As part of our development at work, each employee goes through something called Insights Discovery training. I found out about this during my second or third week at work when my boss asked one of my co-workers if she had attended and what her colors were.
Insights Discovery training is a workshop of sorts that enables you to learn about yourself as well as others in the work place.* Before the four hour training class, each individual takes a twenty-five question assessment and the results of the assessment make up your colors and your title. The colors represent four categories.
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| via Insights |
We are each given a set of colored blocks as well to display (if we so choose) in our offices. Each block comes with a brief description of what someone who leads with that color energy might say.
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My co-worker/friend and I took the training together and spent months (I am not exaggerating) trying to guess what our makeup would be. I was pretty sure that I was going to be yellow-green-red-blue (it's important to note that the "give me details" in this sense is not, like, "tell me everything," it's more like, "I'm going to read the instructions meticulously before I attempt to plug in this vacuum and use it.").
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| Personal photo from my Insights Discovery Profile |
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| Personal photo from my Insights Discovery profile |
The first graph above shows where I am on the type wheel based on my color energies and the second graph shows my color energies on an everyday basis at work or in general situations when I am aware of myself. As you can see, my yellow energy is very high, followed fairly closely by my red, while my green and blue are below the line.
What the above graph says about me (sidenote: many of these phrases are taken directly from my Discovery profile) is that I am a highly energetic, spirited individual. I want to be involved in projects, meetings, discussions, whatever. I am a clear and honest communicator and have no problem being decisive (this is where my red energy comes in to play). I tend to juggle multiple things at once and make decisions based on where I am in the moment which often leads to an "act now, pay later," mindset. I can be direct and borderline erratic when attempting to tackle the day and/or tasks.
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| a snippet from the Decision Making portion of my Insights Discovery profile |
The profile itself is 28 pages long so I won't bore anyone with that (although, if I'm being honest, I totally could just share the entire thing and I would not find it boring - I am kind of obsessed with this stuff), however it is a SCARILY accurate and complete picture of an individual. The profile includes sections listing your strengths and weaknesses, Dos and Don'ts when communicating with you, Dos and Don'ts when communicating with your opposite type, what your managing style is like, what you need to flourish in your position, etc.
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| another snippet from the Blind Spots portion of my profile - I couldn't help myself. |
As a lover of and believer in communication (my degree is in Mass Media Communication and I have a minor in Business Management), I am fascinated by what an amazing tool this is. Any given team or work setting is going to have a wide variety of leading color energies. For instance, even though I'm on the Communications & Knowledge Management team at work, we have a handful of people leading with their blue energy as well as some leading with green. Knowing more about yourself and how you communicate is great but learning about your teammates and colleagues is priceless. One of my co-workers shared his profile with me and I was stunned to realize how many things I do on almost a daily basis without thinking of it are on his "When communicating with John Smith, DO NOT. . . " list.
Another anecdote that was helpful for me involves Jon: I excitedly shoved my book at him and sat with him while he read it, eager for him to be as excited as I was and astonished at its accuracy. He finished and I was all, "WELL?! Isn't it AMAZING?!" And he amusedly agreed without sharing any of my absurd excitement. I pushed him some more, "isn't it just SO accurate? Like, scary accurate?!" He responded, "it didn't tell me anything I didn't already know - you're a lot of fun, you're a go-getter and you're flighty."
"FLIGHTY?!" I screeched. I immediately dismissed him and told him he was silly. Flighty, pffffft. It said that I was spirited! That I wanted to accomplish things! Flighty. Puhleeze.
It stuck with me, though and I was driving to work the next morning, still pffffffffffting and still eye-rolling when it hit me: Jon, as an engineer, almost positively leads with his blue energy and it's so possible that people with their blue energies might interpret me in all of my excitement and willingness to plan and get involved as flighty. It was a true lightbulb moment: this is how I may come across to some people (most people at work, honestly, being that we're a research and development facility). This is something I can be aware of and can work to control - especially in situations with people who do not know me as well as, say, someone on my team.
I've heard from other friends that they've done similar tests - in many ways, it's close to the Myers-Briggs Indicator (ENFJ here!) and it is based on Jungian theory. Have you taken any assessments like this that have helped you understand your and your colleagues' roles at work? What are some strengths and weaknesses you're aware of?
*I want to disclaimer that I am in no way sponsored by Insights or anything of the sort, nor am I speaking on behalf of them. I am simply sharing my personal experience and personal thoughts.
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