Understanding various personality types will help you lead when “surrounded by idiots”

Have you ever felt like you’re in a room full of complete idiots as a leader? Although managers and employers frequently find this frustrating, the truth is often more nuanced. Recognising and accommodating the wide range of team members’ personalities is the key to effective leadership in challenging situations. This blog delves into the four personality types defined in Thomas Erikson’s book Surrounded by Idiots—Red, Yellow, Green, and Blue—and provides practical tactics for effectively leading each one. It draws on the ideas from the book to do so.

According to Erikson, there are four main personality types, each of which has a different colour. Despite their limitations, these classifications do a good job of outlining the many ways people act and communicate at work.

• The Predominant and Motivated Red
• The Joyful and Outgoing Yellow
• The Peaceful and Harmonious Green
• The Critical Thinker and Attention to Detail Blue

As leaders, let’s examine each kind and find out how to collaborate with them.

The Red Characteristics: Dominant and Driven

• Characteristics: Strong, focused, and motivated by outcomes.
• Personality traits: They are naturally aggressive and enjoy a good challenge. People with red personalities may appear hostile or irritable if other people aren’t moving at their speed.

Obstacles Faced by Leaders: Reds can be challenging to control because they may attempt to monopolise the discussion and disregard alternative viewpoints. They make decisions quickly but might need to consider the broader view or the effects in the future.

Recognising a Red personality’s ambition and drive is the first step to successfully leading them. They enjoy a good challenge and are grateful for direct communication. Pay attention to your actions, and don’t make too much small talk. Allow them some freedom in their job, but keep in mind that getting things done well is more important than having them done fast.

Make sure to be both direct and fair while offering feedback. The Reds respect strong and competent leaders. They can start to dislike you if you’re too soft or can’t make up your mind. Set specific objectives and give them the freedom to pursue them; this will help empower their competitive nature. You must, however, emphasise the value of teamwork and attentive listening as well.

The Extroverted and Sociable Yellow

• Characteristics: Very sociable, imaginative, and outgoing.
• Personality traits: Those in Yellow are known to be the team’s lifesavers, always ready to pump up the crowd. They may falter when it comes to technicalities and following through, but they’re pros when it comes to coming up with ideas and being creative.

Obstacles Faced by Leaders: Yellows tend to stay on task and become easily sidetracked. Sometimes, they may come out as egotistical or attention-seeking, but their need for praise and acknowledgement is real.

A positive work atmosphere and positive reinforcement are necessary for Yellows. They give their all when acknowledged and valued for what they do. As a leader, you can tap into their creativity by allowing them space to express ideas openly while still establishing discipline to keep them on course.

Divide big jobs into smaller, more achievable objectives to keep Yellows motivated. Providing them with variation in their job helps preserve their drive, especially if the project is long-term or monotonous. Positive reinforcement goes a long way with Yellows, so be sure to highlight their strengths before pointing out where they can improve.

Remind Yellows that hard work pays off in the end, even though they are naturally extroverts. A combination of excitement and discipline is the key to meeting deadlines and completing tasks successfully, so remind them of this.

Green: The Temperate and Harmonious Attributes

• Characteristics: Consistent, reliable, and attentive listeners.
• Personality traits: Greens seek to keep the peace at all costs. They are devoted employees who thrive in predictable settings.

Obstacles Faced by Leaders: Some Greens may be reluctant to adapt and need help to express themselves. Despite the importance of standing up for themselves, they might sometimes be excessively meek.

Being a leader of the Greens calls for calm assurance and patience. Meetings are not their strong suit, so you must ensure they feel comfortable speaking up. By asking them open-ended questions in a supportive but non-threatening way, you can get them to open up and share their thoughts.

Greens may leave some issues unattended because they prefer to avoid confrontation. Listen carefully to their worries and provide encouragement as a leader. Prompt people to leave their comfort zone by offering little modifications and demonstrating that change does not necessarily result in mayhem.

Take caution while approaching them with criticism. Be careful to frame your comments positively and encouragingly since they could take it personally. Recognise their accomplishments and guide them in identifying areas where they may improve without being too demanding.

The Blue Characteristics: Analytical and Detail-Oriented

• Characteristics: Reasonable, well-structured, and meticulous.
• Personality traits: Although they are masters at what they do, Blues can get mired down in minutiae if not careful. Structured settings with well-defined norms and expectations are more appealing to them.

Obstacles Faced by Leaders: When the Blues see anything as unreasonable or poorly organised, they are critical of themselves and others. Their tendency to weigh all of their options before taking action could make them ill-suited to situations requiring quick decisions or drastic adjustments.

The Blues are most at home in ordered, rational settings. The leader’s job is to lay forth the rules and expectations for the team to follow. Giving them plenty of time to think about everything and follow specific directions helps them make good judgements.

When collaborating with Blues, it’s important to demand only immediate outcomes with a solid justification. They are often curious about the “why” behind things, so be ready to explain. They have a keen eye for detail that others miss, so it’s crucial to encourage them to share their observations.

Offer helpful criticism by zeroing down on hard evidence—Arguments based on logic tend to resonate with Blues. Even though they resist change, you can assuage their fears by providing them with the facts or proof backing up your decision.

Embracing Each Personality Type as a Leader

Your role as a leader requires you to learn about and cater to the unique character traits of your team members. Many people’s feelings of being “surrounded by idiots” originate from an ignorance of how other people process information and interact with one another. Acknowledging each personality type’s distinct qualities and difficulties can create a more peaceful and productive work environment.

The fiery determination of Red personalities will propel team initiatives forward, while the creative energy and infectious excitement of Yellow personalities will be felt throughout the group. While the Greens provide steadiness and dependability, the Blues make sure everything is done carefully and precisely. A leader who demonstrates empathy and understanding can better tap into their team members’ strengths, regardless of their personality type.

Everyone is unique; no one is a complete “idiot” at heart. Your responsibility as a leader is to value diversity, adjust your approach to leading, and foster an inclusive space where all members can flourish.