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

Have you ever thought about your habits and how much they really influence your life? If you’re like me, you might have never given it much thought. However, I recently had the opportunity to do this and can safely say I was surprised to come to the realization that more often than not, it’s been my HABITS which have had the greatest impact on my life in almost every facet. For example: My habits surrounding study and school were ultimately what determined much of my educational success and opportunities—or lack thereof. My habits surrounding eating and exercise have determined much of my health—or lack thereof.  My habit

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.

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

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

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

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