Are you happy at work? Are we supposed to be? Don’t scroll yet.

What if we took that “happy” word that has so many meanings and consider this: what would happen if we took a different approach and planned for the pursuit of purpose while recognizing how we can find strength in our collective differences to improve our happiness?

Let me be clear. False happiness is worse than no happiness at all. If you are a person who is still working on finding your purpose, you are not alone. Even more, if you are not a “naturally sunshiney” personality, I would offer that greater self-awareness le

During a 26-year naval career, one of my tours of duty brought me to the Washington DC area. It was around this time that I married and brought my new bride there to start our life’s journey together. She is an operating room nurse and eventually took a  department manager position at one of the largest metropolitan hospitals in the area in  the mid-1990s.  Her hospital’s management team scheduled an offsite conference for all department  managers, which included a Color Code workshop facilitated by Dr. Taylor Hartman. At  the conclusion of the workshop, she and her colleagues were amazed at how accurately the descriptions of thei

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

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

Red: “Do what I say, and we'll get along just fine.” Blue: “Tell me you appreciate me, and I'll walk to the ends of the earth for you.” Welcome to the complicated relationship of Reds and Blues. A relationship combination that you've probably heard us lovingly refer to in the past as "Blood, Sweat, and Tears."   Truthfully, we could talk about this combination for hours, but for the sake of time, this article will focus on one particular tendency of the relationship blend and why it can cause problems if left unchecked: The tendency that neither Reds nor Blues typically offer (at least for very long) what the other perso

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

Can Color Code help an aspiring college student find the “best-fit” major? The short answer—YES.   The more complicated answer—it will help, but it will not tell you exactly what to study. So… How can it help?   There is an important concept in interviewing and hiring the best person for a job; it’s called motivational fit. The idea of motivational fit is that the best-fit candidate will have a natural motivation to do the type of work required for a job. A common question to determine motivational fit is, “Tell me about your ideal workday.”  The candidate might respond:  “I’d like to have flexib

Do you know what happens to your quality of life if you decide to live by happenstance rather than choosing to live your life by design?  Happenstance takes no effort, and it’s a sure bet that you’re setting the bar of life extremely low.  This occurs whenever someone decides they will just see what happens to their quality of life providing no sense of planning, life strategy or vision.  Happenstance can further be the evidence of selecting to just go along with the crew at chow time and eat from the plate of life from whatever is served up and whatever the rest of the crew is eating. Living life by design is simple…not easy!�

“To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and then we must use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others.” - Anthony Robbins Have you ever noticed how GOOD it feels to be really listened to? It’s impactful and conveys respect and value.  The ability to effectively communicate with others remains the single most important factor on a leader’s list of attributes. A big part of effective communication is active listening.  Unfortunately, one of the big communication challenges most people face is that we don't actively listen to understand.

You might have heard the saying, “The best tools are the ones that get used.” This is how I feel about the Color Code.  In my corporate career, I was exposed to the benefits of five different personality assessments. I loved each of them for their unique insights into my behaviors; however, after some time would go by, I would forget what I learned and fall back into autopilot mode. I would relate to others based upon my instincts and experience. This was the case for 30 years until I learned about the Color Code.  I was first introduced to “The Character Code,” Dr. Taylor Hartman’s sequel to “The Color Code,” in my tran