Colour Characteristics - Check out how they work!
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Lets face it, dealing with
how and why we behave the way we do can be a daunting
task made even more complicated by the abstract nature of the whole thinking
process. To help us out we have enlisted the help of a typical (maybe
not too typical)
team in an organisation. However, the more we examine their behaviour
they begin
to become quite distinguishable from many others in a range of interesting
ways.
What sets them apart in the following descriptions is that they each exemplify
one
of the dominant behavioural patterns found in our 'Colours' model. As
you might
imagine, with such different styles, the ride can often be anything but
smooth!
Perhaps you will be able to
relate to one or more of the characters described below. Which team member
sounds most like you?
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| Blue |
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Blue
demonstrates a strong drive for achievement and tends to become
the leader of his team.
He is a very focused person who usually
knows precisely what he wants to do and fortunately has the ability
to achieve it.
When communicating he normally does this with a sense
of urgency and this can be sometimes
intimidating to less assertive colleagues. However, his intent is
usually very
clear in that he wants his colleagues to quickly take action to
complete
whatever tasks they have been assigned.
Blue tends to be choosy in who
he forms relationships with, as he will tend to associate with like-minded
hard working people who demonstrate an equal sense of urgency. Therefore,
he tends to seek out similarly competent people with whom he can
form mutually beneficial relationships.
Having a strong pragmatic
orientation enables him to quickly identify solutions and to implement
them with equal speed. The end result tends to be a sound resolution
of the problem whilst on occasion it can be a quick `fix' that only
keeps the process going. Fortunately for everyone he tends to realise
in hindsight that it has not been enough to meet longer-term needs
and this triggers a desire to work with colleagues to discover a
more sustainable outcome.
Blue is at his best socially
when he is responsible for some of the action and thus is kept busy
seeing to what needs to be done. He demonstrates an ability to interact
with most people however, he is not particularly good with small
talk and he will tend to gravitate towards like minded people with
whom he can have a purposeful discussion. He usually does not stay
too long in the one place.
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| Yellow |
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Yellow
demonstrates a strong drive for bringing people together and helping
them to work in harmony and therefore is considered a very valuable
team member.
He is a very open and approachable person who relates
easily to almost everyone he meets. This enables him to usually
achieve a high level of collaboration that produces the desired
results for the team.
When communicating Yellow normally
does this in a warm friendly manner with the aim of putting his
listeners at ease and presenting the information in a non-threatening
manner.
There are times when he appears to take too much time to come to
a conclusion and this irritates Blue
with his sense of urgency. In most instances colleagues make allowances
for Yellow's procrastination
because they know his heart is in the right place.
As mentioned above the most obvious characteristic of Yellow
is just how easy it is to relate to him. He comes across as an open
and friendly person who appears to be very interested in every member
of his team in a genuine way.
He can
empathise with a wide range of people and being a good listener
can identify the
common ground between different perspectives in a discussion. This
makes him
welcomed in groups because of the way he can facilitate solutions
based on
finding the common ground.
He prefers group working, particularly
if it is
founded on collaboration and harmonious working practices. He can
be depended on
to provide help and support when needed and this is made easier
through his
skill at building constructive relationships.
He is an ideal colleague for Red
because he is prepared to patiently listen to her stories and exploits
without interrupting. He enjoys having many friends and will make
the time to talk to and be involved with them on a regular basis.
Being generally modest
in his
attitude he doesn't need praise and yet is willing to praise others.
However, he
does like to belong to lots of groups and is usually a welcomed
asset as he
helps to create harmony.
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| Red |
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Red
demonstrates a strong drive to seek creative and innovative solutions
to the issues that she and her team encounter.
She is usually a very outgoing
and
energetic person who loves getting involved in new projects that
interest her,
are not too detailed and won't last too long.
When communicating
she normally
does this with passion and in ways that can inspire and motivate
colleagues to
follow her proposals.
Red is considered to be a real
asset to her team in that she brings energy and fun along with a
sense of adventure and its associated risks. However, her intent
is usually very clear in that she only wants her colleagues to quickly
take action to complete whatever tasks they have been assigned.
Red is recognised by her level
of enthusiasm and energy displayed along with the speed by which
she tackles almost everything she does.
She enjoys
being the
centre of attention as long as it is for the right reason and likes
being centre
stage as this gives her the opportunity to demonstrate her considerable
communication skills that are facilitated by her creative ability.
She is seldom
stuck for an answer and usually first to express her opinion in
a confident and
assertive manner.
Adventure and risk are a normal part of her life
and as such
she can be impulsive in her decision making with the result that
she can at
times be either the 'star' or 'failing' with distinction. However,
if she fails
she is very seldom depressed for long as a new idea will attract
her and away
she goes with her usual optimism and energy.
Much of her time is
spent with
other people as she tends to be energised when interacting with
others. She is
very proficient at social events, as she will be happy connecting
with a wide
range of people including strangers.
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| Green |
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Green
demonstrates a strong drive for accuracy and efficiency in everything
she does and tends to be regarded by her team colleagues as a very
valuable member of the team.
She is a very detailed person who usually
knows precisely where to seek the information that enables her to
be fully informed on each important issue her team is facing.
When
communicating she normally does this in a factual, considered
manner.
If challenged she is likely to respond by presenting her
case with considerable intellectual merit. Having carefully researched
each issue she is inclined to form an opinion on what should be
done to deal with it and if others differ with her solution she
can be very stubborn by holding on to her views longer than is appropriate.
Green has an active interest
in the environment and is seen to be keen to conserve resources.
Whatever activity she gets involved in is tackled with dedication
to achieve the best possible result even if it takes a high personal
toll. This is very much due to her drive for a degree of perfection in all that she does.
Knowledge
and competence is high on her list of desires and this drives her
to seek every opportunity to learn and acquire new knowledge.
She
is often the most informed member of the team and can usually be
depended on to have the details at her fingertips most of the time.
When developing relationships she tends to seek like-minded people
who she respects and will form deep relationships based on mutual
trust and respect.
Green likes a structured working
environment in which the rules and procedures are explicit and everyone
sticks to them.
Central to her character is a drive for certainty and this
produces the need for accuracy. She can usually analyse complex
information and make sense of it in ways that her colleagues find
difficult.
She gets satisfaction from being involved in meaningful
discussions in which the arguments have sound intellectual merit.
Being generally reserved in nature she tends to flourish in an intellectually
stimulating environment that engages her interest and in which she
can debate with people she respects.
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