What motivates you? And I don’t mean food!
There are lots of personality and motivation tests we can and probably have taken over our lives. A few years ago, as part of a Board retreat for a non-profit, we thought an ice-breaker would be fun since we didn’t know one another nor our working styles. We knew we would be spending hours together in the year ahead meeting and planning, and knowing more about one another in an objective sense sounded good.
The Color Code theory is that we each have a primary motivator and a color is attached. Either we are motivated by Power (red) Intimacy (blue), Fun (yellow) or Peace (white). Naturally we all have a mix of motivation, yet one type will be dominant.
I was skeptical but I thought it would be a bit of fun, a way to get us talking and on the same page. I found it illuminating.
For example, the Reds (motivated by power) in the room, shared how they can get focused on the goal, getting things done is most important but sometimes a “Red Color Code” person may steamroll over other people because they are so focused on what they want or are trying to accomplish. For them it was eye opening and it had them review how to manage an upcoming project differently. Yet it also showed the value of a Red to have that energy and power to get things accomplished.
And if Reds have Blue Color Codes ( motivated by intimacy) in their life then the Blue might soften the Red’s goal focus and help Reds to slow down a bit to engage with people and experience the value of that. (Actually Blues can do this for all the types.)
I won’t drone on ……But if you’re curious, check out the Color Code Test. It’s fun and it’s free! And it might be illuminating.
Ageilicious 