Whenever I start working with a new group, I like to sit back and observe before jumping in. Maybe it’s just my personality type, but it gets me thinking about the strengths that show up in everyday life. Not the nicely polished, résumé-ready strengths, but the ones that happen in real life on a Tuesday afternoon; the kind of day where everything that can go wrong, absolutely does. Imagine an office where the printer has chosen violence, the schedule is falling apart, and the project that was supposed to be “quick and easy” has dissolved into chaos. Nobody is at their best, and everyone is just trying to survive the day and get through to quitting time. This is the perfect moment to watch what different personality strengths look like when they appear naturally.
Authentic Blues might be best known for empathy, but their lesser-known strength is how they can read a room and quietly shift the mood before most people even realize something’s wrong. In the middle of a chaotic afternoon, an Authentic Blue might just quietly slip away and come back with coffee for the whole team, knowing everyone’s preferences, allergies, and who prefers a tea over coffee. It’s not grand or dramatic, but it changes the tone of the entire day, and perks everyone up, just a little. Authentic Blues don’t just notice emotions; they pick up on what people need before anyone has to say it, and they turn stressful situations into moments of connection. If you’re lucky enough to have an Authentic Blue nearby during chaos, you’ll be amazed at how they manage to anchor everyone without ever looking like they’re trying.
Inquiring Greens get labelled analytical all the time, which is true, but what doesn’t get mentioned enough is how deeply they care about solving problems, so other people don’t have to suffer through them. Office printers and Inquiring Greens are sworn enemies, and when a printer chooses violence, there isn’t an Inquiring Green around who will back down from the challenge. It doesn’t matter if they have absolutely no stake in the situation, they’ll quietly step in and just fix it. When it’s done and dusted, they’ll explain the issue in about nine carefully chosen words, and get back to what they were doing. There’s something profoundly generous in that. Some say that Inquiring Greens care more about ideas than people, but solving problems to make everyone’s day smoother is one of the most practical forms of caring there is.
Organized Golds are regularly admired for planning and structure, but their underappreciated strength is just how reliable they are. It’s easy to underestimate how much energy goes into being the person everyone counts on, until you watch an Organized Gold quietly orchestrate a scene that could have become complete chaos. In the middle of shifting schedules and rising stress, an Organized Gold can break out a (colour coded) paper agenda that they had created “just in case,” complete with highlighted priorities and backup plans, and dissolve any time-based crisis in minutes. People love to joke about Organized Golds and their fondness for systems, but what they’re really doing is protecting everyone’s time, sanity, and dignity. It’s caring, expressed as action.
Resourceful Oranges get all the attention for their sense of adventure and spontaneity, but they don’t get enough credit for being great at keeping the momentum going when things obstacles get in the way. When everyone else is stuck weighing pros and cons or waiting for the perfect solution to come along, Resourceful Oranges will get things done. When the printer goes down, A Resourceful Orange will jump on the phone to their contacts to get it fixed, replaced, or find somewhere else that can print. They’re looking at how the workflow can be temporarily changed, so things can get moving again, and keep the day alive. Resourceful Oranges pull possibility out of places most people consider dead ends, and they do it with this contagious energy that reminds everyone that progress is possible.
This is what I love about Personality Dimensions®; when strengths show up in everyday life, when no one is really paying attention. There’s no single “right” way to contribute, but when everyone brings what they do best, the day just somehow works out, and often better than anyone expected.
Next time you’re in a new situation, pause for a moment and try to catch these different strengths in action; in grocery store lines, in group chats, at family dinners, and yes, even in meetings that should have been emails. You don’t need a workshop room or a flip chart to recognize Personality Dimensions in action. All it takes is noticing the ways people contribute, without thinking about it. Once you start realizing it, you might find yourself seeing it everywhere. But be careful, or you might end up writing a weekly blog about it!
Brad Whitehorn – BA, CCDP is a lifelong Introvert, and the Associate Director at CLSR Inc. He was thrown into the career development field headfirst after completing a Communications degree in 2005, and hasn’t looked back! Since then, Brad has worked on the development, implementation and certification for various career and personality assessments (including Personality Dimensions®), making sure that Career Development Practitioners and HR Professionals get the right tools to do their best work. Brad is also on the board of directors for the Career Professionals of Canada, and an advisory committee member with the Career Development Professionals of Ontario.
