Strategic thinking; intuition backed by logic
Competence; achievement; pursuit of excellence
Freedom to debate and critique in search of truth
Strategizing large-scale improvements that make a genuine difference
Creating new systems and ideas
YOU’RE NOT ONLY a Blue; you also have strong secondary characteristics of the Gold personality. And you have tested as a Color Q Introvert, which means you recharge your batteries by being alone. Blue/Gold Introverts will read this chapter skeptically and critically. We’re prepared. The Color Q system is based on the work of the Myers-Briggs community, incorporating more than seventy years of worldwide research (read in-depth background in Chapter 4, “The Color Q Personality System: Its Foundation and History”). Strategically speaking, this chapter provides tools designed to give you social and political advantages over other personality types in your organization.
Let’s test whether these claims are true. Are these your greatest motivators?
Strategic thinking; intuition backed by logic
Competence; achievement; pursuit of excellence
Freedom to debate and critique in search of truth
Strategizing large-scale improvements that make a genuine difference
Creating new systems and ideas
Sound true? Then continue.
As an Introvert, you’re less productive in open office settings. It is critical to work where your complex mental modeling is uninterrupted. Blue/Gold Introverts account for only 2 percent of the world’s population, but your problem-solving capabilities have molded today’s world.
It is the responsibility of every personality to find or create their optimal work environment. Optimal cultures differ among Color Q personality types. Strengths in one company may be unneeded elsewhere. The corporate culture itself may not be dysfunctional; for instance, Blues hate what Reds love. Conflict, sapped strength, resentment, and feelings of defeat are symptoms of poor cultural fit and can be avoided by understanding your preferences.
The Blue/Gold Introvert’s most preferred work environment emphasizes:
Opportunities to increase knowledge and competence
Thinking outside the box
Decision-making power
Coworkers who are smart, independent, and motivated by competition
Complex projects
If these points seem obvious, it means you’ve tested correctly. (Compare with a Red/Green Extrovert’s ideal environment.)
The Blue/Gold Introvert’s least preferred environment is characterized by:
Bureaucracy (“This is the way we’ve always done it”)
Excessive paperwork, procedures, details, and rules
“Incompetent” coworkers who are too sensitive, resist change, miss deadlines, and squabble
Patronizing superiors or clients
Mandatory teamwork
One of the critical tasks of a Blue/Gold Introvert manager is to build one’s executive reputation or “brand.” This brand building empowers you to implement strategies by increasing your internal influence (while also allowing you to market yourself externally when necessary). Here is the Blue/Gold Introvert’s leadership brand, in executive summary form:
A born strategist, you are the first to see the big picture. You create compelling visions, devise strategies, and establish both primary plans and contingencies.
You set extremely high standards but give your people autonomy. They find your clear thinking and thoughtful debate inspiring. You’d rather work on your own than lead, but attract upper-echelon remuneration and prestige because of your intellectual depth, superior expertise, and competence. Your long-term strategic thinking, marketplace trend-spotting ability, and tough decision making make you a strong executive. Though you dislike politics, your intuitive understanding of an organization’s inner workings brings job security.
Mark Taylor, Vistage International
Mark Taylor isn’t a doctor or a lawyer, but he is an Indian chief. He’s actually the senior tribal leadership trainer for CultureSync™ a management consulting organization that teaches teams to produce superior results by synchronizing culture and strategy. An accomplished CEO with thirty-five years of experience, he runs “think tanks” for Manhattan CEOs. He founded Taylor Systems Engineering Corporation—TSE (which, until he sold it in 2005, was number 58 on the list of fastest-growing companies in the state of Michigan) and also RedRoller, an Internet start-up shopping service that compared rates of multiple shippers (and went public in 2007). He is chair for Vistage International, billed as “the world’s leading chief executive organization.”
“My core values are service, care, and learning in support of a noble cause to transform the workplace,” Mark says. He accomplishes this goal through Blue strategic means. With a bachelor of science in management and computers in addition to his MBA, Mark applies strategy to corporate cultures to optimize their success rates. He held the very Blue position of chief logistics officer for RedRoller.
His Vistage work is perfect for a Blue/Gold. “I am innovative and adept at creating new visionary solutions,” Mark says. “I get to test ideas by working with fifty CEOs, and translate them into real-world results.” His greatest joy is giving others a new way of thinking.
Vanessa A. McDermott, MWH, Inc.
Blue/Gold Introvert Vanessa McDermott knew at age 4 that she wanted to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point. At age 18, she did. In active duty, she rose to the rank of army captain in three years. Her Blue long-term strategic thinking served her well as a maintenance and logistics officer in the United States, Korea, and Iraq, where she was responsible for operation planning, execution, and resource allocation for more than 1,000 international personnel. Today she leverages her ability to understand complex issues as a management consultant for MWH, Inc., a global hydro-engineering firm. She focuses on risk management, reporting across four major capital projects totaling $3 billion Canadian in accordance with ISO 31000 and PMI standards.
Having to soften her interactions with teammates is at times stressful. “I am not guided by emotions, but by logic,” says McDermott. “I can be too blunt and impatient, so I have worked to take the time for social niceties in order to ensure buy-in and team building.”
Blue/Gold Introverts work best independently. You are most valuable during the initial design/strategy phase of a business or project, where you can shape the vision, debate options, and set direction. Watch the tendency to push “logical” options while excluding emotional input. This tendency of yours generates conflict that may not be solved logically or rationally.
You are recognized for your deep concentration, logic, and sharp and resourceful analysis of complex problems, as well as your ability to reliably meet deadlines and help teammates understand “the system.”
Adjusting one’s vocabulary to align with another Color Q personality’s style can elicit powerful positive responses. Empathetic vs. objective analysis, theoretical vs. practical, structured vs. adaptable—these clashes fuel most workplace conflicts. Being able to “style shift” brings strategic, competitive advantages in negotiations, managing, and interviewing.
Blue/Gold Introverts are among the most mentally exact of personalities. You prefer writing to talking (preferably with experts), using brief, precise, objective language. Stating “the obvious” is an irritant to you, and you will move on if conversation isn’t sufficiently stimulating. You keep interactions professional and succinct. Debate and critique are expected; it surprises you when they hurt other people’s feelings.
Technical jargon and statistical data engage you. Conversely, Reds prefer concrete words and action verbs like “move,” “stimulate,” and “expedite.” Golds, with whom you share some personality traits, respond to “facts,” “tradition,” “respected,” and “proven.” Greens (with whom you are least comfortable) prefer abstract concepts and symbols, emphasizing words like “values,” “relationship,” “feel,” and “friendly.” (The “Political Savvy” section suggests methods you can adopt for style shifting.)
Certain blind spots are prevalent in Blue/Gold Introverts (although only some of them will apply to you). You may:
Exclude others until the end of project, then refuse their input
Critique too quickly and not hear another person’s whole idea
Become impatient and dogmatic with the less intellectual
Define emotion as secondary, and become frustrated when emotion is the focus
Dislike having to share responsibility (i.e., “If you want something done right, do it yourself”)
Decide matters logically and ignore “gut” instincts and traditions
Here are specific workplace conditions that stress and fatigue Blue/Gold Introverts:
Lack of privacy and micromanagement
Implementing arbitrary, illogical decisions
Having to constantly justify one’s actions
Not having enough time to evaluate situations; needing answers that require more than logic
Making midcourse corrections to “the plan”
Coworkers who are incompetent, stubborn, or resist change
Other people’s emotional outbursts and squabbling
Blue/Gold Introverts under extreme stress are prone to be snappy and sarcastic, then stubborn, blunt, and hostile. You may shut out all emotions as “irrelevant.” You’ll obsess over secondary details or avoid social situations until you reestablish a sense of competence.
The primary focus of the Blue/Gold Introvert who wants to self-coach for career advancement should be on how to incorporate emotional components into decision making.
The Blue/Gold Introvert has these strengths:
Identifies a problem’s origin, then extrapolates future possibilities and new systems
Fits intuitive understanding into logical framework
Creates visions, devises strategies, builds complex models, and accurately predicts final outcomes
Seeks strategic advantage by addressing flaws and analyzing added-value
Makes tough decisions by compartmentalizing emotion
Interpersonal challenges detract from productivity. Here are self-coaching strategies for your biggest challenges:
Resistance to structure, rules, and bureaucracy. You believe, rightly, in the value of applying strategic and logical solutions to long-range problems and become impatient with bureaucratic obstacles. Work within the system; develop both peer and upper-echelon support.
Having to work in large teams or open offices. Ask to work primarily on smaller subcommittees. Negotiate a private work space, then deliver increased productivity.
Obsessive searches for truth. If your competence is challenged, you’ll work until it’s reestablished. You may ignore your physical needs for so long that you become ill. True competence requires stamina, so provide yourself nutritious food, adequate sleep, and exercise.
Defeating buy-in by ignoring emotional components. Humans are illogical; feelings get hurt for bewildering reasons. Find a Green mentor to help you master “emotional intelligence” with “if . . . then” equations. Journaling, which you enjoy, can help.
Difficulty focusing on details and practicalities. Details are the strength of Golds, practicalities of the Reds. Form alliances through mutual respect for ability. If you dislike asking for help, barter.
Lack of competence in self and others. You dismiss competencies that are not intellectual. But can you smooth over a stalled negotiation like a Green? Handle a crisis like a Red? Administer as smoothly as a Gold? When you sense a lack of competence in yourself, you withdraw; this habit just feeds the problem. Keep yourself in the game—respect and harness other people’s competencies.
When dealing with challenges, pursue leisure activities that combine business and pleasure. This warms up coworkers. Relinquish the need to control everything. If your sense of competence is low, make a physical improvement—paint a room, reorganize your office. Prioritize your real needs for privacy and thought-processing time.
Father William Ferguson performed the funeral rites over his mother’s and his older brother’s coffins, changed out of his vestments, and escaped to his office. Of all the illogical, nonsensical emotions, why would he be feeling . . . relieved? Was this normal?
His mother had groomed him for the ministry and his older brother to lead the family’s business consulting empire. Never much of a people person, Father William had still made a name for himself using his Blue/Gold strategizing to help formulate diocesan policy. He treated the counseling demands of his profession like a chess game; what was the next move?
When Father William visited the consulting business for the first time after the terrible auto accident that claimed his family’s lives, he felt more at home than he ever had at the church. Remembering he had counseled his parishioners to accept all feelings during the grief process as vital in the eyes of God, he noted it and moved forward. Blues are at ease strategically evaluating a business and projecting its future direction. In one month, he totally overhauled weaker systems and put the company on firm footing for his brother’s successor.
Naturally, the board of directors offered him the position. As he started to decline, he stopped in midsentence. Instead of disloyalty to his mother, he felt . . . energized.
After asking the board for a few days to think (and make sure grief wasn’t making him irrational), William accepted. He realized the choice was to be an adequate priest or a really good CEO; he made the only rational decision.
A valuable part of the Color Q system lies in learning how to harness the Green’s marketing and people skills, the Gold’s administrative talent, and the Red’s crisis and midcourse correction abilities to your advantage. Engage irritating coworkers as powerful political allies.
Greens. The Green is the most people-oriented of the four primary Color Q personalities. Their understanding of people’s internal desires may seem soft and secondary; but it’s a vital balance to your logical, strategic orientation. Your style can irritate a Green by emphasizing competence and expertise and downplaying emotions. You prefer competence when in relationships; Greens operate through emotional openness and honesty. They dislike conflict and will avoid your debate and challenges. But challenge their values and they’ll hand you your head on a platter! You both are highly intuitive, but Greens gather emotional feedback; you base your intuitions on facts and logic. To them, your style seems cold and detached. Greens won’t confront you, but they’ll become distant and unsupportive. Explain to them that you find it difficult to discuss emotions because they are deep and might be overwhelming, and a Green will instantly support you.
Find common ground with Greens and their abstract vision, long-term thinking, and intuition.
Engage their people skills to increase buy-in for your ideas.
Ask them how to increase emotional competencies. Their feedback will be gentle and tactful.
Show patience, respect, and appreciation (even if it’s irritating) for their people skills and marketing acumen.
To ensure their political buy-in, factor in their values when making decisions.
Explain that your love of debating and critiquing is just your process and should not be taken personally. They’ll have a hard time understanding this about your personality, so reiterate often.
Golds. Golds are the rule makers and procedure setters of the world. Their administrative talents may irk you by focusing on “unnecessary” details, but in order to be effective, Golds need structure. Find common ground with Golds over a shared desire never to bend the rules and through jointly developing schedules and time lines. To make Gold coworkers your allies, take time to detail how your ideas and strategies will work. Keep at it until they’ve achieved a comfort level. This is especially true when formulating business plans; you’ll need their procedural input.
To ease tensions, use words like “facts,” “tradition,” “respected,” and “proven.”
Bond with a Gold/Blue over your mutual preference for facts and logic.
Explain that your critiques and debates are not personal, just attempts to find the “right” answer. They will resist when you try to “improve” their structures.
Acknowledge and flatter their superior detail management when they perform these tasks for you.
Include them from the start when initially formulating strategic plans or proposing product innovations, rather than at the end. They’ll identify implementation issues that might otherwise sideline a project.
Reds. Your style can irritate a Red with its emphasis on just one “right” direction and sticking to “the plan.” The Red’s strength is to handle crises that can derail the plan. You need a Red on your team to create rapport with others and handle practicalities. To the Blue/Gold Introvert, the Red’s style appears chaotic—it’s mostly play, some work, with frequent rule-bending. This is a setup for chronic conflict with an achievement-oriented Blue/Gold. But if a crisis threatens your well-laid plans, send in a Red who’ll be energized by it.
Use these words and phrases with a Red—move, stimulate, expedite, “let’s get some real work done”—and evaluate the response.
Forget about talking strategically. Simplify. Using concrete factual words, discuss specifically what needs to be done now to accomplish desired ends.
Solicit their opinions during initial strategy sessions. Reds can create contingency plans on the spot when needed. They’ll simplify your intellectual complexities and point out practicalities that can derail a venture.
Do not micromanage. Let them handle delays, ambiguities, and unforeseen changes.
Resist arguing semantics and abstract points.
Find common ground with your mutual openness to untried solutions.
If the aforementioned strategies are still missing the mark, the colleague may be an Extrovert. If so:
Respect, don’t challenge, their need to recharge their batteries by interacting with others—they need this the way you need private time. Accept that it will be difficult for you to understand why they must constantly be around people and prefer noisy environments.
Engage in thoughtful debate; be neutral, not challenging.
Interject verbally often; help keep them on point.
Volunteer to handle tasks that require working alone. Benefit from their gratitude—and the solitude.
Recognize any coworkers in the preceding descriptions? Learn more by reading each Color Q personality’s overall chapter and Chapter 25, “Adjusting to the Workplace Styles of Others.”
In summary, Blue/Gold Introverts are creative and independent. You demand a great deal of yourself and others. Introspective and reserved, you trust intuition backed by logical analysis to guide your thoughts and decisions. With your theoretical and strategic focus you can succeed in many industries, from those relying on math and science to more philosophical disciplines. You frequently ascend to high levels of business management. Blue/Gold Introverts do especially well in senior positions of companies undergoing change.