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

I was raised by a mom who is about as Blue as they come. She plans family events months (or even years) in advance, she is easily moved to tears, and she is passionate about her relationships. What throws me for a loop, though, is her secondary color is Yellow. Blues and Yellows are complementary opposites (emphasis on OPPOSITES), so it’s a combination that is hard for me to grasp. But something my mom always says, which is so true, is that her Yellow really shines through when she is on vacation.  One of my mom’s favorite things to do on vacation is to rent bikes and ride along the beach, park, mountain trail, or wherever it is we ar

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

Have you ever looked at someone and thought to yourself, “She shouldn't be eating that ice cream cone,” or, “That tattoo is awful,” or laughed at a meme that shows someone who might not look "normal?” A month ago, I attended a birthday party at a casino. I am not a big gambler, but the person whose birthday it was is important to me, so I went. After the birthday celebration, everyone dispersed to the slot machines and gaming tables. I retreated to the Keno pit. Keno is a very slow game. Placing a bet was my ticket to sit in the comfort and quiet of the pit to do one of my favorite things—people watch.  I found mys

Have you ever watched and listened during a work meeting and wondered about your co-workers? Before learning about Color Code, I did. Years ago, I can remember sitting in a meeting and listening to all the statistical data about the end of the current fiscal year and how it affected the numbers for the next fiscal year budget. My boss at the time was merely giving facts. There was a note of compassion in that he felt we needed to know what was going on with the agency, but the focus was more on what needed to be done, what would be cut out, and how he wasn’t going to be hiring additional staff to keep from being in a position to have

Like many other things in life, Color Code is easy to use when the information is new and we are excited about it, but over time, our recall of the information begins to diminish. Like a muscle, the less we use our knowledge, the less effective and useful it is. It has been said over and over that “knowledge is power,” and that is true, but it has also been said that “knowledge is only power if we use it.”   So what are some ways we can use this powerful, life-changing tool? First of all, we need to make a conscious effort each day to use it. Keep reading to learn about a few exercises I do to keep this information in my arsenal.

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