We tend to feel that other people feel the way we feel. If they do not, they could if they tried. The only reason they do not is they are trying to be difficult.

We come with our own unique wiring known as our survival instincts.It is why we do the things we do. When we are highly stressed or threaten, we act from this emotional part of our personality.

Probably by the time, we are five or six years old, we have developed a second level of our personality based on the input we have received from our parents or the people who influenced us in our early years. This is where we develop the lifelong perception of who we “OUGHT TO BE” and what we "OUGHT TO DO." Often it is the opposite of how we perceived our parents. So depending on your emotional wiring, you will develop your “ought to” based on what you perceive your parents are giving you. Remember, your emotional wiring is unique to you so although you and your siblings share the same parents you will not share the same perception of who your parents are. Right away, we mistakenly feel secure in the knowledge that our families feel like we feel. This may account for why we are less tolerant with family misunderstandings than with strangers.

Around age 14 we have developed a level we can be comfortable in. It is as if our emotional level and our ought to level have negotiated a peaceful co-existence. When we are in this third level we are our most effective because the terms and conditions of the peace agreement are being met. It is this level that we enjoy being in. It would feel like this- You have gone on a vacation where no one knows you or has any expectation of you. The person you are at that time would be you- functioning at you best.

Most personality assessments lump these three levels together and fail to understand that we can move in and out of these levels on a moment-to-moment basis. The ideal is to live and work in your comfort level, while meeting the needs of your survival level in a way that is consistent with your ought to.

Dr.Eric Berne developed the concept of the three states of the personality in a system called Transactional Analysis. He popularized this idea in a book called Games People Play, published in 1964. In our context, we are using it to distinguish between the different states we operate in throughout the day.

Our findings are based on thousands of assessments given over the past 20+ years and the follow up on how that knowledge has changed the perception of those who have taken the assessment. Our emphases has been on giving the individual the knowledge to first understand how they are wired, and the strengths and weaknesses of their traits. Once you understand “So, that is why I think like I do,” you will come to accept and appreciate the uniqueness of those around you. It is not about which characteristics are best. It is about understanding how a person is wired and how they liked to be approached. Accepting that we each have a unique way of thinking and feeling can be the foundation for unbelievable personal relationships. It truly becomes a win -win situation.

In Jim Collins latest bestselling book, GOOD TO GREAT “Why some companies make the leap… And others Don’t,” states successful companies focus first on who then what. He says you have to get the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus and I would add you have to get the right people in the right seats.

It is the attraction and development of the right people for the jobs that need to be accomplished that will make your business effective and efficient in the short and the long run. Understanding the four personality types can assist you in attracting the people you need to have a successful business.

The Red personality is the Doer. Because of the urgency, the focus, the practicality, the task orientation and their ability to maintain their direction, Reds are the people who produce results in any organization. They are effective at bringing revenue in the door. If you want something done, give it to a Red. Their ability to produce is essential to the effectiveness of any organization. They are always focused on the next opportunity to win. Their contribution is necessary, but not sufficient for the long-term effectiveness of an organization. Their production creates short term effectiveness.

Long-term effectiveness requires the contribution of the Blues. Because of their innovation, their ability to solve problems, their creativity in finding alternatives, they give the Reds the ideas and plans they need to be effective in the long run. Classic entrepreneurs are both Red and Blue and therefore have a natural tendency to innovate and create in whatever they do. This is why the early months of a new business can be very difficult for an entrepreneur because when results are not happening fast enough they tend to create a new program. Blues need to discipline themselves to focus their innovation on the implementation of the system and not the re- creation of the system. Of all the colors, they struggle most with reinventing the wheel. Their direction needs to be how they can be innovative about implementation until they fully have executed and understand the system.

The Green personalities bring organization and administration, and that makes your business more efficient. Effectiveness produces revenue and efficiency reduces cost. These two qualities produce the most successful and profitable organizations. Greens-- because of their ability to control, their cautiousness, their attention to details, their ability to monitor and be systematic, and their tendencies toward structure and follow up--bring efficiency to the organization. That same focus makes the efficiency short-term because they are more concerned with controlling what happens to them than what happens to the organization. Again, their systems and organization are necessary but not sufficient for an organization to be truly efficient in the long run. They are much better at telling how you are doing than they are at getting the rest of the team to pull together and implement the systems they have developed. That is why we need Yellows.

The Yellows develop long-term efficiency by integrating the systems of the Greens with the rest of the team. Because of their desire to be part of a team, Yellows work at getting people with opposing positions to work together. Yellows can communicate the value of team work, they are flexible and adaptable, which lets them meet people where they are, and they can organize and coordinate the strengths of their teammates so that the whole team works better together. Over time, they will bring long-term efficiency because of their ability to build the team around the Vision, Mission, and Values of the team.

A well-balanced organization will recruit and develop all four-personality types in order to have the most effectiveness and efficiency. Organizations that focus on this objective and commit to its realization will be more successful than those that ignore this approach. Most owners bring Red to their organizations but need to recruit Green and Yellow to make sure that they are more balanced. The bottom line is that once we understand our unique talents, abilities and strengths we need to recruit people who have talents, abilities and strengths in our areas of weakness. A balanced team has strengths in all four colors.