Reds: The
Natural Leaders
When your spiritual gift is located in a chakra, you see its possibilities and issues everywhere around you: in people, places, and things. You cannot separate your lens, or focus, from the object you are focusing on. Reds do share their expertise with you, and in this way let you borrow their red-colored glasses. They, having been bent by a certain light, will bend light for you. You do not need to do it for yourself. This is their job.
A Basic Definition
Reds, with the spiritual gift formed by the root chakra, easily draw, through their connection with God, visions on how to move forward in life. They tend to act as though the wind is always at their back, and they stay attitudinally in action at all times, especially when they take action and give orders. They strike out into new territory to structure light into the world.
As a boss, they move people into action to fulfill a purpose either they or someone else has decided. They will get you started in a direction you aren't accustomed to. And they personally set their sights on visions of how to be better—for themselves and for you. Faith, or hope in the certainty of something, is a state of being that allows reds to openly create their reality with confidence. And, since they like to focus on success so much and involve us in their plans whenever possible, they get the operation off the ground and turn it into a moving train. This is what makes them worthy of the title of “leader.”
Red Gifts
Reds are overarching, big-picture people. They prefer to spend time telling others what to do and watching over them than spending their days taking care of minutiae. It makes them good at running businesses. It also makes them good at helping someone believe in themselves. Because their gift is focused in the physical realm, they concentrate on the bottom line. They always keep the achievement of their objectives in front of themselves. They want to engage you in the objectives that they come up with and encourage you to develop yourself so you can accomplish what you desire. Sometimes reds prefer to give orders directly, and at other times they enjoy leading from behind, inspiring you to be courageous and explaining what you need to do to get the results you want. Here are both strategies.
Leading Out Front
Reds might approach people assembled by getting their attention and giving a short speech that consists of an overview of what must be done. Or, then again, a short sentence may be enough, depending on the context. Their reference points are often physical. For example, when leading a workshop of over a hundred people, a red I know once got up on stage, told us what the purpose of the workshop was in terms of what change we were going to create in humanity, told us about a couple of the ways we were going to do that, let us know where the bathrooms were, and then gave the floor to someone else. “Explanation” was left to others. It also happened with a red boss of mine. I marveled at how little time was really spent getting up and talking, because the talking he did was always about where we were going and what we needed to do. How we were going to get there and the reasoning and logic of it were just not available from this person, someone I respected. But they don’t want to give the rest, because the rest is up to us!
But what if a red manages an entire organization on an ongoing basis? What will she say in a staff meeting? She will review the goals that have been achieved. She will acknowledge people who did well. She will state where the group is going next. During group discussions of obstacles, or during times in the meeting when other staff members are traditionally supposed to inform others of something, she will keep a keen eye on whether or not what is said is germane to what her goals are. Reds realize that some people need more of an explanation than others. She may let you explain the rationale or process to others, or she might tell you to do it later in a different setting. Reds don’t like people to linger too long in thoughts, feelings, explanations, or stories. This can sometimes impede them from even getting the information they need to lead. Still—they will do it to keep everyone on (their) track. Heaps of details and digressions can be more difficult to get through to them depending on their density and relative relationship to the big picture; if you can’t get to the point and relate it to their goal, you will be eaten like a wounded fish in shark-infested waters.
And the least favorite item of all, for a boss, the de facto role of every red, even those low in a hierarchy? Excuses. Reds prefer reasons. A reason is a material, responsible explanation that proves you did do work, you just didn’t finish it yet because there was a snowstorm (physical obstruction) and you couldn’t drive your car to the gas station. An excuse is an explanation that communicates you did not focus yourself toward your goal and allowed another concern to get in your way. In other words, you did not apply sufficient effort to affect a material change in your work. Your results are the criteria that reveal whether or not you have an excuse or a reason. Rather than dwelling on excuses, reds will express straightforward dismissal of them. Complaining doesn’t feel grounding to a red. Neither do flimsy arguments, such as those based on tradition for tradition’s sake, appearances, the misapplication of facts, or the scrambling of details in order to obfuscate. These techniques, when used, will often lead to a serious questioning of that person’s intelligence and motives. At bottom, the red simply cannot understand why a person would want to stand in the way of progress. They can feel it when someone’s actions and intentions will lead to an actual creation. You cannot hide where you are on your path. A red in his or her giftedness will focus on helping those who are off task in whatever they are doing and aren't truly producing results. If necessary, a red can get them some help so they can proceed, if encouragement or tough love isn’t enough to refocus the person on the goal.
As they move their organization forward, a red will work to keep everyone in their group on the path through thematic comments about what is being done or how it needs to change. Reds say what they mean and mean what they say. They will stick by their word. They will be the force that holds the line on what is aimed for. They do make it clear what they expect from others they lead and how they expect it to be done. Yet when they discuss how they want something done, their words will be brief. Otherwise they risk confusing those that look to them for help and losing their attention. They risk making them think they aren’t responsible for coming up with their own actions. They judge by the physical, which means they look to the physical world to see where things can be improved.
It is up to you and your associates to figure out how to carry out what the red wants you to do in an ongoing, developed way—the structure, the nitty-gritty, the knowledge needed. You get to do all the work behind the process, or the philosophy, they suggest. That’s your work. Reds don’t want to get involved in it, layer upon layer; they like to stay in the top layer much of the time, though they will pitch in and mulch it. You will notice that when they are in a student role and learning from you, they do want what you want—more guidance, not less. But in their role as leaders they don’t overly teach, they lead. They will teach you what you need to know to get what they are saying. They don’t teach to teach. So, in general, reds stick with giving top-down instructions and making big-picture comments—often from a smiling, happy, confident place, or one that is in solidarity either with you or the group. They don’t alienate when they don’t explain. When leading out-front, they do mean business.
Leading from Behind
Leading from behind describes a feminine style of leadership reds use to continue to lead from a point where they feel everyone knows what they are doing and what is at stake. This becomes all about building people up, going behind the scenes, encouraging someone, fixing things that go wrong—with or without assistance—making follow-up decisions, and bringing people to consensus. Once the goal has been set and people begin working, it is necessary to coordinate all aspects of the team. They want other people to take their roles and do their part. They like to see that unfold before their eyes. The cheerleader in them will come out and tell everyone what a great job they are doing and remind them of all of their good qualities. When someone falls down a hole, the red will dig them out of it and get them moving again. This could be a literal or a metaphorical hole. Reds have your back. As a child I was once close to used to say about her red mother, “mommas coming to get you out.”
Reading people and seeing their strengths is really necessary for a red, because non-reds can forget their own capabilities and fail to work up to their potential. A red likes to activate this potential by using a positive attitude that brings love to their employees or followers while giving them some tips on what to do once they are in progress. Reds respect that people go through a long process to get something done. In their gifts, they allow these processes to occur and manage by checking in and looking at each person. Reds are drawn to the places where they are needed at just the right times. This is the essence of leading from behind—it’s not an egomaniacal approach that demands someone do something now (where you might have a red do this in their traps). It’s an approach that is highly intuitive and contextual, even motherly.
When giving the proper pressure necessary—the push, which others need to go forth and do what they need to do to help us all succeed—reds inspire. So, they will make you think you can do anything they know you are capable of at the core of your being. Reds are people who give you confidence in yourself. It’s a given with them that you to live up to it, to the potential that they know and see in you. This is why hanging around a red can make a person’s self-doubt melt away and increase their innate sense of confidence and know-how. It can be very reassuring to be around someone who knows where you are supposed to go and what you are supposed to do and expects you to be fully capable of that. They don’t care about what you think you cannot do, but rather what they think you can. And they may not even be aware that there is a disconnect going on, that you are in doubt, because they can’t afford doubt. So they just present to you the future as they see it, without your doubts.
Reds find the road you can walk on so you can grow and prosper. They give you a mission and help you develop it through their management style. Red thinking automatically organizes itself according to this intention. This goal puts them ahead of others, and its weighty significance is what lets them beat competition and create strategy that succeeds. Reds will always be first and they will always be last. They head up projects, and they also sometimes move in only once those projects are finished. They wait for completion, then start to lead. They will always be the bookends. They never stop striving to reach a goal—they expand it into the next biggest goal that they can possibly reach. They are the leaders, and they hold you in gratitude because of that. Without you, they would be nothing.
Protection
Like any mother, reds protect their children. It’s one of the reasons they winnow down the group of possible actions to the most essential. This does not just happen in work contexts; it can happen when a group of friends goes to the mall. The red will tend to keep tabs on the group. Because staying in the moment is essential for them, and things can only get done in the present, they are able to serve as an ever-watchful sentry. So even if it’s a minor chiefdom, such as managing a shopping group, reds will take it on. Non-reds can get distracted and let people wander around for too long. Remember, reds never forget that it is non-reds that they manage, in addition to the few reds that might be below them in a management chain. Non-reds understand that a side road can take us places we want to go, places important to us. Reds, however, have less use for getting distracted. They know that what you do the most is what you’ll get done.
Sometimes what other colors do gets them in trouble because they tend not to take getting in trouble as seriously as reds. This is because potential danger often doesn’t seem so dangerous to a non-red. They self-sabotage too easily, according to a red. This principle refers to the actions that we take that put us little by little in a state of distress. We are usually not aware of these actions, or their consequences, while we are performing them.
For example, a red will see it if someone experiences financial hardship and wants to help that person take control. They will suggest actions that get that person out of harm’s way, such as changing their view of debt and releasing its importance—its role in a human’s suffering. They would then suggest the person struggling get a better or different job. A red will offer the support needed—starting with the mental conditioning and the emotional release from the strictures of others, ending with the spiritual grounding and the physical support—to get that person to safer ground. A red’s direction is clear and distinct. They make it easier for you to follow their directions because they get to the point, have courage, and give you courage. When you are able to go to them for continued input, you will start to turn your situation around. That’s because they focus on the bottom line and put you in the driver’s seat at the same time.
We don’t notice our struggle until it gets severe because we’ve become so comfortable with the discomfort. Reds see what's going on and how the path has gotten bent. They create a strategy for liberation. In the above example, it was faster to help the person change their beliefs about finances than suggest they explore finding a different career right away. That was suggested at a later date after careful consideration. Reds base their strategy on the battle that rages in the person. They choose to first stop the bleeding. Later they will set the bone. Triage is necessary, but all of the strategies they apply will keep the person on the path, which is the same as keeping them safe and moving forward, overall.
Reds constantly delineate for themselves (and you) what is and is not a distraction, what is and is not harmful. If you think about it, someone has to be that point person, that person that keeps everyone on track, working together for a good cause in the most linear way possible. That is what it’s all about for the leader. Isn’t it nice to know that someone is paying attention 24-7, just because they are being themselves? And isn’t it nice to know that a red has been doing it since day one?
From Crown to Toe, a Leader
If a question is asked, then starting from the crown chakra, they receive their answers. Their intuition comes from divine inspiration. They get their extremely far-ahead and pin-pointed intuition by being enlightened with knowledge from above in such a way as it comes into their crown chakra and into every cell of their body. They just get, all at once, a great big concept that an individual needs to move forward on.
So, they physically feel their spiritual visions, which is where their big picture stems from. Reds are close to the earth and their energy always focuses in a downward motion, bringing other people’s concerns, ideas, and energy down to the ground, where they will shake out as real or not. Their answers to your questions often have a physical cast, using sensory images, and their tone of voice reflects their connection with action repeated on the earth plane. They care about causes and what caused something to happen—the beginning, the start. Then, things must keep clicking into a physical reality for forward motion to occur. All things from above extend into the bottom of the system—the root of the tree for a red. They love to compare an idea to a physical reality.
A Reason to Lead
They are most gratified when the group they are helping reaches its object. If reds do not lead a formal group, they can still have a group of people, consisting of whomever it is they usually socialize with. When the group is the reason and inspiration for their vision, it’s easy for them to stay in their light, tell people what to do, and be well received when doing so. So, the group is the red’s leader. They believe that they exist to help the group, that the group nominated them, and it becomes their reason for living. They experience courage within themselves at the lip of danger, because they can subordinate all personal, lesser concerns to their overarching vision for the group, and give it their loyalty. A great example of how this occurs can be found in the television series, Vikings. The leader, Ragnar Lothbrok, only wants to fight foreigners and take their land in order to give it to his own young people to farm. His people didn’t have enough land, they were in a crisis, so he rose to power as a red to help his community. His passion is children, both his own children and the next generation of his people. This textbook example of a red shows how concerned reds ultimately are with the future of physical survival. They will lay down their life for the group and the people they love. While doing it, they will move as steadily as possible toward their goals in as linear a way as possible, reluctant to waste time.
Good with Emergencies
Reds’ standards for safety and survival are high. So are our root chakras. They don’t just give orders in a boardroom or family meeting; they can give you orders in the darkest of situations. In the book Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam, a soldier writes that he survived the war by finding a man who knew where to go and what to do to survive, by never letting him out of his sight. That person showed internal calm in the face of war. Natural leaders can do this because not only do they react instinctually to life, but because they are so intimately bound to group survival, progress, and development. They will keep their life as long as they can, and go back to God when necessary to save others.
One all-around example of a red is a high school history teacher I knew, who was getting his PhD in history—the history of war, while teaching. This was a teacher who led, first and foremost. He was famous for his ability to say anything he pleased in the classroom. He did it using his intuition and his direct attitude. Still, he often made jokes and laughed with his students. Seating students in the room according to political affiliation, he gave everyone nicknames that related to who they were. This was meant to either challenge them to be better or acknowledge their importance. He would tell his students what they thought, then ask them what they thought. The point was to help them connect their thoughts to political dynamics so they could see their place in the world. In the age before the internet, he imparted to his students an internet of empowerment principles based on the study of victories and failures in war and of groups of people throughout history. He gave his students college-level reading and assigned long papers for them to write, many of which he did not read. He was preparing them for college, life—like it was a battle that could be won.
Setting Boundaries
Reds direct the traffic both physically and in the sense of who should do what. That’s how they can be equally responsive to the high school class, the crisis in your life, and the corporate world. They confront so many different situations, but they do so from the same viewpoint: as a challenge to be met instead of a problem to be solved. Setting boundaries is a requisite task for reds, who clearly perceive differences between what is yours, mine, and someone else’s. This goes not only for possessions, but life purposes, behavior, advice—you name it. If someone is behaving in a way that impinges on someone else’s ability to decide for themselves, reds will see it. You being sovereign of yourself serves them being sovereign of you. You can’t be as good of a worker if you can’t stay strong. They want to empower you because they know you accomplish more when you are more. They aim high when they see what is possible for you; they let you know what you need in your life to be able to move forward, so that we can all move forward together. In their gifts, they want you to be able to work independently.
Commitment to Clearing Obstacles, Reaching Goals
Functional reds find ways around obstacles. They’re always practicing staying in action by default of being always in action, so obstacles are immediately dealt with rather than tabled. They have a habit of off-handedly dealing with them in a way where others know they cannot obstruct. One of their top values is following through, because actions can’t be compounded to build something when commitment by those vested are missing, and reds want to be the example. They are able to commit to actions, and they value the same trait in others. Commitment ensures a seamless flow from goal to end result.
Red Traps
Lack of Leadership
Deciding that they are not the leaders, and refusing to lead, keeps reds stuck and creates dissatisfaction. Trouble can come in many forms, including a group without a leader that is plagued by aimlessness. Reds can play victims, blame, and whine—not to mention sit on the couch and do nothing. In the shadows, their ego looks to take them down by letting them off the hook. They checkout or run away in their traps. They stop being brave.
Starting a Fight Without Fear of Repercussion
There is usually a gray area between gifts and traps. When a red will push a person around in order to test their own strength, it can be acceptable if that person is strong enough to take them. If not, like all unwanted gifts, this can be seen as tough love that knows no bounds and, in the worst cases, bullying. When people are not ready to fight you, and don’t rise to the occasion, your motive may not appear to be in your favor. Reds then cross boundaries instead of set them.
Not Exhibiting Understanding, Blaming, and Ruling
Let’s say someone isn’t contributing to the bottom line, and the red is in her traps. She will simply fire the person, giving up on them, perhaps with obvious discontent. Treating a non-emergency like an emergency is a recipe for fear, and ruling by fear is the familiar territory of the ego out of control. Getting very egotistically angry and out of control is a red trap. Blaming the employees instead of taking responsibility for what happened is a key red trap.
When a red asks you to do something their way, it’s because it’s from their philosophy. But it doesn’t have to be self-serving, and when it is, then such a goal is not created for the sake of everyone but rather for the individual satisfaction of that red, and that is exactly what has made people hate leaders. Leaders need to be influenced by those around them to the point where the leader is stitching together a patchwork quilt of everyone else and being the person that guides the entire quilt through the sewing machine. You have to start with the people and make sure they need what’s being given. Dysfunctional reds feel like dictators because they do not understand how to best give people what they need. They are not taking a high enough perspective. Their intuition or connection with God is not being attended to.
Disagreeing with Reality: Believing Lies
It’s ironic that a red would sometimes put up a wall so as not to hear good sense but bring down their personal wall just to believe someone’s lie about them. Believing other people’s lies instead of sticking to their own self-direction and knowing their own goodness is a major trap for the red spiritual gift. This is how they allow the people they are supposed to lead to take them down. When other people try to tell a red something not true about themselves, or blame them for something they didn’t do or something that isn’t true, they succeed if the red believes it. Reds can let themselves be self-critical and seek the input of others, but still trust themselves. If they don’t, their choices degenerate into a series of uncertainties that reflect the lie, or the false motive that someone placed on them. Ultimately, the red becomes bandied about by other people’s lies to the point where they don’t know themselves or can’t focus on who they are. People can react to power by undermining the person who holds it because they are jealous, incompetent, or worse. Sometimes a red will have to realize that when a person isn’t ready for their leadership, they might need to ignore it or overtly resist it. Not everyone wants to follow the leader. Sometimes a red will have to realize that a person isn’t ready for their leadership—which starts with encouragement, and even compliments, as I have seen many a red open with. Each red will have developed at least some of their own strategies for healthy leadership. It all depends on how much time that person has spent living in their giftedness to do so, versus their traps.
In Summation
It’s a red’s job not only to lead out front but also from behind; to believe in you when you cannot believe in yourself. The red master chakra gift trusts that it knows what you need to do to succeed, and shares it. This gift is feminine—it carries you by inspiring you to put your best foot forward, without doubts or fears, and stay in the moment. Reds show you where to go while encouraging you along the way, helping you with boundaries, guiding you to justice and staying present, holding you accountable when necessary, and loving it when you succeed.
Famous People with a Red Master Chakra
People with the red master chakra have the potential to be some of the most powerful people guiding us toward the future. Some famous examples of reds include George Washington, who was a general and the first president, and Oprah, who wants to take everyone to the light and holds people accountable on her show. Take a moment to think about someone in your life who might be a red.