Building Your Network
There are various tools used in the team building industry to demonstrate the different personality types that we will meet in business and in life. MBTI is well established and goes into considerable detail on the psychology of personality type.
Another popular tool is Belbin, which looks at working style rather than personality. Some of us are more creative while others are good at detail and completing tasks. In simple terms Belbin helps you to understand why some items on a to-do list are easier to get done than others.
A Quick & Easy Personality Tool
There are various colour based personality profiling tools used in team building. These can be very useful because they are easy to understand, to pick up and use when you are meeting people. Consider a very simple four colour model.
Reds
Reds are action focused, direct and get to the point. They often struggle to make small talk. They can be very good at getting things done. Positive qualities can include good leadership. However, some may find their directness uncomfortable, particularly if it borders on 'pushy'. Reds often send short messages when writing and may miss out standard 'niceties' such as greetings and valedictions.
Yellows
Extravert, sociable and high energy yellows are naturals when it comes to networking. They will often be the centre of the fun and noisy conversation. They can be a real asset to a team or networking gathering but some, particularly those of a more introverted nature, can feel drained of energy after a while. A yellow is the extraverted version of a green.
Greens
Greens are caring and nurturing and will want to take time to ask about you and your family. They value the personal aspects of life more than the hard business issues. Often greens are found in such roles as nursing and caring. Ideally you would want to find greens in HR roles, although in results focused businesses you might find red managers delivering on results instead. Reds and greens can have problems getting on and this is a common cause of conflict in companies.
Blues
This is where the engineers and detail concious people find their home. Blues are often very effective, particularly when it comes to getting the job done or to quality issues. They will want to dive into the detail when you're talking to them. They can be reserved and not inclined to accept information that hasn't been proven. Some other types, for example yellow, may find the pace of blue conversation a challenge while blue is frustrated by yellows inattention to detail.
There are various tools and some use different colours. This is just one example. Considering people in this way is not designed to 'put people into boxes' but to help understand their different personality traits.
The teambuilding activities we offer can highlight these colours/qualities in people, often making these apparent to the organisers, where otherwise these attributes may have remained dormant and unrecognised. This can often open up different opportunities for both the individual and the company, helping them to get the most from the staff they employ. Please find some examples of what we can offer below:
F1 Challenge – Blues will come into their own in the design of the F1 car, ensuring all the elements come together and it will be functional. Greens will ensure everyone has a role within the build, Reds will take the lead and Yellows will be excellent at delivering the end pitch to ensure everyone within the room is as excited about their project as they are!
iPad Movie Making – Reds will be involved in the initial organisation, taking the lead, laying out what they want to achieve and allocating people their tasks. Blues may find themselves filming and editing, ensuring a good quality production whilst yellows and greens will revel in being centre stage, enjoying the atmosphere and creating fun within the task.
Crystal Challenge – Reds will show their skills effectively within command tasks such as our ‘microdot’ activity, whilst blues will be able to give the attention to detail to activities such as plexus puzzles and interlocker where time needs to be taken to work out the solution before rushing on in! Greens will be fantastic in activities such as NASA where everybody needs to take their turn in giving their opinions, sifting through people’s ideas to put forward a positive conclusion. Yellows will keep the morale going even when the team may feel defeated in a task and will help with thinking ‘outside of the box’
These are just a few examples where teambuilding, and particularly a few activities we offer, can highlight different attributes within a team, however the key to this is the realisation that we are all different. We all have all of these colours in our personalities at different times. However, some will be more prominent than others. If nothing else, it may highlight why certain people don’t work well together and therefore by changing things around slightly improve the working environment and boost morale! There are many positive reasons for looking at this method within your business environment.
Try taking this simple four colour model and applying it to your business networking. Can you see these types when you meet people or exchange emails? Will identifying your strengths and weaknesses help you to communicate more effectively with people?
