YOU’RE NOT ONLY A GOLD, you also have strong secondary characteristics of the Blue personality. And you have tested as a Color Q Extrovert, which means you recharge your batteries by being with people, rather than being alone. Your Color group values efficiency, tradition, accuracy, predictability, and structure. Achieving goals on time and under budget is a strong inner drive in you.
In your community, you are a pillar—indispensable, well-respected, and firmly represented in important volunteer positions. You are realistic, grounded, and responsible, getting things done no matter how difficult. This does not make you stodgy, though; the hallmarks of your Color are boldness and drive.
Reinventing the wheel is not your style. Working on real as opposed to intangible things and going with your own experience instead of new theories are your usual choices. You value “the system” and prefer to organize life around procedures and contract agreements.
Your inner need for control makes it virtually inevitable that you will hold responsible positions during your career; administrative skills are second nature to you. Creating security and stability for family and co-workers is a priority.
Once in charge, you relish mapping out what needs to be done. Task assignments make best use of each staff member’s strengths. Woe to those who fall short of your expectations! You show little sympathy for the ineffective and inefficient.
With a direct and clear communication style, you are gifted at implementing policies and ensuring things remain orderly and on track. Planning ahead, setting goals, and controlling schedules are activities that come naturally. Highly observant of details, you let little fall between the cracks.
You are not shy about criticizing those who break rules, dress flamboyantly, or behave in unusual ways. What you see as appropriate, right, or wrong comes from a place of deep moral certitude. Traditional and conservative ways keep the universe organized and orderly, and you cannot understand why anyone would ever want to disturb that. People who are disloyal, unreliable, disorganized, or who miss deadlines irritate you.
Rituals, traditions, holidays, birthdays, and religious or cultural events are not just celebrated, but honored, by you. These to you are symbols of continuity to be passed on to the next generation, and require appropriate fanfare. Family is your central focus.
case study one
Chairman of the Executive Committee, Wall Street
In a world where people job hop and best performers go to the highest bidder, Alan “Ace” Greenberg is unique. He started at Bear Stearns as a clerk making $35 a week and in true Gold fashion stuck to the course. Fifty-seven years later he is Chairman of the Executive Committee, noting with satisfaction that his company, now the fifth largest investment banking firm in the United States, has outlived 95 percent of its competitors.
Like many Golds, people say he is not complex, but smart and disciplined. He prizes brevity, not using two words when one will do. As a result he can do 39 phone calls within an hour because, as he notes with a grin, “I force people to get to the point.”
Ace’s meetings start on time and end swiftly, and he is not a believer in change for its own sake. “If it is not broken, I am certainly not going to waste my time trying to fix it,” he quips.
His management style is unique, but always consistent. Ace is known for his reverence for common sense and obsession about keeping office overhead down, all distinctive Gold characteristics. His published book, Memos from the Chairman, offers seventeen years of quirky messages to his staff, exhorting them to recycle paper clips and office envelopes. They also express his pragmatic view of the world of work: “If an MBA applies for a job, we don’t hold it against them [sic], but we are really looking for people with PSD degrees (poor, smart, and with a deep desire to become rich).”
On any given day he can be found at his slightly raised desk on the firm’s trading floor surrounded by some 400 traders. His large corner office is usually unoccupied. While many consider him one of the shrewdest players on Wall Street, he remains down to earth, adhering to his own counsel, “Thou will do well in commerce, as long as thou does not believe thine own odor is perfume!” And his advice to others? “Pick something you love to do or you won’t win. You may be competing with people who are intellectually inferior, but if they like what they do, they will beat you every time!”
Like most Golds, Ace takes his work very seriously. Outside of the office he plays hard as well. He is a champion bridge player, accomplished amateur magician, and a dedicated dog trainer. His numerous philanthropic contributions express the Gold need to take care of the community.
“Getting the right things to the right people, in the right amounts, to the right place at the right time” is the crux of your talent. Outstanding logistical skills are the hallmark of Gold/Blue Extroverts in leadership roles. With a clearly defined chain of command and well-defined expectations and duties for the staff, you can achieve anything. Those who play by the rules and perform up to your exacting standards are rewarded in fair measure.
Like Ace Greenberg, you are decisive, providing for your organization’s practical needs in a reliable and consistent manner. Getting to the core of a situation quickly, managing fairly, providing consistent feedback, and crafting clear and measurable goals are your tools for getting things done.
Your positive attributes as a team member are many. Defining problems quickly; clarifying issues, obstacles, and goals; bringing logic to the table; preventing important details from falling through the cracks; ensuring needed resources are available; acting as a reality check about feasibility and costs … no team functions at its peak without a Gold/Blue Extrovert.
Figure 21–1 Natural Work-Related Strengths
You are able to make the tough decisions when needed. However, you may irritate team members by taking charge without being asked, or being too blunt.
Look at Figure 21–1 for a list of your natural work-related strengths.
Now see how other Gold/Blue Extroverts use these strengths in very different fields.
case study two
Senior Executive, Investment Management Firm
Without a doubt, 36-year-old Mellody Hobson is a “golden girl.” President of the $21 billion Chicago-based investment firm Ariel Capital Management, she appears regularly on ABC’s Good Morning America. Working Woman and Vogue magazines have done features on her. She is a member of such prestigious boards as Chicago’s Field Museum, The Chicago Public Library, and Princeton University (where she earned her degree in international relations and public policy). She is the highest ranking African American female in the mutual fund industry. She also is charismatic, personable, and an admitted “fashionista.”
Gold/Blue Extroverts are driven to succeed from an early age. Mellody was no exception. At age 5, she set herself the goal of attending an Ivy League university. By fifth grade she would stay up into the early morning hours doing homework. “Slow and steady wins the race” became her mantra, and at Ariel Capital she frequently wears a whimsical little turtle symbol incorporated into her otherwise classic dress style. The firm adopted this theme for its highly recognized ad campaign. “Slow and steady” also was how she rose to become president of Ariel Capital … fourteen years after she started there as a college intern.
In typical Gold/Blue Extrovert fashion, Mellody lists her top three strengths as communication, organization, and energy. “I’m very decisive, and I need a lot of work to do. I don’t like managing people who need a lot of managing; I’m much better with self-starters,” Mellody says. “Waffling and indifference drive me crazy; I am most stressed out by incompetence.”
Mellody’s family background was not privileged. She grew up with five siblings, none of whom graduated from college. She herself does not know how she came by the drive to achieve all that she has. But Gold/Blue Extroverts have an innate need for control, which impels them to acquire responsible positions. They also value security and stability, things Mellody did not have as a child. “I hated not having money,” she says of her formative years. “I hated the insecurity of being evicted. The great thing about money is freedom; you have choice. That’s all I ever cared about … I’m going to work until I die.”
Mellody also says, “You really have to stay diligent about your values and beliefs and not compromise.” Some of her deepest values are reflected in her work to educate young black children and their families about the investing process. To this end she has, with the help of her firm, created and funded Ariel Community Academy in Chicago. Here, the first-grade class is given $20,000 to invest; by eighth grade the kids control the whole amount. Upon graduation, they return their initial $20,000 to the incoming first-graders and distribute their profits to charities and academic scholarships.1 Mellody’s stated goal is to make investing into dinner table conversation among black families. A top priority of Golds is to render community service.
In December 2004, Senator Bill Bradley told Time Magazine, “Mellody has a deep set of values about what’s right and what’s wrong.”2 She definitely puts this into practice on a daily basis. This is a core Gold/Blue characteristic.
case study three
Literary Agent
New York City–based literary agent Linda Konner is a woman who knows what she wants and gets it. “For me, it means not having a boss, not working in an office/corporate environment and choosing the people with whom I wish to work,” she says.
Linda defines her principal functions as finding suitable publishers for her clients’ books (only adult practical nonfiction), negotiating their contracts, editing clients’ book proposals and sample chapters, troubleshooting with and providing information to both clients and publishers, helping clients find co-writers and publicists if needed, and brainstorming ideas for future books. These draw on her true-to-form Gold/Blue Extrovert strengths of editing, creating ideas, negotiating, problem-solving, and networking.
She has always gravitated to what most recognize as glamorous careers. Previously, Linda was a successful author of eight books, including Just the Weigh You Are: How to Be Fit and Healthy Whatever Your Size (Houghton Mifflin), The Last Ten Pounds (Barnes & Noble), and Your Perfect Weight (Rodale). She also served as editor-in-chief of Weight Watchers Magazine and features editor at Redbook, Seventeen Magazine, and Woman’s World.
Her columns have appeared in Glamour and Fitness magazines and her articles in The New York Times, TV Guide, Saturday Evening Post, Christian Science Monitor, and Playboy, among others. She has been in the publishing field for 29 years.
A natural editor, Linda is precise in her words. When asked for her top three strengths, her Gold desire to answer precisely shows: “Do you mean things like intelligence, creativity, sense of humor? Or writing, editing, and problem solving? Take your pick! They all apply.” The most energizing for Linda are brainstorming ideas, editing, and negotiating, true to her Gold/Blue core.
Her Extroverted and Blue sides enjoyed the success and media attention she received as an author. Her Gold side came into play in editorial positions. “I love editing, and I’m good at it,” she says simply.
She is a precise, thorough, and assertive negotiator, bringing all aspects of her personality Color to the table in her current job. She recently celebrated her tenth anniversary as a literary agent, no mean feat in an industry that inspires more burnout than longevity. Linda Konner illustrates how working through, instead of against, your Color optimizes career success.
A stable and well-respected institution with a predictable future is where Gold/Blue Extroverts like Ace Greenberg and Mellody Hobson feel most at home.
When a job offer is made, leverage as much as you can from the list in Figure 21–2.
The WORST type of work culture for a Gold/Blue Extrovert is loose and disorganized. It does not allow you access to reliable and critical information. Constant change and ambiguity diminish your great administrative and organizational strengths. You need facts, bottom line costs, and rules in order to feel comfortable at work.
When Gold/Blue Extroverts work in less-ideal corporate cultures, productivity is stunted and career achievements become an uphill climb.
Even a great job can be frustrating under the wrong boss; a mediocre job under a wonderful boss is pretty hard to leave. Gold/Blues get along especially well with other Golds. But bosses of other Color types who possess the characteristics in Figure 21–3 on page 196 also can be good mentors.
Figure 21–2 The Ideal Blue/Gold Extrovert Work Environment
Figure 21–3 The Gold/Blue Extrovert’s Ideal Boss
Gold/Blue Extroverts like Linda Konner cluster in fields that provide professional respect, require high levels of competence, and contribute in a meaningful way to society. You need the ability to create predictability and stability to be at your best.
Please note that not all the following careers will appeal to you, but recognize that each, in some way, draws on the strengths of your style and appeals to a significant number of your Color group. This is not a comprehensive list, but it will show underlying patterns of preference. If unlisted careers offer similar patterns, your chances of success increase. Copy in parentheses highlights the Color style characteristics that create success.
In addition, two codes indicate those jobs that are currently predicted to have an above-average salary and growth potential. This information is based on the continuously revised data provided by the U.S. Department of Labor and Bureau of Labor Statistics available on the O*NET website, http://online.onetcenter.org/.
Bold indicates that the career is considered to be among the top 100 best-paying jobs based on the average or median salary paid to individuals with five years of experience. Excluded are jobs where salary statistics are not available, such as “business owner,” or not indicative such as “actor.”
Italics identifies the jobs that are predicted to benefit from an above-average growth rate over the next several years.
Bold and italics indicates jobs that will benefit from both higher pay and high growth potential.
Note there are successful people of all Color styles in all occupations. In nonideal jobs you can still shine by creating your own niche.
actuary ♦ administrative services manager ♦ auditor ♦ business owner ♦ chief information officer ♦ chief financial officer ♦ compensation and benefits manager ♦ efficiency expert ♦ executive ♦ insurance claim examiner/underwriter ♦ human resources manager ♦ management consultant ♦ managers of all types [construction, database, factory, financial institution, hospital, hotel, office, industrial production manager, sales, etc.] ♦ insurance agent/broker ♦ project manager ♦ purchasing manager/agent ♦ real estate agent ♦ sales/sales manager [tangible products] (accurate memory for details, bottom-line and cost-oriented, well-developed administrative skills, need for order, give clear directions).
accountant ♦ bank officer (all types) ♦ financial analyst ♦ financial advisor ♦ financial examiner ♦ investment banker ♦ stockbroker ♦ venture capitalist (efficiency, observant of details, moral certitude and appropriateness, low tolerance for unconventionality).
computer analyst/security specialist ♦ information system manager ♦ network administrator (good memory for details, efficient, solid administrative skills, keep things orderly and on track).
athletic coach/trainer ♦ business professor ♦ school principal/administrator ♦ university president ♦ vocational teacher (administrative skills, respect for “the system,” common sense, thoughtfulness, practical experience).
dentist ♦ medical and health service manager ♦ pharmacist ♦ optometrist ♦ primary care physician (accuracy, keen observation of details, practical and measurable work, organizational skills).
compliance officer ♦ corrections officer ♦ division manager ♦ firefighter ♦ investigator ♦ IRS agent ♦ judge ♦ lawyer [particularly administrative, criminal, corporate, employment, energy, real estate, product liability, securities, transportation] ♦ military officer ♦ police officer ♦ security consultant/guard (respect for rules and procedures, good administrative skills, observant of details, fact-oriented, boldness).
civil engineer ♦ geologist (respect for clear procedures and rules, high standards, respect for contracts, sense of appropriateness, drive, ability to make tough decisions).
carpenter ♦ general contractor ♦ electronic repair ♦ mechanic ♦ pilot ♦ plumber ♦ surveyor.
case study four
When a Career Isn’t Working
Three of eight students were crying—loudly—and a fourth was starting. Early childhood development teacher Jeanine Beckwith could see no earthly reason for the outburst, but started to feel like joining in. She had hoped her second year would be easier than her first, but it all seemed to be going downhill.
All Jeanine’s female relatives had been teachers, and she was proud when they applauded her on graduation day. Her celebration afterwards had made her feel so important, so much a part of a long family tradition. Now, she was on her own in a sea of slobbering 3-year-olds trying to maintain order.
What she didn’t want to admit was that kids drove her nuts. From the time she started babysitting at age 12, she always felt awkward trying to follow their nonlinear thinking, being sensitive to their changing needs. As a teacher, there was no way to maintain order, everyone’s learning happened at different levels, and nothing about her day was ever predictable. Jeanine was at wit’s end; such an environment will drive any Gold/Blue Extrovert crazy!
Confiding in her aunt, Jeanine explored how to use her education degree to find a job more organized and predictable. Her aunt suggested that Jeanine apply for an assistant principal position in a nearby town. Jeanine was ecstatic when she got the job. Being in charge, in control, and with the ability to manage and organize was very satisfying to her Gold/Blue Extroverted nature. She is in line for the principal’s job in a few years, and well-respected by her peers. Life is under control again.
Gold/Blue Extroverts have a unique set of potential work-related blind spots. Some you have, others you don’t. No one has them all. Tone down a blind spot by focusing on it, then choose more productive actions and make them habits. (Suggestions for doing so are in parentheses below.) You:
♦ May prematurely dismiss new ideas. (Dismiss nothing until you investigate the who, what, where, when, why, and cost of a new idea. Profitable ventures start with untested ideas; learn how to allow others to brainstorm and present their conclusions to you.)
♦ May focus on the flaws in the efforts of others and not give credit where credit is due. (Make a point of affirming the efforts of deserving colleagues after listing flaws.)
♦ Are fixed in supporting established ways of doing things. (The tried-and-true contribute to efficiency, but they may not keep your company alive when the market is moving or changing. When faced with change, focus on details and costs—your areas of strength.)
♦ Push through your own ideas by being verbally aggressive. (Getting things done well requires buy-in, not submission. Study the art of persuasion, since you already have a natural talent for the art of ruling. Read about how to persuade other Colors in Figure 3 of each Color’s “Overall” chapter.)
Gold/Blue Extroverts create accurate and well-presented resumes that elicit positive responses. With some interviewers, particularly Golds and Blues, you will feel a comfortable rapport. But with those of other Colors, you need to prepare and rehearse responses outside your comfort zone. Many human resource people are Greens; make a study of how to communicate effectively with this Color group before your first interviews.
Your natural strengths easily allow you to:
♦ Have a wide network of friends for job leads.
♦ Set measurable, realistic, and well-defined goals.
♦ Create time lines, daily status reports, and budgets that reduce job search stress on both you and the family.
♦ Adequately research prospective employers.
♦ Be well prepared for interviews.
♦ Come across as hard-working and bottom-line-oriented in an interview.
♦ Logically consider pros and cons of job offers.
In order to tone down your blind spots, you need to:
♦ Balance networking with research.
♦ Do something in return for those who help you; your networking sometimes comes off as too self-serving.
♦ Cushion your tendency to be abrupt; rehearse some areas of small talk.
♦ Prepare to talk about yourself on a personal level (ask a willing Green to role play with you).
♦ Think about a prospective company’s future direction (ask a willing Blue to help).
♦ Be willing to consider career opportunities in other industries.
♦ Don’t allow unexpected delays and obstacles to frustrate you.
♦ Plan a “think-through day” when tempted to jump on a job offer.
With an interviewer whose Color is close to your own, you will feel immediate rapport. However, if your interviewer seems to have a significantly different style (and it’s statistically likely that he or she will have a Green component), use the suggestions in parentheses. Mercilessly exploit these natural abilities of yours, and get more job offers!
In following your natural style, you:
♦ Describe past accomplishments in appropriate detail. (A Green interviewer may draw you out with questions like “Did you enjoy those duties?” Be prepared with answers more thorough than “Yes.”)
♦ Tend to talk too much and not ask enough questions about the job. (If it has been a while since the interviewer said anything, PAUSE. Let him or her lead. Prepare a list of job questions ahead of time and refer to it.)
♦ Focus on the present. (Especially if interviewing for a senior level position, you will need to prepare for questions on future planning. Take a Blue colleague to lunch and run a few ideas by him or her before an interview. At least read public statements about company direction prior to an interview.)
♦ May not think outside the box. (Your orderly mind knows what your next career step should be, but tends to close off other possibilities. New fields, or even established ones you haven’t considered, may allow you to ascend higher and faster than your planned career path.)
Take a break now to do something administratively important. Later, check out the Chapter 15, Blues Overall, first, then carefully read Chapter 4, A Tour of the Prism Company, and Chapter 25, Adjusting to the Styles of Others, to learn about the strengths of other Colors.
Like all Colors, you need the strengths of others, and you can put them to work for you if you know where to look and how to ask. If you invest time learning how to recognize the Colors who can best assist you (visit Figure 3 in each of the “Overall” Color chapters), it will make everyone more effective and productive.
If you are actively engaging in a job search, jot notes in the Roadmap in Chapter 28. Recording your strengths and strategies is a concrete and results-oriented way to navigate the minefields of a job search.
18Robert Kurson, “Mellody Hobson, thirty-three, is a financier with a big dream: to teach the poor how to be rich, one classroom at a time. (The Benefactor),” Esquire Magazine, (December 1, 2001). Accessed, Dec. 21, 2005 from www.Highbeam.com
19Noah Jackson, “The New Breed,” TIME Magazine (December 20, 2004). Accessed, Dec. 21, 2005 from www.Highbeam.com