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

I remember the first time I did yoga. I was in a warm, smelly gymnasium, surrounded by my fellow sixth graders. The lights were dim, and my hippie-dippie sixth-grade teacher, Mrs. Harris was leading us in the zen practice she loved so dearly. I stifled laughter the entire time. The idea of pretending to be a tree or a chair could not seem crazier to me. I thought it was so stupid and did not care for the experience at all.  More than 17 years have passed, and I’ve not only come to love yoga since then, I recently started my training to become a certified yoga instructor. Maybe it’s the added stress life has handed me since the somewha

High school seniors, in October, right after lunch.  As teachers, we understand what this means as far as classroom dynamics go for about the first 5 to 10 minutes of class.  Students go off campus, load up on sugars and carbohydrates, chat in the parking lot with friends, conjure up the next plan for the weekend events, commentary on social media, and have a moment of disconnect from the demands of performing on AP assignments and exams and college preparation as well as maintaining a work-school-home balance. It was this class that prompted the utilization of Color Code as I recognized a disconnect with clique-like groups that had form

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

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

Sometimes people ask me why we bother talking about limitations in our program. I hear things like, "Doesn't that just create negativity?" and "We want people to feel good about themselves, so can you just skip the discussion on limitations?" In fact, several years ago, we walked away from a very large client who represented a significant amount of ongoing revenue, over a similar question. I remember talking to the executive on the phone. I knew that they had vetted several personality-based programs (Color Code being one of them), and she called me to share their decision. She told me that they all "LOVE the Color Code program," and

A few weeks ago, a student of the Color Code asked me a great question. She said, "I'm loving learning about how to adapt to work more effectively with each of the four Color Code styles, but I'm finding it difficult constantly trying to act like a Red for one co-worker and then switch into Yellow mode for somebody else. Does it get easier to present as each of the colors over time???" While I applauded her commitment to applying what she'd been learning, I could tell she was seriously stressed over the idea of having to know everybody's Color Code all the time and constantly trying to switch her style conversation by conversation. As the r

Yellows and Blues are so opposite, it’s kind of comical. Yellows are carefree while Blues are professional worriers. Yellows are uncommitted and Blues are very committed. Yellows are self-centered and Blues are compassionate. These two colors are quite the opposite pair! For you Yellows out there who are married to or good friends with a Blue, it’s probably hard for you to understand them sometimes. If you don’t quite always know how to handle them, here are a few things you can do to treat your Blue loved ones right and help them stay sane. 1. Help them see their worries in perspective Worrying is tough for poor Blues, even though th

On our recent Facebook post where we asked Reds what the hardest part about being a Red is, we noticed multiple comments from Reds saying the hardest part about being a Red is zipping their lips. In other words, several commenters talked about how it is hard to keep their mouths shut. Since several of our Facebook users mentioned this challenge, we thought we’d offer a few suggestions that may help you refrain from speaking too hastily. 1. Think About Other People’s Feelings First One of our commenters mentioned the hardest part about being a Red is, “trying not to hurt people's feelings with my direct opinions all the time – keepin

One of the Time Management Tips for Whites from the Color Code Cards is to “set proactive agendas rather than reacting to agendas others set for you.” This is something I need to work on. Although I’m a core Blue, I have a lot of White, and I struggle to be a little too satisfied with letting other people do the planning while I just do the participating. Growing up, my very Blue mother was fantastic at making fun plans for the family. I was always happy to go along for the ride. Now, my Yellow husband is good at planning fun things for us to do. Once again, I’m happy to let him do it. However, I’ve realized letting other people