Ewa Blaszczak

COLORS

A User’s Guide to Human Interactions

Edition I, English

Warsaw, Poland, 2018

Edition I, English.

Copyright © Ewa Blaszczak 2018

Warsaw, Poland, 2018 .

English edition

Sarah Barbour, Aeroplane Media, www.adventure.ink

Epub composition

Studio Grafpa, www.grafpa.pl

Graphic design

Kamil Gorgon, ARF Design, www.arf.com.pl

Photos

Tomasz Zakrzewski, ARF Design, www.arf.com.pl

I would like to express my gratitude to the Brain Embassy

(www.brainembassy.com) for hosting the photo session

ISBN: 978-83-951408-0-8

www.ewablaszczak.com

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material from (including photocopying or storing it in any medium by electronic means and whether or not transiently or incidentally to some other use of this publication) without the written permission of the copyright owner. The doing of an unauthorized act in relation to a copyright work may result in both a civil claim for damages and criminal prosecution.

Table of Contents

A Summary for Busy People

Introduction

PART ONE: UNDERSTANDING THE COLORS

1. Colors by Person, or Colors by Country?

2. A Chapter for the Green-and-Blues, i.e., The Theoretical Foundations of the Model

3. Meet the Colors

4. Self-Assessment Made Easy

5. Identifying Other People’s Colors

6. Colors and Clothing

7. Colors by Communication Style

8. Developing the Colors’ Talents

PART TWO: LEARNING & DEVELOPING BY COLOR

9. What’s the Point of All This, Anyway?

10. Too Many Talents

11. Colorful Reptiles

12. Different Strokes for Different Folks – How We Learn

13. Lighter Sides and Darker Sides

14. The Color Map

15. Fundamental Values: Core Motivators

16. Color Combinations

17. Creative Types

18. Friendships and Frictions

19. The Colors under Stress

20. Communication Toxins

21. The User’s Guide to People

22. Building a Colorful Team

PART THREE: THE COLORS AT WORK

23. Colorful Leaders

24. Being a Versatile Leader

25. How to Speak to Make Employees Listen … and How to Listen to Make Employees Speak

26. Innovation

27. The Colors in Sales

28. Color the World!

Quiz

A Summary for Busy People

I always like it when a book contains a summary, which allows me to see at a glance what the text is about or helps me recall its main points if I pick it up again after having read it some time ago. That’s why I decided to include an “Executive Summary” of the concept of Colors (in corporate-speak, that’s what time-stressed managers are usually provided with). Since this book is meant to make your life easier, let’s wait no longer; here’s the crème de la crème:

People are often seem “strange,” that is, different from us, and because life is a social game, interacting with others is unavoidable. That is why it is useful to have a simple “user’s guide” to people, enhancing the probability of mutual success–a so-called win-win situation.

As we go through this user’s guide to people, we will draw on the advice of psychoanalyst Carl Gustav Jung (1875–1961), and we will categorize people on the basis of how they approach life. Combining these methods, we arrive at four types of people, to whom we will assign the following colors: Red, Blue, Green and Yellow (throughout the book, these colors will be capitalized when used to refer to the four essential types).

Only four styles of human behavior? Isn’t that an oversimplification, or even stereotyping?

Maybe so, but first of all, THIS MODEL REALLY WORKS, and second of all, no one (except maybe the Blues) would be likely to actually use a more complex system.

Successfully managing your relationships on the basis of Colors requires: (a) learning how to distinguish Colors, and then (b) learning how to work with them. Below, you will find a summary of each Color’s essential attributes and how to manage them. You can cut it out and keep it in your wallet or take a picture of it.

Understanding Colors not only allows us to build effective relationships in both business and private life, but also makes it possible for us to achieve a better understanding of ourselves and thus make use of our talents and enhance our strengths. There is little to be gained by working on our weaknesses; it’s just not worth the effort. It is more worthwhile to determine our natural talents and predispositions and align our actions with them. The Color Model is invaluable in helping us select our life path and in developing personally and professionally. (It is also a superb tool when we want to help teenagers choose their path in life, but the topic of how to use the Color Model on our children will have to wait until the next book.)

Using the Color Model has two priceless side effects: when you study your own style, you automatically direct your attention to your needs–you get to know yourself, you develop as a person. And by analyzing the Colors of the people around you, you develop the invaluable habit of observing your fellow humans, asking yourself questions about who they are, what they are like, what they need, and how best to communicate with them.

My intention in writing this book is to both give you the resources to better understand yourself and the people around you and, just as importantly, to develop a habit of curiosity and attentiveness about people, how they think, react, and function in the world.

Well, if the curiosity of impatient readers has at least partly been satisfied, we can now proceed to explaining everything thoroughly and in order (i.e., Blue style).

Introduction

This book is about Colors: a model that’s simple, cheap, and effective–and that’s the kind of model we like best, right?

When I teach workshops about the Color Method, participants often say, “Ewa, you ought to sit down and write a book–this is amazing stuff!”

So here it is: a book on the Colors Method, available to everyone. I’m really excited to share this information with you because the Color Method has the power to transform your life in ways you can’t even imagine.

I wrote this book first of all to be practical and useful–after all, I am Green, so being “needed” is one of my primary values. It is also my goal that the book be an easy and pleasant read, something you can enjoy with a glass of wine or a cup of tea; this is a simple framework that doesn’t need to be overly complicated or arduous to learn.

What you won’t find in Colors are “results of studies” or “researchers have found …” Well, okay, there’ll be some of that, but not too much. As a Green, I aim to provide material that is straightforward and accessible, not obscured by academic language and confusing statistics.

Think of this book as a user’s guide to people. Consider it a cocktail of all the knowledge I’ve gathered over ten years as a management consultant, a trainer, a business coach, a leader, and a human being, a summary of everything I’ve learned about communication, motivation, talent, human development, neurology, neurolinguistics, management, and life. This accumulated knowledge is based on around 2000 hours of coaching sessions and over 100 hours spent with teams which I built on the basis of Colors. I’ve helped hundreds of people successfully identify their most fulfilling path in life, and I’ve used the Colors method on my own–and sometimes other people’s–children, for whom it worked better than anything Supernanny could have dished out.

In the end, the book will be published pretty much just the way I wrot

As you read, you will notice that most of the examples 1provided are extreme. Like a caricaturist, I will try to highlight the characteristic features of each Color, and I will often illustrate my point with exaggerated or humorous situations. There’s a reason for this: before I send you out into the world to start working with Colors in practice, I want to make the differences between Color styles very clear, to polarize them for you so that it’s easier to grasp the fundamental differences between them. This foundation will be useful when you start to deal with the nuances of everyday reality. And, as I already mentioned, I want the book to entertain as well as educate.

Warning! Colors are contagious and addictive. Don’t be surprised if, once you start using them in your life, you won’t be able to stop.

How do I know?

One day while I was visiting my family, I told them all about the Colors method. I explained that my mom and brother were Blue, which was why their closets were immaculately organized, and why my brother had painted the window frames in his house seven times to make sure they were exactly the right shade of brown. My dad is Red, meaning–I’m trying to say this diplomatically–you can count the number of times that he’s admitted to being wrong about something on one hand. My younger brother is Yellow; he has a tendency to make unrealistic promises, but he’s a lot of fun to hang out with. And I myself am Green, so even though I’m the first to say, “I can’t, I don’t know how, I’m too busy,” I always manage to get the job done anyway.

A few months after the Color conversation I had with my family, I called my mom to tell her about another “terrible, horrible, hopeless” situation in my life (Greens have a tendency to slightly exaggerate their misfortunes, but don’t you dare use the word “exaggeration” to their faces). So there I was, telling her my story and expecting a sympathetic ear, and all she had to say was, “Oh, come on, you have to act more Yellow!” –the Yellow motto being: “It’ll work out somehow.”

And she was absolutely right.

The same goes for our work environment. As someone who designs development projects for about 5000 managers a year, I have implemented dozens of various models of management. Only the Color Model gets “absorbed” into the organization quickly and permanently. When I meet managers even years after they’ve completed our management academy, they’re still talking about the Colors, the impression our model made on them, and the ways they’ve been able to improve their businesses as a result of learning about them. That’s where the power lies! Learning Colors is an investment which offers high returns.

I believe that everyone should have the chance to understand themselves and other people better, and that the Colors model is one of the most efficient ways to do that. Understanding your Color will help you understand:

What you need most;

What motivates you most effectively;

Where your natural talents lie.

Above all, though, it gives us clues about how to communicate.

Imagine knowing how to communicate effectively with anyone: spouse, child, employee–even your mother-in-law! (My research suggests that ~70% mothers-in-law react positively to applications of the Color Model.) Being aware of your own Color–in other words, knowing what type of person you are–will make your life easier. You will understand why some tasks are a piece of cake while others pose a major challenge, why some people have no trouble sticking to a diet and others can’t make it to the 9 a.m. morning meeting before eating a donut. Your frustrations with yourself and with other people will decrease dramatically because you’ll understand where certain behaviors come from. It will easier to plan your own personal development and that of your employees because you will know both your potential and theirs. When you match communication to a particular person, then negotiations, sales, or an engaging talk run smoothly, practically of their own accord. Nothing but benefits!

There’s your introduction. Now let’s get to the nitty gritty.

What is the Color Model?

- – The Color Model is a means of categorizing people’s behaviors into four basic styles which influence how they behave, how they make decisions, and how they deal with the world. For the sake of simplicity, we shall assign each style a Color: there’s dynamic Red, cool Blue, soothing Green, and joyful Yellow. The division is based on the typology proposed by C.G. Jung, which I will elaborate on later in the book.

- What do the Colors do?

- – Colors describe the fundamental “default” blueprint inherent in our personalities, which affects our reactions, predispositions, strengths and weaknesses, motivators, strategies of action, and communication.

- – Our Color gives us information about how we approach relationships, whom we will get along with, and who might irritate us. Our Color also defines how we manage tasks and decisions, what role/job we will succeed in most easily, what situations will stimulate us, and what will bore us. Moreover, it guides our plan for development, indicating the best ways for us to learn, potential sources of stress, most effective ways to relax, etc. How great would it be to know all that?

- Colors: when can they be used?

- – The most valuable use of Colors is to understand the most important person in your life–yourself! This book will help you understand who you are and what you are like. With it, you can create a personalized plan for self-improvement.

- – Use Colors when choosing your field of study or career, for improving communication with your life partner, employees, boss, police officers, shop assistants, and mothers-in-law, as well as your children (I know, because I’ve tried everything to manage my own kids, including Buddhist meditation, and an understanding of Colors worked best).

- – Colors are also exceptionally useful in business management. I will cover this topic in more detail later, but you will learn how to use Colors effectively to:

Select and build a team

Help your employees achieve ambitious goals

Give effective feedback and help your people develop professionally

- – Colors even influence what we wear and give us insight into how we can manage our clothing to best reflect our identity!

- – A knowledge of colors can help you plan the perfect holiday, deal with stress, plan your diet, choose a sport or hobby, and solve conflicts.

- – Colors are invaluable in building lasting relationships (I am speaking from the perspective of a woman who has been happily married for 17 years; moreover, my husband and I work together, for which we definitely deserve a medal).

- – Colors will stimulate your creativity and help you innovate.

- – Colors are also a management tool for conducting effective (and pleasant) meetings.

Mind you, the above are only a few of the MANY uses of Colors.

Why use the Color model?

- – The model is extremely simple: just four colors.

- – Learning the Colors is easy, and it’s a lot of fun.

- – The results of becoming familiar with the Colors are instantly visible: an increase in self-awareness, learning the “instructions” for other people, enhanced communication, and more conscious management of yourself and your relationships with others.

- – The model can be implemented smoothly into your personal and work life. Many years of experience prove that it is actually the easiest model to implement: after a one-day training, over 90% of groups introduce the Colors into their organizations without additional effort related to managing the change. The characteristic feature is that the changes are permanent: a year or two after the first training, the majority still remembers and makes use of the Colors.

The Color Model:

- – Is neutral; each Color is of equal importance;

- – Neither eliminates nor limits our work/role options; it opens up opportunities rather than closing them; it answers the question of “how,” rather than “what” to do in life;

- – Is not a magic pill that will fix every relationship or improve the management of every employee, though its effect is often close to miraculous. You can compare the model to the combined power of WD40 and duct tape: they can’t fix everything, but they’re dead useful, readily available, cheap, and easy to use.

For academic purposes, I’ve separated the Colors by their most extreme traits and enlisted some stereotypes to help you to see the differences more clearly and to learn to use Color communication in practice. Reality is, of course, more nuanced.

Therefore, when you read here that Yellows have a problem with time management, interpret it as a characteristic feature of the general Yellow population, not a defining trait of every last one of them. There are Yellows who don’t procrastinate and have everything ready on time (though to be honest, I have never met such a specimen myself), but more frequently, Yellows tend to show up late and prefer jobs with flexible working hours because time management simply isn’t their strong suit.

Colors: basic programming and development

- – Every adult human possesses certain natural predispositions, i.e., an individual, inherent Color mix, which means that:

- • They consistently exhibit certain types of behaviors.

- • They are naturally adept at certain tasks: for instance, for Yellows this would be the ability to come up with creative ideas; for Blues, identifying risks; for Reds, acting under pressure; and for Greens, empathetic listening.

- • Every human being has their own needs and their own ways of doing things.

- – Behaviors which are in line with one’s own “Color programming” are effective, because they create the most positive results with the least energy.

- – It is possible to develop outside of one’s own “Color programming,” but it requires learning new behaviors, venturing outside of one’s comfort zone, making conscious choices, etc. It always involves a bigger investment of energy and time, the ROI of which should be taken into consideration.

- – When dealing with people, it’s almost always more efficient to work with their “default programming,” and only if absolutely necessary, try to use “behavioral apps.”

That said, I need to make it clear that if you are a leader or if you deal in sales, it is absolutely crucial that you learn to switch between styles. Leaders and sales person are most efficient when they are flexible, i.e., when they can communicate effectively with anyone regardless of that person’s “Color programming” and can fluently adapt to the situation.

PART ONE:

UNDERSTANDING THE COLORS

1. Colors by Person, or Colors by Country?

I don’t know about you, but I found that last chapter quite overwhelming. I think we deserve a cup of tea or coffee and a dip in the ocean.

Why the ocean? Well, to make sure there’s plenty of positive energy flowing your way when you read, I decided to write this book in my favorite place on Earth, the island of Bali. While you turn these pages, imagine you are here with me, surrounded by lush green vegetation, listening to the gentle swoosh of the surf and the songs of birds, sipping fresh mango juice. (You’re not crazy about mango? I understand, and as I’m Green, I’ll provide you with whatever juice you like best. Unless you prefer coffee. Coffee is good for anything! In the meantime, I’m going to go for a swim in the ocean and have a drink of that mango juice.)

The ocean water is delightfully warm and crystal clear, and the delicious mango juice is served by charming staff. Everyone is charming on Bali. Cultures, just like people, have their own Colors. The culture on Bali is Green. Everyone here is extremely nice (you will probably notice that as a Green, I tend to overuse such adjectives as “charming” or “nice”), and the people exhibit a calmness and harmony typical of a Green culture. Here, the needs of other people are always given priority.

This is my second visit here, and I was sure I’d be just another anonymous hotel guest, but when I arrived at breakfast on the first day, it turned out the staff remembered me from my previous stay. It gave me such a nice feeling (see, there I am with the “nice” again). The Green staff give every guest individualized attention. They make eye contact when they greet you. They remember details: a person’s likes and dislikes, what you ordered for dinner. They are embarrassed that six months after my last visit, they don’t remember my name. They dedicate time to talk to everyone. There is no service giver/service taker hierarchy here, there are just human beings. (Okay, I am biased, I like Green culture. Forgive me my partiality, though, and remember: there are no good or bad Colors. Each one is valuable, and each has its positive and negative traits.

Back to culture, though. I come from Poland. The question arises: what is Polish culture (the culture I was raised in) like? Is it also Green? On the contrary. Our national culture is blood Red, with a history of uprisings, revolutions, and fighting over everything from independence to who gets the best seat at church.

The Redness of the Polish culture is clearly visible on Polish roads. Not so long ago, I was driving home from the Italian Alps. First I drove along Italian roads, in the sunshine, admiring the views. Everyone was going as they pleased, at their own speed, in the characteristic mild chaos of the Italian Yellow culture, without much regard for traffic regulations, which in the case of Italy inspire rather than limit people. The light nonchalance of the traffic gave a feeling of relaxation and leisure.

Then I entered Switzerland. The Color of culture on the road immediately changed to Sky Blue. The Blue culture can be defined with three words: order, rules and regulations. I slowed down carefully. I had spent too much money on skiing and food in Livigno to risk a high-priced speeding ticket. I kept my foot light all the way through Navy Blue Germany.

And then I entered Poland. After just a few seconds of driving in the left lane, I lglanced in the rearview mirror and saw the meaningful blinking of lights from the car right behind me. As the vehicle’s bumper approached dangerously close that of my car, I could almost feel the driver’s breath on the back of my neck, the breath of a man hungry for victory and competition, hungry for blood. My pulse raced. The shot of adrenaline and cortisol into my bloodstream activated the amygdala (the part of the brain responsible for survival). Beads of sweat shone on my forehead. My brain gave the signal to flee (Red Poles react with another primitive reflex: they fight, and in order not to allow their rival to win, they nearly squeeze their cars’ guts out; forget penalty points and tickets from the police–what matters in Poland is honor and victory).

Little Green me, desiring safety above all, swerved to the right, and the daredevil from behind zoomed past me, only to stop at the bumper of his next victim, who was most insolently driving in the left lane.

Let’s not demonize the Red culture, though. It deserves respect: it won Poland independence; it takes some credit in the victory over the communist regime; it allows Polish volleyball and handball teams, as well as skiers, to achieve notable successes despite less-than-competitive budgets for training; it enables Poles to set and obtain ambitious goals. Observe that our nation has quickly picked up sports and a healthy lifestyle like no other. The determination and discipline so characteristic of the Red culture are the reasons why nowhere outside of Poland have I met so many triathletes, marathon runners, and well-groomed women who, at the behest of Ewa Chodakowska, an extremely popular Polish fitness trainer, sweat out their last energy to have beautiful, slim bodies. (I would like to thank Ewa Chodakowska here for my own leg muscles, which she helped me develop and which saved my life while skiing this year.)

Another great example of a Red national culture is the USA. The iconic “American dream” indicates perfectly what the culture is all about–setting audacious goals for the future, reaching the for “unreachable,” being a pioneer, determination, and hard work. It is so Red. Yet the Redness of the American culture is streaked with Yellow: when I went to the States for the first time I was struck by enthusiasm, openness, and cheerfulness of Americans. When my American friends were talking about someone, the biggest compliment they could give was, “He is so much fun,” or “She is hilarious,” which shows how highly valued is the Yellow attitude. The Red-and-Yellow culture sets a great climate for innovation, creativity, bold risk management, and leadership–the factors which have driven the American economy for centuries.

The chapter title implies that there is a question as to whether one is born a certain color or whether one’s color is influenced by the Color of one’s culture. If Poland is so Red, how am I still Green?

Our individual Color is developed mainly as the result of our innate traits (our DNA) and the unique circumstances of our upbringing. Of course as a Polish citizen, I am influenced by our national culture, so I will be show certain typically Polish behaviors like bravery, blaming, or sarcasm. However, my Green behavioral blueprint will dominate the Red behaviors.

On the other hand, the Color of a culture is not a simple sum of the Colors of its members. So the fact that the majority of the Polish people are Green doesn’t make the culture Green. The reason underpinning this phenomenon is the fact that a national culture functions an organism itself, with its unique origin, experiences, attitudes and, eventually, Color. You can perceive this mechanism of personalization of groups when you watch a crowd. A crowd presents its unique characteristics, usually widely different from the characteristics of the individuals who make up the crowd.

2. A Chapter for the Green-and-Blues, i.e., The Theoretical Foundations of the Model

Everyone, everyday, uses various “filters” through which we perceive reality, organize data, and evaluate it. We see, hear, and feel differently, and have our unique experiences and personal system of values. As a result, every person produces a different image of reality; a different map of the same world.

And if we have different maps, then naturally we will select different routes to get to our destinations, the result of which is a wide variety of human behaviors. In short, the difference between people lies in their PERCEPTION of reality. Every one of us looks at the world from a different perspective, which translates into an individual way (style) of managing that reality. Carl Gustav Jung, whose works I will refer to shortly, used to say that “The world does not exist as such, but such as we perceive it.”

The Colors represent four basic behavioral styles. These styles were identified by Jung as four preferences (so-called psychological functions), which he organized in the following contradictory pairs:

- – Thinking/Feeling

- – Perception/Intuition

In Jolande Jacobi’s book, The Psychology of C. G. Jung, we learn that Jung understood psychological function to be “psychological activity, always the same in various circumstances and completely independent of temporary content. What is important is not what a person thinks, but the fact that they use the function of thinking, and not, for instance, intuition, when receiving and processing the content they receive from the outside or inside. It is above all about the way of capturing and processing mental data regardless of its temporary content.”[1]

I will now present the above-mentioned pairs by means of a graph (compliments of the analytical Blues).

The functions or preferences as described by Jung are types of habitual strategies which come naturally to us and which we use spontaneously and, usually, unconsciously. Of course even if someone has a tendency for a thinking approach to reality, they also make use of feelings and the other way around. It is worth establishing which style we are predisposed to because such behaviors are naturally less energy consuming and more effective.

THINKING AND FEELING

The first pair of preferences, Thinking and Feeling, refer to the lens through which we perceive and evaluate the world. They answer the question of WHAT IS IMPORTANT.

Thinking is a way of analyzing and evaluating the world based on facts, goals, and reason-result logic; reality is evaluated on the basis of true/false.

Examples of statements representing Thinking:

- – “Throughout this quarter, you have failed to achieve your targets, so you will not receive a bonus. Plan out your actions for the coming quarter to achieve the assigned goal.”

- – “If you want to take part in the triathlon, you must start your training at once and have iron discipline throughout.”

Feeling is a way of analyzing and evaluating reality through the prism of emotions, relationships, and values. Feeling assesses reality from the perspective of “pleasant vs. unpleasant.”

Examples of statements representing Feeling:

- – “Unfortunately, throughout this quarter you have not managed to achieve your targets. I am very sorry, but I can’t give a bonus to you or anyone in your team. I understand your disappointment. Let’s think about how to pass this news on to employees so that it doesn’t have too bad an impact on morale.”

- – “Relax; if you really want to, I’m sure you can take part in the triathlon. Above all, think positive. Maybe we could train together? It’ll be great! We’ll start with small steps. What do you say?”

People whose approach to the world is dominated by Thinking will be guided by targets and logic in their life and behavior. The emotional and relational layer of reality won’t have as much impact on them. These people are true conquerors: for them, ambitious goals and challenges are a motivating factor. Such people can be admired for their consistency and determination in achieving their goals. I personally envy the ease with which they can stick to diets and exercise regimens. Once set their mind on something, there’s no turning back.

If you are such a person and you have the role of a leader, your team has a good chance of achieving above-average results. Stress and conflicts do not throw you off track or lower your efficiency. However, you might find it challenging to appreciate people and to notice what is going on in the team at the human level.

If you are a person whose approach is dominated by Feeling, then achieving a goal is less important to you than having positive relationships. That is why you dedicate so much of your attention to your community; you care about the conditions of life and work and you need things to be comfortable. You care more about being liked than Thinking people do. Stress, conflicts, and negative emotions in your work and personal life can deplete your energy and decease your motivation.

You may be wondering now whether this is really an either/or situation. Perhaps you feel you fall into both the Feeling and Thinking categories. There are two potential explanations for this:

1. 1. One, you are a so-called two- or three-style person, which means you combine more than one aspect of Jung’s preference model, which in turn is a sign of your great potential and flexibility.

2. 2. Or two, you are Yellow. Yellows usually perceive themselves as such spectacular masterpieces of evolution that they are convinced of the boundless vastness of their predispositions; limiting Yellows to the Yellow style is practically a violation of their self-esteem. (Dear Yellows, forgive the gentle teasing, but I couldn’t help myself; it’s just envy, as all of us non-Yellows are jealous of your natural self-confidence and charisma, which enable you to move mountains.)

PERCEPTION and INTUITION

The second pair of functions that distinguish people are Perception and Intuition. They reflect the way in which we gather and process data. They describe HOW WE ACT.

Perception is the means of gathering, processing and presenting information through our senses: the world is a sum of what I actually see, hear, touch and smell. The perceptive attitude forms a whole from detailed, observed pieces of a puzzle.

Examples of statements representing Perception:

- – “In the previous quarter you obtained 98% of the target, 67% of which resulted from the sale to Client X. The controlling report concludes that two people from your team have failed to achieve the quarterly targets three times in a row. This needs to be thoroughly analyzed and followed by specific improvements.”

- – “The soles of my new shoes have a completely different design, which translates into much-improved running times. However, the triathlon expert at the shoe store claimed that they are typically less effective than my previous footwear. I believe that this might be the result of the specific build of my foot: a high instep and flat foot which unfortunately could not be fixed, even with long-term physical therapy. This positions my foot in a non-standard way, with less weight on the heel compared to other runners.”

Intuition is a way of gathering, processing and presenting data which consists in building a general image of the world on the basis of selected key elements, with the omission of details; it is a strategic image of the world (“the big picture”).

Examples of statements representing Intuition:

- – “I have the sales report in front of me, and it seems to me that the main problem in your team is the struggle for power between Mark and Tom, which brings down the morale and the efficiency of the entire team. I think this is the main obstacle in achieving the target. Take a look at it.”

- – “Overall, my training is going well. I generally stick to the plan, so I will be in good form for the competition. I like the gear I bought; the shoes are great. I’m glad I didn’t listen to the guy in the shop, but rather trusted my own intuition. After all, I know best what’s good for me.”

Perception is the experiencing of reality with the help of the senses. The perceptive person will notice the details of a situation, but will not see the general context. The French call this fonction du réel, the function of reality. Intuition also “perceives” reality, but instead of consciously interpreting it, it uses the subconscious “inner perception” of possibilities concealed in things. And so the intuitive type may fail to notice details, but may more easily grasp the present relationships, contexts, and consequences of a given situation.

In the world of Intuition, the map of reality is formed very quickly, because people of this style need only a moment to collect the key elements and put them together in a full picture. People of this preference are quite swift in making decisions and acting upon them. They tend not to perform an exaggerated analysis of the world and don’t split hairs. This gives them a feeling of self-confidence, and they are statistically more willing to taking risks.

There are significant consequences to such a mental construct. The so-called right-sided people (see the graph above) usually have higher self-esteem than the left-sided ones. They enjoy innovation, change, and novelty; being able to quickly assess a situation, they easily adapt to a new reality. On the other hand, the speed with which they form assessments sometimes means they overlook important details or act rashly. When right-side people don’t have access to all the information or don’t bother analyzing it thoroughly, they tend to “fill in the blanks” with assumptions and mental short-cuts.

As for making assumptions and mental short-cuts, here is an example:

- – Wife: Honey, I am flat broke this month. Would you lend me some money? I really need new shoes. I was thinking about red shoes, high-heeled and with a ribbon

- – Husband: Well, all right.

When the delivery man brings the order, the husband turns to the wife in anger:

- – Husband: Are you crazy? Three pairs of shoes?

- – Wife: What’s the problem? I told you what I was buying: one pair of red shoes, one with a ribbon, and the third high-heeled.

With regard to the above-described preferences, Jung assigned attitudes which refer the direction of the flow of energy: inwards (introverts) or outwards (extroverts). Therefore, we may come across such types of behavioral styles: a thinking introvert, a feeling introvert, a thinking extrovert, a feeling extrovert, etc.

As this book is supposed to be helpful and not confusing, let’s agree on a simplification: extroversion is usually combined with powerful intuition, and introversion is usually associated with people who see the world in a perceptive way. However, in order for Dr. Jung to rest in peace, we must emphasize that there are also perceptive extroverts, and there are also shy, introverted people with a preference for intuitive action.

Over the course of my career, I’ve had the opportunity to observe several thousand people, and I’ve noticed that perceptive people who tend to perform analyses are most often submerged in their thoughts, in their inner world; they are introverts. On the other hand, intuitive people are self-confident and usually approach the world bravely, demonstrating the extravert attitude.

Every person you meet is “programmed” with one element from each of Jung’s two preferences. Remember, the first pair speaks to WHAT IS IMPORTANT to a person, and the other applies to HOW WE ACT. Below you will find four combinations of Jung’s preferences and their basic indicators.

When I present the Color model in my trainings, usually the Blues raise their hand and, after waiting politely for me to give them the floor (good manners come naturally to Blues), they ask about the statistics for Colors with regard to gender.

Side note: When answering a question asked by a Blue, you’ll probably want to refer to the results of official research and studies; Greens are less interested in statistics and more in whether the researchers were nice and if the results are actually useful to anyone; Yellows will only show interest if the results are expressed in colorful graphs and pictures; and the Reds have no interest in studies–their brains are focused on how much the research cost and whether those costs will be somehow passed on to them.

A pair of researchers, Hammer and Mitchell, analyzing the typology of the MBTI®[2] tool, showed that women are more frequently led by FEELING: extravert feeling (women: 31.1%, men: 16.2%) and introvert feeling (women: 29.9%, men: 15.2%). Men, in turn, prefer THINKING: extravert thinking (women: 15.9%, men: 29.2%) and introvert thinking (women: 22.9%, men: 39.4%). Similarly, Rubinstein and Strul discovered that women are significantly more inclined toward compromise and neuroticism, which are features that coincide with Jung’s function of feeling[3].

1 Jolande Jacobi: The Psychology of C. G. Jung, 1942

2 Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, a popular psychometric tool based on the preferences by Jung.

3 The quote referring to research comes from materials by Insights Discovery Polska®: Supplement – development, accuracy, and reliability of the Polish version of the preference questionnaire by Insights Discovery; Source of research: Hammer, A. L., Mitchell, W. D. (1996) The Distribution of MBTI Types In the US by Gender and Ethnic Group, Journal of Psychological Type, Vol.37, 2 – 15; Rubinstein, G., Strul, S. (2006) The Five Factor Model (FFM) Among Four Groups of Male and Female Professionals, Journal of Research in Personality Vol. 41, 931-937

3. Meet the Colors

With that background as a basis, the time has come to officially present the Colors.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I will remind you that no Color is better or worse than the others, and the effectiveness of a particular behavior style depends on the situation.

I will also try to address any doubts that may have arisen in your mind.

First of all: isn’t this all just a little too simplistic? Looking at the four Color styles above, I see a bit of myself in every one of them. Human beings don’t just break down into four neat little boxes, do they?

Let me answer metaphorically first. The four Colors are like the North, South, East and West; there are only four directions, but they can lead you to absolutely every place on earth. They create a whole.

Another point to make is that it is always better to think about oneself and others through a spectrum of four types of styles, each representing varied talents, needs and behavioral styles, than not to be curious at all, not to think about people, their needs and predispositions. I want you to see the Colors Model as a helpful tool to boost your natural curiosity, your attention to others and self, and to nourish the desire to better communicate with others, to build relationships and develop people’s innate talents.

We are unique and complex, and we share a common experience of being human.

Everyone, at least occasionally, exhibits behaviors that represent each of Jung’s four styles; over the course of a day, or even an hour, we switch Colors, adapting our behavior to a given situation, mood, role, or relationship.

However, each of us is naturally inclined towards one Color; it is the one we will fall back on most frequently, most naturally, and with the least effort.

C. G. Jung claimed that people usually have one or two Colors in the “basic programming” related to their behavior. One-style people comprise only around 2% of society. Combinations of two styles are the most common. It is rare to find a person who fluently combines behaviors belonging to three Color styles. What is more, Jung believed that four-Colored all-rounders simply don’t exist. Most Yellows I meet constantly challenge this thesis, claiming that they do possess all four Colors in equal balance. After hundreds of attempts at discussion, I have learned to simply nod and agree with them, thereby preventing an unnecessary loss of energy over a theoretical dispute.

To be clear, Jung did not write about Colors, but about the above-mentioned preferences or functions. He claimed that one is usually the dominant function and comprises the “scaffolding or skeleton which shapes and modifies the specific attitude towards what a person goes through. The dominant function is, according to Jung, constantly in the conscious disposition of a person’s will. The function in opposition to it (the so-called lower or subordinate function) is submerged in the subconscious”[4]. The Colors are a direct reflection of the above-described functions.

How are our Colors, or behavior styles, developed?

Our main Color–let’s call it our Base Color–is partly determined by genes and is partly shaped in early childhood. Later, we are influenced by our upbringing and the impact of our environment. That is how the second, Supporting Color is developed. In some people, you can find a trace of a third Color: the Complementary Color, which most often appears in minute amounts and the use of which typically requires considerable awareness, will, and energy. Jung points out that once a person reaches maturity, their profile is generally constant (the “maturity” threshold is not necessarily 18 years of age, but that of mental and emotional maturity).

Some people will never develop a clear-cut model and behavioral construct. Such a person, in Jung’s words, is easily influenced by others, is shaky in their attitudes and judgments or, as a form of defense, develops a kind of mask, which is meant to conceal their immaturity.

Is it worth trying to analyze someone’s Color? Ask yourself: Why? (This is my favorite question; works every time.) If we don’t care about having a healthy relationship and effective communication with a given person, then you don’t need to spend time figuring out their Color.

It is different in the case of those relationships which we want or need to work, on which our future, our professional goals, our personal happiness, or the success of our business depends. In these long-term relationships (life partners, children, friends, close co-workers, key clients, business partners, etc.), it is well worth determining what that person’s dominant Color is. This will allow us to understand the basic values which motivate that person and their strategies of action. We will then be better equipped to build relationships with respect to that person’s world.

But what about those relationships that may be temporarily important–teachers, salespeople, tradespeople, etc.–but for which we lack the time and place to fully analyze that person’s behavior style?

When it is important for you to win the favor of the car salesman because you would really like to get a good price on your car, then:

1. a. You skulk nearby for about an hour to observe how he behaves in order to understand his Color profile;

2. b. Before proceeding to the negotiations, you slip a “Color test” in front of the salesman;

3. c. As you don’t have the time to adjust to the salesman, you talk to him in your own Color;

4. d. Within a few minutes you calibrate the Color the salesman represents in that particular moment and you adjust to it.

The correct answer is (d). In the case of these casual relationships, we don’t usually have the opportunity to “X-ray” someone else’s personality thoroughly enough to be confident of their Jungian preferences. But by being familiar with the indicators of the individual behavioral styles, we can very quickly (in a couple of minutes) determine which Color the person is using at the given time. That is sufficient for us to adjust to them and enhance the effectiveness of our communication.

4 Jolande Jacobi, The Psychology by C.G. Jung, 1942

4. Self-Assessment Made Easy

The first step in using Colors is learning to distinguish them.

Only then will you be able to act efficiently. It’s good to start by understanding your own Color, which is why I invite you to take a self-test. It is available online at: www.ewablaszczak.com/shop or www.engage4results.pl/sklep. It is going to take you about 10 minutes to fill in the online questionnaire and get your personalized report. Before you do that, make a note of the Color(s) you think you most likely are, then go ahead and take the test.

Once you’ve done your test, take time to reflect upon your results. Here are some questions which will help you draw conclusions:

1. 1. Which Colors are dominant in your answers?

2. 2. What among your results confirmed your own vision of yourself and what surprised you?

3. 3. Which of your traits (talents) do you currently use, and which would you like to use more?

4. 4. Which of your traits do you overuse and would like to limit?

If you are saving the online test for later, you can get a rough idea of your Color style by reading the characteristics of the Colors below. Read all of them and make a tick next to each of them which feel particularly true for you. Then see by which Color you scored the most ticks. This is likely to be your Base Color.

Let’s sum up the characteristics of the Colors

C. G. Jung gives his own suggestions on how to recognize our own psychological functions (i.e. preferences or behavioral style) and Colors. According to Jung[5], you can tell your dominant preference (referring to your Base Color) by “the strength, durability, consistency, reliability and adaptation” of that preference in your life. On the other hand, the indicator of the opposite preference (and of the opposite, subordinate Color) is “its unreliability in our actions, the susceptibility to influences, its indeterminacy.” Jung says that you will recognize the behavioral style which is contrary to your dominant one by the fact that it is not you who have hold of the it, but the behavioral style that has you in its grasp. The Color in opposition to your natural Color is completely embedded in your subconscious. As such, it has not been developed, but has remained on the level of the instinctive, infantile, and primitive. That is why it manifests itself in the behavior typical for that Color on a “bad day.”

But beware! Jung warns that the Color contradictory to our Base Color (i.e., the “least ours”) demonstrates a certain autonomy in functioning, working from the level of the subconscious and typically emerging at the least appropriate moment and in an infantile form. Between the dominant and subordinate function there is a compensatory relationship (the system strives for balance). And so a serious, intellectual Blue might, under severe stress, become unexpectedly overpowered by infantile Yellow behaviors: to relieve the tension, she will goof around and show off, attracting other people’s attention. This is the way in which the ignored intuitive/emotional side of this person calls for attention. Over-intensification of the Base Color with passing years nearly always leads to tensions; in consequence, in the second half of our lives the Colors contradictory to our natural ones grow in power, unfortunately often in an undeveloped, infantile form. Therefore, for instance, a composed, balanced Green might become an aggressive neighborhood activist, and a belligerent Red may quit his business and take up gardening. (Interesting, right? I’ve already noticed that I have subconsciously started to invest in Red-style clothing! Am I becoming a warrior?) It is important to notice the moments when the style opposite to ours surfaces and reveals itself. At that point, we can begin to consciously tame and develop it, let it mature, and over time eliminate its childish tendencies.

5 Jolande Jacobi, The Psychology by C.G. Jung, 1942