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Weekly Tools and Tips to Improve Any Relationship

April 20, 2022

How to support the rare emotionally vulnerable Red

Reds rarely if at all tend to show emotional vulnerability. To put themselves out there, whether consciously or unconsciously, is totally opposed to their personality. When emotional vulnerability is demonstrated, it is best to allow the Red to express himself without too much reaction from you. To empathize and express compassion is not the best way to handle it, either. The Red will feel uncomfortable to hear such reactions of understanding and consolation. What has worked for me in dealing with Reds is to pretend to ignore emotional vulnerability. Instead, I make an objective statement about the reason for his or her response without touch

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March 16, 2022

Teamwork and My Color Code Story

During a 26-year naval career, one of my tours of duty brought me to the Washington DC area. It was around this time that I married and brought my new bride there to start our life’s journey together. She is an operating room nurse and eventually took a  department manager position at one of the largest metropolitan hospitals in the area in  the mid-1990s.  Her hospital’s management team scheduled an offsite conference for all department  managers, which included a Color Code workshop facilitated by Dr. Taylor Hartman. At  the conclusion of the workshop, she and her colleagues were amazed at how accurately the descriptions of thei

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March 9, 2022

Do This One Thing Every day For A Better Life. Guaranteed.

GRATITUDE If you're thinking that I'm being cheesy or a little too "Pollyanna" about this - please hear me out. There is a scientific foundation for what I'm saying. Psychologist Robert Emmons has been researching gratitude from a scientific perspective for over 15 years. The following is a list of benefits that have been linked to increased levels of gratitude: Improved physical, emotional, and social well-being Greater optimism and happiness Improved feelings of connection in times of loss or crises Increased self-esteem Heightened energy levels Strengthened heart, immune system and decreased blood pressure

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March 2, 2022

Harry Potter and the Color Code Conflict

I’m a big Harry Potter fan. I own the audiobooks, two sets of the series printed in Britain, one set printed in America, a Russian version and a Chinese version. What can I say, I am a nerd. I’ve even found myself in conversations relating Harry Potter to the Color Code. My brother once asked me to quick code each of the four Hogwarts houses into the four personality types. Of course, I sorted the resourceful, power-hungry Reds into Slytherin, the adventurous, fun-loving Yellows into Gryffindor, the peacemaking, easygoing Whites into Hufflepuff and the responsible, perfectionistic Blues into Ravenclaw.

I’m

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February 23, 2022

Organized, not overwhelmed: Tips for Yellows

Let’s Get Organized!  Oh, how we love our Yellows! The enthusiasm and energy these fun-loving creatures bring into our lives make the world that much more of an enjoyable place to be. With the world being such a fun-filled adventure, Yellows need the freedom to experience creativity in a work environment that maximizes their opportunities.     Yellows are unique individuals and need to be organized in their own way. Even if you don’t understand their rhyme or reason, Yellows must have a degree of autonomy to build out their tasks for the day. I do recommend that when giving Yellows this freedom, refrain from barking at them t

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February 16, 2022

The Great Resignation: The Era of the Employee

There have been significant changes. We've all noticed them. Buzz phrases like 'the great resignation' and 'the era of the employee' are all over the news and business blogs. There are help wanted signs in many establishments. The U.S. now has more job openings than at any time in history. Employees are jumping ship in record numbers. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that in September of '21, over 4.4 million people voluntarily left their jobs. It's being called, 'The Era of the Employee.' With nearly 11 million job openings in the U.S., workers have the advantage and are making decisions to improve their working condit

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January 26, 2022

Book Review: Playing Life to Win by Taylor Hartman

As a Transformational & Intentional Creativity Life Coach, I am a fan of self-help books.  Many are full of very insightful perspectives and insights that have shifted my thinking, and some have truly been a catalyst for significant healing in my life. And I’m not alone. It’s estimated that the self-help industry will reach $14 billion by 2025.  Despite my being a fan of self-help books, there is one thing that gnaws at me about many of them. Many of them overlook that we’re not all the same. They give cookie-cutter solutions versus giving tools or recommendations based on understanding who we are as individuals (i.e., what's good

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December 15, 2021

Ask the Expert: Why is my adult personality different from my childhood personality?

“Hi I had a criticism of this questionnaire. There are some items where none of the responses applied. I would say that was true on about three or four of these. There should therefore either be a ‘none apply’ or more options, because this will skew results. I think your assessment is correct except that it is wrong on a couple important fronts — about how I am now. This asks questions about being a child, but for someone like myself, who has been on a path of self-development since a young age, the way I was when I was a child is different than how I was as a teenager and as an adult and also from the things I’ve h

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November 3, 2021

5 Listening Traps to Avoid

“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.

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September 22, 2021

Color Code and Crucial Conversations

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

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