GREENS REPRESENT approximately 17 percent of the world’s population. If you are not a Green, but would like to learn how to identify and communicate with one, go to “How to Recognize a Green Colleague” at the end of this chapter.
Diane Sawyer is one of the country’s most-recognized Greens. As anchor of ABC World News with Diane Sawyer, she informs millions of Americans nightly.
Consider the news features she has handled at ABC since taking the anchor chair in December 2009: Chinese progress in education and green technologies; addressing misconceptions about Muslims; and the aftermath of Haiti’s devastating earthquake all show a focus on world improvement. These subjects demonstrate typical Green traits of empathy and humanism. The impact on people is a driving force in her work: life in Camden, New Jersey, America’s poorest city; the plight of Appalachian children; Russian orphanages; and abuse of the mentally handicapped.
Concern for others helped her earn the America’s Junior Miss title in 1963. It also helped her survive a rocky entry into television journalism. Having been hired by Ron Ziegler to serve in the administration of President Richard Nixon (and subsequently on the Nixon-Ford transition team), she was shunned by CBS News colleagues in 1978 when she joined the network as a political correspondent. She overcame the taint of the Watergate scandal with two Green personality tools: natural charm and the ability to submerge ego for the sake of a story. Acceptance came slowly but grudgingly after she covered the Iranian hostage crisis by sleeping only one hour a night.
By 1981 viewers were responding to her Green warmth. Diane was promoted to anchor the CBS Morning News, then became the first female correspondent on the prestigious 60 Minutes program in 1984. Here, her ability to surgically get under a subject’s skin without drawing blood gained attention. (Greens listen intently and question diplomatically.)
In 1989 Diane jumped ship to ABC to coanchor the news magazine Prime Time Live, which ultimately became 20/20. In 1999, she temporarily joined Good Morning America, later ascending to the anchor chair of ABC World News in December 2009.
Greens do very well in the television and film industries with their natural authenticity. Famous or not, you need creative opportunities to impact the lives of others. You excel at written and verbal communications and are heavily represented among writers, TV hosts, and biographers.
Dr. Mehmet Oz (estimated to be a Green) first appeared as a regular guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show, and in 2009 his own talk show debuted, focusing on personal health issues. In addition to hosting The Dr. Oz Show, he has authored six New York Times health-themed bestsellers—all while performing 250 heart surgeries annually! He practices Transcendental Meditation with a Green outlook: “When I meditate, I go to that place where truth lives. I can see what reality really is, and it is so much easier to form good relationships then.”1
Outside the entertainment industry, Greens excel in sales, marketing, and public relations. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator co-owner Katharine Myers has put her Green skills to use in making the MBTI the world’s most widely recognized personality typing system. (Color Q is based on the research of the Myers-Briggs community.) “Most important to me is to live consistently with my inner values,” Myers, a Green/Red Introvert, says. “I constantly want to improve the world.”
As a member of the royal family, Sheika Hessa is a Green and Color Q licensee who is using Color Q to help the people of her homeland, Kuwait. In addition to holding a position in the information systems department at the Central Bank of Kuwait for almost twenty years, she has supported numerous programs uplifting her country’s young people.
When asked what she enjoys most, her Green personality is evident: “I listen to young people and enter into their depths to get to know their wishes and to guide them to achieve them,” Sheika Hessa says. “I help people by providing information that helps them progress in life. Periodically I also arrange family meetings to enhance family ties.” Her Highness devotes time as chairperson for the National Development Project, also known as ATAMANA, which prepares leaders to build the future. Previously she contributed her time to the National Kuwaiti Youth Society Association of Benefit and the 100% Kuwaiti Project, which fostered youth micro-projects. ATAMANA in English reads “I wish,” and her work here enables Sheika Hessa “to assist young people to achieve their desires in life.” The project is run by a group of academics, professionals, and ambitious young Kuwaitis. As she explains, it “aims to change the thinking of young people about their lives in the modern era and to live a balanced life which will bring them happiness and help them to build and develop their country.”
Like all Greens, she finds it stressful when the needs of the youth she supports are delayed by bureaucratic red tape. When conflict arises in her work, “I concentrate in some other activities which I like. I have learned from experience to replace the pain into hope and negative pessimism to optimism.”
Her natural Green global orientation serves her well in her royal position. And, like most Greens, she has evolved a mission statement for herself: “To contribute my project in lighting young people’s ways and to help them choose the path of life which contributes to the building and the development of their homeland, so it joins the ranks of developed nations. It is also my hope to publicize the project in the world for the interest of young people all over the world.”
Greens will gain special value from this book because of your natural fascination with people. You’ll likely assess the colors of everyone close to you and test the supplied communications tips.
The other colors tend to (unfairly) consider your skills “soft.” This book shows you how to leverage these skills to economic advantage and become stronger during conflict. Your exceptional marketing talents create lasting product brands and inspire customer loyalty. Your people skills calm turbulent teams/departments—a skill for which you should demand top compensation. Staff turnover plummets and productivity spikes under Green leaders.
Go now to your specific profile to discover your most natural path to winning in the workplace.
External Environment Clues
Colorful/bohemian dress.
Office adorned with art or sculpture; rich or warm colors; furniture arranged to maximize conversation.
Hospitality on display—coffee, tea service, candy.
Piles on desk (the Green easily finds what’s needed).
Plants and aquariums (where permitted).
Many pictures of family and friends.
Personal Mannerisms—Body Language
Welcoming, expressive gestures.
Intent listener.
Informal, warm, authentic demeanor.
Personal Mannerisms—Verbal
Speaks fluently in generalizations, impressions, and/or metaphors.
Self-deprecating humor.
Global, “big picture” thinker; idealistic.
Concerned, empathetic, diplomatic; draws the best out of people.
Unusual ability to persuade.
Bridge-builder; resolves conflicting views.
Sensitive to criticism.
How to Communicate with a Green—“Style Shifting” Tips
Pick a harmonious environment for meetings.
Personalize the conversation—ask about family, hobbies, pets.
Listen empathetically and give feedback diplomatically.
Be idea-driven, creative, insightful.
Expect nonsequential conversations, eventually returning to the main point.
Stress all opportunities for personal growth and helping others.
Suggest innovative, future-oriented solutions.
Use positive, inspiring phrases.
Limit mundane facts and details.
Be collaborative; limit competitiveness (unless it’s fun); avoid conflict.
Greens avoid conflict, giving priority to harmony and cooperation. However, if you challenge their inner values, they can be surprisingly aggressive. If you criticize, ignore the people factor, focus on facts/details, or engage in political backbiting, Greens become cold and uncooperative. They seek closure by listening to all sides and creating win-win situations.