I was facilitating Color Code workshops in a large organization that had tens of thousands of employees and around 3,000 leaders at various levels. This organization had well over 100 locations and depended on Location Leaders to be in charge of each of those locations.  Location Leaders had hundreds of employees under their purview. They were compensated well, and they carried a massive basket of expectations put upon them by the organization.  The organization worked hard to build a pipeline of lower-level leaders to fill these ranks as spots opened up, and over time, a common thread appeared—the candidates often hired into the Locat

The pandemic has been hard on everyone, and we have all coped in different ways. The Reds have worked through their list of home projects, even though it was challenging at times to get supplies. The Blues turn off the news to avoid the constant barrage of suffering. (As a Blue, I couldn’t listen to the numbers going up, the quarantine extensions, etc.)  For the White personalities, this was an opportunity to embrace their natural tendencies. My White-personality son was happy taking his college courses online. He never left the house unless absolutely necessary. But for my 15-year-old daughter, a Yellow, things were really tough.  In

It’s been more than a year since the Happiest Place on Earth closed its doors due to COVID-19 precautions, but at the end of this month, Disneyland will open its enchanted gates once again...for California residents. Those of us unlucky enough to live outside the Golden State only get to imagine the taste of Dole Whip, the smell of Pirates of the Caribbean (it’s a thing, I promise), and the beauty of the castle lit up after dark.  However, we will all be welcomed back to that happy place eventually, and when we are, we need to be prepared to optimize our vacation according to our personalities. The Reds will gear up to get the high sc

You put a lot of attention into your search and hiring of a high-quality employee. It took 42 days and cost the company $4,129, but it paid off. He accepted your offer. This new employee received a competitive salary and excellent benefits—everything that will make him happy. You put him in a department that best suits his impressive hard skills; confident he will bring much-needed value to the team. At first, he proved to be everything you had hoped for. His enthusiasm was infectious, and the team began outperforming their previous numbers. Then, the subtle changes begin. He still has a strong work ethic but no longer seems excited a

When you're dating, have both eyes open. When you're married, keep one eye shut.   This is the advice from the mother of one of my clients. My client, a Blue personality, was dating somebody with a White personality. He was patient and kind, and she felt secure and comfortable. She was familiar with the Color Code, as she had participated in the communication training, and eventually became my workshop assistant.  She told me that knowing his strengths and limitations opened her eyes to who she was dating. She was more patient with the limitations of the White personality. For example, he wasn't verbal about his emotions.   With

Editor’s Note: Names have been changed in the following story to protect the individual’s identities  In my executive coaching practice, I have found that differences in communication styles can play a larger role in someone's success in an organization more than other skills. That was the case when Barb reached out to me about some difficulties she was having with her boss in her new job.   In addition to training webinars, I use the Color Code as a tool to help solve real-world business problems. Barb was brought into a mid-size industrial organization to lead their HR department.  She was so excited fo

As a Blue who loves to talk about feelings, it wouldn’t surprise any Color Code aficionado to learn that I am an advocate for going to therapy. I believe everyone can benefit in some way from attending therapy, no matter their personality type, mental well-being, and life circumstance. A few months ago, I decided to “graduate” from seeing my therapist of two years. She and I bonded during our first session over both being Color Code fans, and her Red logic gave me great insight into my Blue emotions. 

One of the things I worked hard to overcome during my time in therapy was my crippling perfectionism. Ever since I wa

Many of the world’s most successful business people such as John D. Rockefeller and Jack Ma as well as renowned psychologists and researchers including John Mayer, Peter Salovey, and Daniel Goleman, have for years touted the importance of emotional intelligence in leaders as a critical factor for a company’s success. 

But what about the rest of those at a company? 

Does increased emotional intelligence in managers, employees, and staff directly translate into more effective, higher producing, and happier teams at work? 

In an article titled “What Makes a Leader,” written for The Harvard Business Review, D

Red: Do what I’ll 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 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 complicated relationship combination for days, but this article will focus on the foundational difference in MOTIVE that perhaps causes the greatest struggle for these two strong personalities when trying to make a relationship work successfully (whether it

Over the past 8 months, I have occasionally been responsible for home-schooling my 9-year old twin grandsons.

My takeaway from this experience is that I chose the right career path. I am NOT a teacher, and I’m sending a great big shout out to all those who chose teaching as their career path. You are my heroes and here is why:

I am only teaching two kids! According to https://nces.ed.gov, the average primary school class size in America is 20.  That means, based on Color Code demographics, teachers average 5 Reds, 7 Blues, 4 Whites, and 4 Yellows in their classes. Imagine teaching that many kids with such varyin