Book of the Week: "Surrounded By Idiots" by Thomas Erikson

Have you ever been at work and colleague said something or asked a question that you thought the answer was obvious and you think to yourself "this person is an idiot?" If you answer no, then I know you're lying. In the world of work, this stuff happens. We are forced to work with many different people, who all have different experience levels and tendencies and we have to know how to work best with them. 

This book made me think back to a course I took at Harvard about how to effectively communicated with different styles and it is similar to the DiSC training that is offered to many student-athletes. Taking that course at Harvard was simply one of the best things I ever did. 

It teaches you the four different types of human behavior through four distinct color. Everyone in the world is not just one color; we are a mixture of two or three, but one color is dominant. A red person is someone who likes to be control, they usually have the last word and make the final decision. They can also be fiery, competitive, and quick-tempered. Think Dude Perfect's leader, Tyler Toney. 

Yellow people are your creatives. They are the ones who are most enjoyable to be around because they bring out the positive energy of everyone around them and can connect with almost anyone. In his book "Go Big" author Cory Cotton described his twin brother, Coby, as the the type of person who can talk to anyone - even when boarding a plane. Coby Cotton, although his battle wins may be few and far between, is a yellow. His endless positivity and enthusiasm is what his four friends really value in him. 

The "Tall Man" Cody Jones can also be described as a yellow. While his personality is a bit more outgoing than Coby's, Cody is full of energy and always has something to say. He enjoys a little bit of trash-talk when competing in battles and one-up his pals. 

Another person I can describe as a yellow and was also featured on this blog three months ago, is the author of "Help Them Up," Dan Horwitz. How could someone who wrote a book aimed at empowering teams not be a yellow? Dan is super inspiring person to anyone he meets and just being around him makes you feel better as a person - a big yellow characteristic. 

The third type of color a person can predominately be is green. Greens are probably the most common people on the the planet. "If everyone were an enthusiastic entertainer, there would be no one to amuse." While reds and yellows are more active and lean more towards extroversion, greens are more passive. They true team players, who are super loyal to the cause. See "Twin 2," Cory Cotton. 

And last but certainly not least, are blues. Blues can be described as methodical and systemic. They are the ones that read through the instructions thoroughly before starting to build and always come with questions. It's not that they doubt others, but they would rather "trust, but verify." Garrett Hilbert, the quiet, laidback one who enjoys cleanliness, can be viewed as blue. 

Each one of these four behavior types has their strengths, but they also have their weaknesses which can make it more difficult to get along and get things done. Your Blues and Greens tend to be more introverted, while Reds and Yellows, enjoy being out there. Reds, who are constantly on the move and active, may feel the Greens complaints of work is tiresome and vice-versa, Greens feel the showman-persona of Reds quickly gets old. 

One of the toughest challenges a manager can face is getting a Yellow and Blue to work together. They are literally the polar opposites. Yellows don't fear the uncertainty and not knowing all the details, they are willing to jump right in, but for Blues, who are systematic and routine oriented, that is a scary concept. Putting those two types of people together can go as well as adding kerosene to a camp fire. If done poorly, it can - and will - combust. 

From a manager's point of view, you really have to know your employees as person and what drives them. Not everyone is going to be the same, think like you and do things exactly the way you want them to get done. People are different and with many different colors coming together, it is your job as the team leader to get all of them to work cooperatively with one and another. 

As a worker and colleague, a little self-awareness goes a long way. Remember that people's past experiences shape the behaviors they are exhibiting today.