“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

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

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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

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SITUATION: The CEO of a software company met with her vice presidents to plan the agenda for the annual all-employee meeting. The purpose of the meeting each year is to update and energize the 120 employees of the organization. The CEO’s address is the capstone of the meeting. One vice president conducted the meeting and it all progressed according to plan until the website update came up. The woman giving the update had worked with the company less than six months. However, she was very experienced, well spoken and clear in her presentation. The sales team started asking questions one after another with increasing criticism about the new d

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With a demanding new project on the horizon, you have decided to appoint a group leader to head it up. In the past, employees within the group have worked independently, without any defined leadership. However, you feel it would be beneficial to appoint a formal leader for the group. Each color will bring with it its own set of leadership strengths and limitations. Knowing those characteristics will help you select the person best suited for this project. Red A healthy Red will make a wonderful leader. Reds are visionary; they are always thinking a few steps ahead. They will set a structured course for the team and give clear directions. Team

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Seventy percent of college graduates leave their first job within two years of starting it because they don't feel the job is a good fit for them. Eighty-five percent of people fired last year were fired because of relationship problems at work. Approximately 65–85 percent of mergers and acquisitions fail to deliver the desired results for which the companies come together, largely because of company culture clashes that cause top talent to exit the organization or lose focus and energy. Being able to attract and retain top talent brings bottom line benefits to any workplace. By some estimates, the cost of rehiring an employee knowledge wo

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Who is to blame? It wasn’t my fault! Far too many of today’s organizations are afflicted with this pandemic of finger pointing. If it is not a person, it is a circumstance or somehow an act of God. Similar to the backseat that creativity has taken in many organizations; the lack of personal accountability has been even subtler and more elusive in the manner by which it has infiltrated businesses worldwide. Although it is difficult to quantify the hard costs, we understand that the lack of personal accountability within an organization has a drain on time, resources and overall employee morale. Understanding this, we as leaders, must be w

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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

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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.

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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,

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