vignettes, mixed with quotes, stories and examples from the lives of politicians, celebrities, sports stars, business leaders and family members. One needn’t be a fan of baseball in order to “get” Hartman’s many references to the sport or to “get” the book’s message. Most know that baseball’s objective is to hit the ball that’s pitched to you—or otherwise get safely on base—and, in turn, go from first base to second to third, and touch home plate, thus scoring a “run” for your team in hopes of winning the game. In effect, Hartman’s book is a game plan for success in life.

FIRST BASE: GET YOURSELF

To succeed in life, you start by getting to first base. And to get to first base you must first “get yourself.” If you can’t see yourself honestly and value who you are, you will never get on first base, let alone cross home plate and score.

Self-awareness starts when you discover and refine your “signature swing,” your unique, often hidden, personal values, needs, strengths and limitations. Your signature swing includes your innermost reasons for why you think and act as you do, reflected in your needs and wants—your motives.

Unearthing your signature swing sometimes takes seeing yourself from another’s point of view. Earnestly inviting candid feedback can be most insightful. Hartman tells of a time when his 12-year-old son TJ came to him for a bit of coaching. TJ had always struggled with shyness. Recognizing this blemish in himself and wanting to overcome it, he asked that he be permitted to answer the front door when adults stopped by. By forcing himself to look them in the eye and say “hello,” TJ gradually developed a remarkable degree of self-awareness and social confidence. In essence, he was able to transform his weakness into a strength—and become even more confident and self-aware in the process.

When was the last time you received honest feedback from someone? What kinds of personality flaws did it expose? Though at times painful, acting on constructive criticism from teammates or coaches (co-workers, close friends, family…) can make a huge difference in getting over your pride, fears and insecurities; in a word, it can be enlightening.

Another key component to understanding who we really are is stepping up to the plate—a powerful baseball phrase that entails taking responsibility and living up to our expectations. Perhaps one of the most basic (and most often ignored) principles in life is to take full responsibility for who you are. We can’t expect to hit the pitches life sends our way until we do.

Taking full responsibility for ourselves and our actions involves checking our culture from time to time, both at home and at work, to see where the disconnects are. “We must face ourselves honestly if we ever hope to have the mature muscle necessary to be members of the 100% Responsibility Club,” says Hartman. The club’s whose motto, in part, reads: I am 100% responsible for every relationship in my life…no excuse is legitimate, sought, or accepted. I am 100% responsible for creating what I get. And I get exactly what I deserve.”

Other principles key to getting on first base include:

• Keep your eye on the ball in life. Ignore distractions and pay attention to the way you want to live your life.

• Be a hitter. Swing only at the pitches you know you can hit.

• Embrace your style; come to know and like yourself for simply being you.

• Understand and accept your natural strengths and limitations. Studies show that “Emotional Intelligence” (self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills) is “four times more critical to life success than IQ and technical
abilities.”

Once you master “getting yourself,” you will step up to the plate with confidence and meet the game with enthusiasm.

SECOND BASE: GET TRUTH

Moving on to second base, just 90 feet away from where you are, now requires that you face yourself, or “get truth.” Your ability to face yourself requires seeing your strengths and limitations in light of how they impact your life and the lives of those around you. Facing truth creates tremendous hope and momentum in your life.

What are you going to do? Are you leading off first at every pitch, looking for your opportunity to sprint to your next goal, or are you too afraid that you’ll get thrown out? You must let go of your insecurities. Getting to first was all about you, but from here on out, you need to forget yourself.

We all have our insecurities, embarrassing facts about us that we would like to keep hidden. Facing truth and honestly embracing our limitations are critical steps toward bettering ourselves and becoming more self-assured.

Hartman shares a lesson he learned one day while eating at an outdoor restaurant. Seated at the table next to him was a woman smoking a cigarette. In his mind, Hartman began to criticize her: How could she be so reckless with her health? Meanwhile, he realized, there he sat drinking another caffeine-packed diet soda, and not having exercised for weeks. “While I was judging this woman and her choice to smoke, there was little difference between her and me—I had simply picked a different substance.”

Forced to confront a rather uncomfortable truth, Hartman made a lasting personal commitment to improve his fitness level. The point behind his epiphany? Truth has a way of revealing itself; it always emerges. The decision is ours whether or not to accept it. We can welcome it now, face the brutal truths we are ignoring, and reap the benefits, or we can wait until it’s too late.

The book teaches that there are three absolute truths we all must face:

1. All life is about relationships—a commitment to value others that involves finding common ground and building rapport. Relationships have been and will forever be with us…how you make people feel will always last longer than you do.

2. We are NOT born equal. Diversity truly is the spice of life.

3. You get what you deserve (and you continue to get what You Allow). We are not victims, nor can we blame others for our mistakes or misfortunes.

Other vital points to consider while on second base:

• You likely will face between three and seven totally devastating experiences in the course of your life. To cope with such traumatic events, place your focus on how you respond rather than on the experience itself.

• Borne of insecurity, many people separate their personal attitudes, behaviors and relationships from their professional attitudes, behaviors and relationships—a tendency Hartman terms a “Personal and Professional Divide.” Cultivating a more consistent approach in both personal and professional arenas frees you to accept and relate to others more comfortably.

• Self-esteem comes simply because, as part of the human race, you breathe; while self-confidence is a result of your successes, your abilities, and the mark you leave daily on life.

Standing on second base, your focus having shifted from “self” to “truth,” you are in scoring position. Now your game plan must shift further away from you to others. Third base is all about enhancing others’ lives and scoring as a team.

THIRD BASE: GET OVER YOURSELF

Hartman insists that, if we’re not careful, this base is where our fears and petty insecurities can trip us up. Selfishness is the number one reason that relationships fail both at work and home. Thus, third base requires self-discipline and emotional muscle, which allow us to “lift ourselves and others to higher ground.”

Third base is a journey away from selfishness, toward selflessness. Consider the tremendous change that comes over a couple’s life with the birth of their first child. In an instant, their priorities are turned utterly upside down as they abandon their selfish, self-serving motives and focus all their time and energy on the needs of their little one. At the same time, in choosing their child’s happiness over their own, they find meaning, connection and peace.

Life is all about change: growing up and evolving beyond the demanding, needy child you once were; taking responsibility; envisioning the life you want; proactively replacing negative attitudes and actions with value-added, positive ones; and finding meaning in close, caring relationships.

So how can you promote greater selflessness in your relationships? One way is by creating a list of the most destructive, self-serving attitudes and behaviors that may prevent you from focusing on others. Hartman offers his readers an equation to help point out where change may be needed and how it can be actualized: D + V + P > C = CHANGE, where you combine your dissatisfaction with an aspect of your life (D) with a clear vision for how your life could improve (V) and add positive practical solutions for change (P). Tallied up, you will change when the cost of living life as you currently are (C) is greater than (>) the cost of remaining in a state of dysfunction.

When people die, they are missed only by those whose lives they touched…ultimately, your life is a composite of what you did, with whom you did it, why you did it, and how it made people feel.

HOME PLATE: GET OTHERS

Who would miss you most right now if you were gone? Reflecting on this question, you will recognize that crossing home plate and building a full, rich life requires empathy and self-sacrifice—a genuine caring and connection with others. Having gotten over yourself, you now wish to use your newfound emotional strength, your time, energy and considerable gifts to lift others.

Being “home” means something different to each of us. But, in general, home is a place of safety, peace, acceptance, trust, forgiveness and delight; at home, we are free to be our best selves and to connect fully with those around us.

“Home” is also how we can face the world at large; we can be and act our best beyond the walls of our homes. Leo Tolstoy once remarked, “Everyone wants to change the world, but no one wants to change himself.” Yet, ironically, the only person you actually can change is yourself, whether in your marriage, your role as parent, your business associations or your connections with your neighbors. You have to “get them” in order to succeed in getting along with them. You hold the key to every relationship in your life.

In summing up Playing Life to Win, Hartman writes: We need to wake up and pay attention to those whom we value. The ultimate goal for an abundant life is to help others be successful. To live this life you must become vulnerable and allow yourself to risk looking foolish. Becoming real is never easy and doesn’t happen overnight. It takes a long time and doesn’t happen when people are insecure and spend all their energy protecting themselves from the possibility of being hurt.

Shortly before his death, renowned American psychiatrist Karl Menninger was asked what he believed was the best therapy for mental illness. His reply: “Lock up your house, go across the railroad tracks, find someone in need, and do something for them.” Getting to third base is “locking up your house and crossing the railroad tracks.” Coming home is “finding someone in need and doing something for them.” Crossing home plate is all about proactively seeking opportunities to improve the living conditions of others.

We need to be willing to commit and ready to sacrifice our own personal agendas if we ever hope to cross home plate. At the end of the day, it’s not about you. The well-lived life is about serving others, serving their wants and needs, understanding their fears and hopes, making them successful in life.

In some strange way, lifting others frees you to drive your own life abundantly. <

Dr. Taylor Hartman has been helping individuals improve their lives through his business consulting, personal coaching, and public speaking for over 30 years. He is the best-selling author of The Color Code and Color Your Future. For more information visit www.taylorhartman.com or www.playinglifetowin.com.

True to his minimalist editing approach, the long and short of Stevens Anderson’s existence is: he has a loving wife and eight delightful children, likes books, words and word games, and earns his keep by playing with words all day and marketing on the side. His philosophy for life: “Be kind. Remember, everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”