Today’s post comes to us from the Personality Dimensions® archives; this article was first published in the Winter 2006 edition of Dimensionally Speaking. While it has been nine years since this was published, the things that stress out still have not changed!
Colourful Stress: What Stresses You Out?
These are the answers that a group of Personality Dimensions® Level 1 Trainers submitted when answering the questions:
1) What stresses you out?
2) When you are stressed, how can we help?
Inquiring Green
- No access to the tools/resources needed to research, write ideas
- Not knowing expectations (end result) “what do you want from me?”
- Having to repeat myself (“what part don’t you get?”)
- Being put down – ideas not recognized as useful, significant
- Lack of recognition for idea, creative concept, credit given to others
- “GET TO THE POINT” – beating around the bush
- Being controlled, tight restrictions
- Reporting progress (interim reports limit ideas, not ready yet)
- Not having others follow systems
- Anything ILLOGICAL
How to help us:
- Validate our input (ideas) as important & relevant
- Clear instructions, expectations, criteria
- Freedom to get to the end result in our own way
- Provide access to tools & resources
Authentic Blue
- Told our work not good enough
- RUDENESS & Inconsiderate words
- When you break our trust
- Accused of being disloyal or untrustworthy
- Cruelty (to those who are defenceless)
- Injustice
- Criticizing
- When you don’t “let me in”
- Sterile Environment, cold
- CONFLICT
How to help us:
- Acknowledge our feelings
- VALIDATE them
- Physical contact (for some of us), smiles
- Let us emote until we’re done
- Publicly encourage us, affirmation
- Share your feelings with us
- Harmonious, pleasant environment
Organized Gold
- Lack of consistency
- Disorganization in others
- Being told we’re not fun or spontaneous
- Criticize my organization skills
- When efforts not appreciated
- People not conscious of time
- Untidiness or clutter
- Others reorganizing our space
- Values not respected
- People who show without notice
How to help us:
- Call first before you visit
- Don’t touch our stuff!!!
- Respect our organization skills and our need for structure
- Give us a compliment!
Resourceful Orange
- Inflexible rules, Routines
- Boredom, Not enough variety
- Not having enough to do
- Wasting time, waiting
- Narrow-minded people & their expectations
- People Treating us as scattered/frivolous
- Waiting for someone to respond or get to the point
- Lack of freedom
How to help us:
- Give us space; allow us freedom
- Allow us to find our own way
- Being open to a variety of solutions
- Providing us with “why”
- Understanding my impatience
- Lighten up – make things fun
- Not restraining us (we can change direction if things don’t work out)
Joan Grobb Augustino, Work-Self-Life Strategist, is a Motivational Speaker & Personality Dimensions® Master Trainer who helps people & organizations perform better and grow faster by aligning WHO they are with WHAT they do.
3 Responses
This is an excellent summary of how the different personalities handle stress and what they need when they are experiencing stressful situations. Thank you for sharing.
Mary Whitaker
Rite Careers
As a proud GOLD practitioner, this list is great for me. Thanks!
As a proud GOLD practitioner, this list is great for me. Thanks!