While personality assessments only explain what you do, the Color Code delves deeper to determine why you do what you do by uncovering your driving core motive—the innermost reason why you do what you do. Instruments that describe simply what you do (behavior-based) aren't telling you anything you don't know already. In order to improve your life and relationships, you need to understand why you do what you do (motive-based).
As an academically trained psychologist, I love personality tests. (Testing is also part of what introduced me to Mr. Cents, but that’s a different story entirely.) I’ve taken a countless number of personality tests and relish the opportunity to take any test that will gleam insight into my psyche or that of anyone else. Management profile questionnaire? Check. Job interest inventory? Check. Quizzes in fashion magazines? Check. Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)? At least 20 times.
Even though I love tests, I was skeptical. What insight could this test possibly give me? Wasn’t this just another version of the MBTI? And the answer is….kind of, but not exactly. From my endless retakes of the MBTI, I know all about HOW I react to situations, so much so that my behavior in any given situation is quite predictable. What I don’t necessarily understand is WHY, and how to change those behaviors that are less desirable. Why do I struggle with different parts of my personality? Why do I experience deviations in my typical behavior, and why do I go through periods of boredom and elation with the exact same stimulus? The answer may be due to conflicting core motivations.
This is a picture of my results:
The biggest piece of the pie is blue, followed by a strong secondary preference to white (54.22% Blue, 21.09% White).
So, for the most part, my personality stems from blue motivations, which revolve around people and intimacy. Famous blue personalities are Oprah, Princess Diana, etc.
Here are some insights into my core motivation as a primarily “blue” person: (all italicized text below is taken directly from my individual personality profile. If the color code interests you, take a test drive at http://www.colorcode.com/.)
Blues are motivated by intimacy. They seek to genuinely connect with others, and need to be understood and appreciated. Everything they do is quality-based. They are loyal friends, employers, and employees. Whatever or whomever they commit to is their sole (and soul) focus. They love to serve and give of themselves freely in order to nurture others' lives.
As a blue, more than anything else life can offer, you want to love and be loved. For you, life is far more about relationships and meaning than about creating empires, riches, and fame.
You crave being understood and will go to extreme measures to spark others’ desire to know you and understand why you think and behave as you do. (Hmm…this could explain my undying devotion to all things psychology and my newfound interest in blogging)
You prefer doing for others more than solely for yourself. You expend such great effort in making the world a better place that you often need to be told and shown how much you are appreciated for your thoughtful gestures and what a difference you make in others’ lives. You may feel somewhat awkward receiving praise, but always enjoy knowing at the end of the day that you truly are a wonderful human being and made a tremendous contribution. (All true, much as I hesitate to admit that I’m a sucker for adoration, it is definitely a key motivating factor in certain things I do.)
You need to care for others and have people in your life that care about you. Your life is measured more in people of substance than in material possessions. For you, loyalty is unquestionable. You thrive in committed relationships and can be counted on to perform your duties. (Ok, ok - I get it, I’m a people person.)
You have a personal moral code that guides you in your decision-making, value judgments, and your leisure time. You actually enjoy "being good." You like to do the work "right" and can struggle with delegating to others who may not share your same enthusiasm for quality. (This is very true. I’d rather lose than lie or even stretch the truth. Unfortunately for those close to me it also means I am passionate about my beliefs and must let them know the morality I see in the world, or lack thereof.)
You enjoy a tremendous advantage over other personalities in the area of empathy. Feeling compassion for others is not a difficult stretch, regardless of your own limited life experience. You tend to remember feelings and thoughts shared in conversation and you are usually willing to give conversations time to run their course. (I am ridiculously empathetic. I have been known to cry at television commercials and was always the shoulder to cry on growing up. People tend to gravitate to me, and I’ve never understood why. Perhaps it has something to do with compassion.)
You are deeply emotional, as opposed to logical, but because of your tremendous analytical skills you often err in thinking of yourself as logical versus emotional. Nice try. (I must stop deluding myself that I have a logical bone in my body, somewhere…).
The Secondary Color – Or why I’m so conflicted
The disadvantage of possessing a secondary color is the challenge it presents to being true to your blue core-you may send mixed signals. One moment you will act blue while another moment you will act white. This behavior can confuse people and make it difficult for them to know how you will react to any given situation. In other words, you may appear to be more inconsistent than would a purist, or someone who does not possess a strong secondary color.
People like you. They find you easy to enjoy and can tell that you have legitimate substance. Your strength is rarely offsetting to others who find you personable but never pushy, interested but never demanding, quiet but never boring. It is a wonderful complementary blend of emotion and logic. You can empathize easily with people, yet seldom move into heavy judgment or criticism. You like being with others but find your own company easy to enjoy.
You have a keen sense of intuition and can feel what others are feeling or thinking while engaging them in conversation. You reach out to people up, down, and across an organization with relative ease and typically strike a strong balance between sharing and listening. You enjoy the whites’ gift of egolessness and therefore can laugh at yourself (although you most certainly will be embarrassed!) and allow others to have the last word. You speak to the issues but enjoy hearing how others feel about any given topic.
You tend to live a rather common life, in that you let others stand in the limelight and don’t find high risk a particularly enjoyable venture. You can subjugate your needs for those of more selfish individuals but always seem to find the time and the opportunity for self-expression when it is necessary. You are rarely disappointed like blues or emotionally ignored or abused like whites.
Your personality combination enables you to move fluidly through life with remarkable ease. You seek more gregarious and intense individuals socially and find them to be a positive force in creating options for you. You keep your self-doubts to yourself but freely reveal them when asked. You have difficulty speaking your mind in combative circumstances but remain solid in your beliefs regardless of others’ expressed viewpoints to the contrary. Nonetheless, you are open to changing your perspective when provided meaningful data.
You value Intimacy but will miss opportunities if it requires conflict. You choose your battles intuitively and won’t necessarily force issues when you deem it unnecessary. People find you to be honest and committed, but may have to ask you about specific issues to know where you stand. You are not particularly interested in gossip, especially when it is hurtful. Sometimes you speak your mind while other times you remain silent; it all depends on what you deem worthy of pursuing.
You are often amazed at your life and work success because you rarely give yourself the credit you deserve. You see your limitations much more candidly than your strengths. While others are enjoying your gifts, you are often wishing you were better. You are often remembered for your solid, unflappable nature. People find you to always be a welcome addition in any situation. You do your part, while forgiving others who neglect to do theirs.
In summary, my color profile emphasizes my strengths – an intuitive, empathetic nature that allows me to form positive relationships with most people; a strong commitment to the quality of my work and the depth of my loyalty; and an overall sense that the world needs a little bit of help. It also told me a little more about the weaknesses inherent in my personality that I will be challenged to overcome – a low tolerance for conflict, a tendency to second guess myself or to take things too personally.
Later on, I’ll dive more into my personality profile through actions and awareness. If you’d like to join my on my mission to develop my emotional intelligence, feel free to comment and do any of the activities yourself. You can always learn a little more about yourself, and in turn, make your relationships with others even more effective.
Stay tuned for more common cents!
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