NCET Biz Tips: Colorful Personalities Navigating Change
by Katherine (Kit) Prendergast
Katherine (Kit) Prendergast
Colorful personalities! When you are feeling at your best, what “color” is your personality temperament? Are you more of a True Blue, a Deep Green, a Solid Gold or maybe a Bright Orange? And for fun . . . what colorful personality temperaments are your team members, your boss or members of your family?
We all are a blend of colorful personalities but at our core we have a natural preference for how we see and respond to our world around us. Navigating the challenges of this pandemic has highlighted many of these different perspectives but also created stress and sometimes conflict for each of us in different ways.
Starting with ourselves . . . let’s tap into our curiosity to remember what “color” our personality preference was on those relatively stress-free pre-COVID days. That self-awareness will provide us some surprising insights into why some days we feel more stressed and struggle while other days we are able to navigate these turbulent waters with more confidence and optimism.
The True Blue temperament values harmony and relationships at their core. Our Blues gravitate to connecting people and are committed to maximizing the well-being of others. The sudden and unexpected severing of personal contact and resulting trust has been particularly devastating and disheartening creating a rollercoaster of emotions.
The Deep Green values concrete data, accurate knowledge, rational answers and overall competence. They thrive on systematic analysis so it is no surprise (and they don’t like surprises) that the rapid onset and complexity of this pandemic has been particularly stressful and challenging especially initially.
The Solid Gold is at their best with routines based on careful planning, identified goals and clear success measures. They value a logical set of rules and depend lay on tradition – what has worked well before. They know where they are going, when and where. The loss of all short and long term plans overnight has thrown our Golds into turmoil!
The Bright Orange is most comfortable with uncertainty, taking risks and being spontaneous. They may be the least stressed by the unknown of the pandemic because they have never needed to know everything before jumping into the action. But not being able to “go and do” brings its own sense of restlessness.
Thank goodness we all have a bit of each color in ourselves! Being aware of the value of each color preference is critical not only for our emotional well-being right now but also as leaders of work-place teams. Please join me (a Bright Orange) in this upcoming conversation to learn how to bring out the best in ourselves and others each day.
Learn about Colorful Personalities at NCET’s virtual Biz Café on Wednesday, March 17th from 3:00 – 4:00 pm with virtual networking from 2:30 – 3:00 pm. NCET is a member-supported nonprofit organization that produces educational and networking events to help people explore business and technology. More info at www.NCETcafe.org
Katherine (Kit) Prendergast, PCC is the owner of Career Connections of Sierra Nevada, LLC, and brings over 20 years of experience in developing unique customized coaching and training programs to senior leadership and their teams. (www.CareerConnectionsSN.com)