MARKETING TO COLORS
Color Adds Meaning To Your
Life
By Thomas Mundia
W
e all have unique traits and
characteristics that form who
we are. Yet sadly very few of
us will discover who they are and why
they were created. The modern workplace
is full of people that simply exist, pass
time or are there for very superficial ends
and thus cannot find happiness. Our fast
paced extroverted world pays a premium
to external manifestations of success at
the expense of the introverted gems of
reflection and introspection that form the
context for answering the ‘why’ questions
of life.
Is it possible to be in a career that you are
good at, that you love doing and that pays
you well? Jim Collins’ Hedgehog concept
is precisely about that. In addition, it is
important that your career involves doing
things ethically and gives you a higher
high than just money.
To discover what you are created for and
therefore your purpose and meaning in
life is a lifelong journey. It starts with
self-awareness i.e. the discovery of your
natural strengths and talents.
Self-awareness is a crucial and integral
part of any personal development and is
the beginning of true wisdom. Thanks to
many scientific personality assessments,
you can have a deep awareness of who you
really are.
The greens and blues are introverts in their
search for energy and meaning from within.
This group of individuals are a gift to the rest
who don’t stop to listen to others or are so
bogged down by performance and success that
they rarely ask why they are doing what they are
doing. Management and Leadership positions
still fall by default to extroverts (reds and yel-
lows) and overlook the strengths of quiet lead-
ership.
56 MAL27/18 ISSUE
Consider this scenario: If you were invited
to a company party where you don’t know
anyone, what is likely to be your reaction?
(a) Have any excuse not to attend (b) Ask
for as much information about the event
(number of attendees, program, start and
end times) etc. before making your decision
(c) See it as an event to meet new people
and network or (d) Assess the aim of the
event and whether it adds value to you?
All the four responses above tell us
something about your preferred behavior.
For the sake of this article I will use
the traditional four colors (Green for
Phlegmatic, Blue for Melancholic, Yellow
for Sanguine and Red for Choleric). Please
note that we are all a combination in varied
degrees of these four colors.
Our human nature provides us the
temperament (genetic characteristics -
biology) that form the first basis of who
you are. Over the years, the environment,
socialization - and more importantly - our
deliberate efforts to grow in habits, all form
the second nature which is character. The
colors tell us the combination of these two
natures. What is of interest is a comparison
of who you are naturally and what you have
to become in a certain role or a work culture
that may force you to make adjustments
from your natural self.
To illustrate the four colors we shall meet
four different employees in an Organization