Figuring out what makes others tick, as well as ourselves, is likely to be a lifelong pursuit. Logically, I know that others do not see things in the same way as I do. But in reality, that is a reoccurring lesson.
In a recent workshop on personality styles, it occurred to me that what is important is understanding, acceptance and appreciation for ourselves and others.
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Personality profiles have been around for 2,000 years. Many will be familiar with the Myers-Briggs assessment developed in the ’50s adapted from some of psychologist Carl Jung’s work. Further refinement was done in the late ’70s and the True Colours analysis was developed into a process that is basic and easy to remember.
The four colours are blue, green, orange and gold. According to True Colours facilitator George Boelcke, “Something so simple really does become a powerful tool to impact our lives and our relationships in practical and measurable ways.”
He uses the analogy of speaking different languages to help illustrate the idea of how challenging it can be to understand and work with different personality styles from your own. Recalling an incident from years ago when horseback riding with a gal who spoke only German and me, of course only English, further drove home the concept.
Some will say that you cannot divide people into four distinct types, but it is more that individuals have certain tendencies and are made up of a combination of the different types. Boelcke also says, “We are as unique as fingerprints but do share common traits.” He also relates it to a jigsaw puzzle where we don’t have equal-sized pieces.
There is a simple and quick analysis tool to complete and come up with your own ranking. The total score is 80 and each colour will be a portion of that. Some will have high tendencies in one or two colours, while others may be more balanced.
Orange
Strengths of orange are being self-confident and energetic; open-minded and a quick decision-maker; a lateral thinker and practical problem solver; competitive, testing boundaries; a multi-tasker, entertainer and great negotiator; inventive, fast-paced and flexible. Their core needs are freedom and skillfulness. Their preference is to enjoy the spontaneity of the moment. Their challenge is to stick to the original specific agreement and see it through until the end. Stressors for oranges are rules and regulations; no challenges or competition; needing to follow exact steps and procedures; boredom, routines and lack of flexibility.
Gold
Strengths of gold include being dependable and task-oriented; punctual and well-prepared; enjoying planning and organizing; being a details person; following structure and rules; being service-oriented, loyal, traditional and liking to maintain the status quo. Core needs are duty and responsibility. Their preference is to plan and execute. Their challenge is pushing closure or forcing their point of view. Stressors for gold include changing plans; disorganization and messiness; people who don’t keep their word; people who have a “whatever” attitude and lack respect for time.
Blue
Strengths of blue include warmth, being caring and nurturing; being mediators, people-oriented and peace-makers; being harmonious, romantic and spiritual; supporting and encouraging others; preferring co-operation over competition; being intuitive, imaginative and always empathetic. Core needs are relationships and authenticity. Their preference is to appreciate the moment without analysis. Their challenge is stating their own needs and standing up for them. Stressors for blues include excessive criticism;, negative people and situations, feeling excluded, not communicating, conflict and rejection.
Green
Strengths of green include intellectual vs. emotional; tendency to evaluate all possibilities before making a decision; being a theoretical and a practical decision-maker; being inquisitive and investigative; embracing technology and love for learning and discovery. Core needs are knowledge and information. Their preference is to examine all experiences so they can improve next time. Their challenge is being ready, willing and able to give in sometimes, even if it doesn’t make sense. Stressors for greens are fixed routines; excessive social functions; lack of control; emotional situations and people; restrictions and lack of independence and not enough quiet time.
What really lifts golds is being of service. For greens it is insights. For blues, it is helping people. For oranges it is recognition.
Our teams and families will be made up of different combinations of styles. “Our strength and success come from combining our talents with others because alone we cannot be everything to everybody,” says Boelcke.
Do you recognize yourself in any of the descriptions? Or perhaps someone on your team?
It bears repeating that as our operations transition, the next generation won’t be exactly like us. We should take this into account when determining not only enterprises but also roles and responsibilities. It is likely someone with orange tendencies would excel at marketing. A gold person can be strong at record-keeping and organizing systems. Those with blue leanings are good at team building. Greens can lead major decisions with all the knowledge and factors required.
Boelcke goes on to say, “When we live our lives in ways that feed our joys and values, this contributes to building our self-esteem. We all strive to live and function in ways that reinforce our self-esteem and continuously grow us in positive ways.”
He stresses that no colour or combination is better or worse,. “We can begin to spend more time looking for what we have in common instead of looking at our differences.”
No matter which analysis tool you use, hopefully you will find insights that will be useful to both you and those around you. Just as there are strengths in the different cattle breeds we prefer, there are too in all of us. Can you tell that I have some strong blue tendencies?
