Yellow Personality

YELLOWS / Gold (35%) OPEN & INDIRECT

• nurturers
• caring
• don't want to be sold
• hate pushy sales types
• talk slowly
• talk about 'family' - 'vacations'
• Like 'spillover
• hate StairStep breakaway comp plans
• nurses
• teachers
• union workers

Grounded, realistic and accountable, Yellow's are the backbone of institutions of all kinds - corporate and public. They are society's protectors and administrators - of people, goods, schedules and services. They value procedures, respect the chain of command and have finely tuned systems for everything, from raising children to running large divisions.

Yellow's create lists, get involved in details and are known for following through and mobilizing others to achieve concrete goals. They dislike change, abstract theories and new ideas that have not been tested. As leaders, they shine in establishing policy and readily accept the responsibility of leadership both at work and in volunteer activities so as to ensure projects remain orderly and on track.

Known Yellow's include Barbara Walters, George and Barbara Bush Sr., Queen Elizabeth and Colin Powell. (Yellow's correspond to the Myers-Briggs SJs.)

How to spot a Gold or SJ personality type

Are you Gold?

The Gold or SJ personality is the most prevalent of all types with about 46% of the adult population professing to be this type. This article will give you tips on how to uncover these golden personalities at work, home and play.

Step 1:
Golds like structure, following policies/procedures, and tradition

Observe at work. The Gold or SJ type will arrive to work on time or a bit before and prepared to start work. For those not arriving on time or prepared, expect to receive a critical eye from the Golds/SJs.

The type of work they enjoy is structured, predictable, traditional, dealing with numbers, facts, details, and routine.

As excellent coordinators, they will serve as resourceful managers of resources. They will be the one's volunteering to lead office picnics and parties. As change implementers, they dutifully will make gradual improvements, however, leading a major change effort requires much more energy from them and some may even suggest they dislike change.

Step 2:
Gold's like organized fun...checklists for vacations and play by the rules in games .

Observe at play. After a hard day of work, Golds/SJs will leave the office after all their work is done. They are very dedicated employees. Golds like organized sports and playing by the rules.

They are competitive but not necessarily ultra competitive like the Oranges. If their play takes them on a vacation, they will plan the most cost effective trip, map out the route, develop a checklist of items to bring and then check them off the list once the car is packed. Did I mention the trip will have an itinerary?

Step 3:
Security, control, and traditional parenting...no money, no security .

Observe at home. Golds/SJs prefer traditional family structure. The home is a well organized place. The toilet paper is placed so the flap hangs down for easy tearing and less waste. Kitchen cabinets are arranged in some type of order and with the labels pointing out for easy identification.

Toys are put back into their proper place...after all, everything has its place. When scattered all about, it can drive a Gold/SJ crazy. The Gold parent is more authoritarian, develops the rules and enforces them.

Tips & Warnings

• People tend to have one of the four distinct personality types
• The Gold/SJ type are your pillars of the community
• Speak to them one subject at a time and in an orderly fashion
• Introduce change slowly and methodically...give them the desired outcome
• Give feedback as requested...they desire to do things right, the first time and like to keep checking to make sure they got it right
• Although one personality generally dominates, we are a collection or spectrum of all the personality types
• Don't pigeon hole people...personality typing identifies general tendencies...people change and so does aspects of their personality

How to raise a Gold's self esteem

Organized

Wouldn’t it be nice to wake up each day and have a totally positive outlook? You greet your family at the breakfast table and they actually greet you back. At work, your co-workers build each other up and applaud each others’ accomplishments.

When you get home, your spouse lovingly greats you and you listen patiently as your spouse details the day’s events and eagerly awaits you to share your day. In this scenario, everyone is operating on all cylinders and is in “Esteem.” Esteem is how you see yourself as in “self-esteem.” Depending on your personality, there are hints when you are “Out of Esteem.”

This article will help you identify a Gold personality type, one of the four True Colors personality types, that is “Out of Esteem” and how to get the Gold type back in esteem. By identifying “Out of Esteem” traits and subsequently taking appropriate action to bring those traits into congruence, you will raise your “Self-Esteem” and the esteem of others. Just imagine a world where people focused more on raising each others’ self esteem and just how life giving and rewarding it would be.

Step 1:
Structured.

Identify Gold personality traits that demonstrate they are in esteem like the following: Task focused Structured Cares for body and health Cooperative and follow rules Dependable Respects authority.

Step 2:
Identify Gold personality traits that demonstrate when they are out of esteem: Complains and acts with self-pity Exhibits excessive worry and anxiety Thinks themselves into pain or disease Authoritarian Negatively judges self and others.

Step 3:
Determine “what is the cause of the out of esteem behaviour?” Ask questions or observe if their joys, values, and needs are being met (see article on how to spot an Orange, Green, Blue, and Gold). For example, if Gold feels out of control, find ways to help them be in control of something. Keep building on successes and see their esteem rise.

Step 4:
Determine if any of their stresses are being activated (see article on how to spot an Orange, Green, Blue, and Gold). For example, you set a staff meeting. Since you know Golds value structure and their time, would it not be appropriate to send an agenda out as you set the meeting.

This will allow input into refining the agenda and it will help prepare the Golds for the meeting. At the staff meeting, FOLLOW THE AGENDA and it you can’t, ask for permission to deviate or set up another meeting.

Tips & Warnings

• Seek to determine the Golds specific joys, values, and needs. This requires exercising patience and excellent listening skills.
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• If a Gold is out of esteem and you suspect their out of esteem behaviour is more series than a passing moment, consider referring to professional help. Out of esteem behaviour could lead to more serious issues that a professional is more equipped to handle.