“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.

Just as seasons change, the world has had to adjust to so much change recently, too. With all these significant changes in our lives, it’s never been more important to stay true to our colors and reignite our passion and purpose. Additionally, it’s so much more important for us to build bridges and mend fences to find ways to get along. In Fall, we see lots of colors we don’t normally see, and as the world is re-configuring, we see lots of challenges after being isolated from the pandemic. I will never forget the first time I participated in a Color Code program, and how in ONE DAY, my life changed forever. How could this tool of

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

I come from a line of Blue women. My maternal grandmother was a Blue. My mom is a Blue. I am a Blue. And if I could give any advice to those who know, live with or love a Blue, it is that Blues need to be appreciated. I remember my mom making each of us kids either call my grandma or write her a formal Thank You card every time she gave us a present. Yes, it seems like an obvious thing to do as an adult, but I always felt so silly and a little embarrassed calling her and having what seemed like a serious conversation to 8-year-old me. But my Blue mom knew that HER Blue mom needed to hear that “Thank you.”

As

Recently, I have been re-reading the business bestseller, "Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High" by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler. Crucial conversations are defined as a dialogue where "opinions vary, stakes are high and emotions run strong." A principle premise of the book is that people well-skilled in language start to plan the conversation "in the heart." “Start with the heart” is actually the second step of the seven-step process. This refers to the questions you ask yourself when planning a crucial conversation. With over 4 million copies sold, these writers certa

The other day, I was talking to a new friend who had recently taken the Color Code assessment. We were having a great discussion about how much she enjoyed it. However, she told me she had real trouble understanding what we meant by the “childhood perspective” when answering the questions. Did we mean how she was as an 8-year-old child? Or a 15-year-old? Or what? And why a child to begin with?  We ended up having a great conversation about the reasoning behind this. I thought I would share with you what I shared with her in case you (or someone you know) has ever wondered the same things. What age do we actually mean by “AS A CHILD

Hello!

Party of six, party of six, yes, six!

Who are these people? We live together, but who are we? We are a multigenerational, grand family household.

Here is the cast by generation, gender, and personality color:

Boomer Husband — Red

Boomer Wife — Red, White, and Blue

Millennial Daughter — White

Gen Z Grandson — Yellow

Gen Z Granddaughter — Red and Blue

Gen Alpha Grandson — Red and Blue

As the boomer wife and home manager, I often wonder:

Research shows that giving a bad gift can hurt your relationships and lose business. So how can you be sure you choose something your recipient will love? Nearly every business around the world uses gift giving as a strategy to build relationships with its business partners, employees, clients and colleagues.  The challenge hasn’t been whom to give to or even how much to spend.  It’s always been what to give. When it comes to business gifting, there’s definitely a right way and a wrong way to go about it. According to the 2019 Knack Business Gifting Strategy Report, over 1,000 U.S. business professionals were surveyed and 70

I work in Human Resources.  It’s important for our employees to know if we are in the office when they come to the department with questions. The admin of our department (a purist Blue) sets up a weekly meeting reminder for us to submit our calendar for the following week to her by Thursday morning at 8:30 AM.  Seems simple, right?  The question really is, when is the deadline? We have three of the four of the color personalities represented in our department.  The majority of us are Blue personalities.  This makes sense, given Blue’s natural talent to serve others.  Many of us think the calendar is silly, but we do what the admi

I’ve been teaching Color Code interpersonal communication workshops for nearly ten years. Early on, I came across a question from a participant for which I thought I had an answer. “But what if I don’t know THEIR color?  It’s not like everyone has taken the assessment.” “Well, there’s an addendum to this course called ‘quick-coding.’” At this point, I transitioned to the quick-coding slides and pointed out the cards that teach some quick-coding strategies. Then the student said, “Yeah, this is a little helpful, but I don’t think it’s fool-proof. What if we get it wrong?” The whole class delved into a r