IAM2208 – Build a Strong Team by Understanding Your True Color

Marlo Watson explains True Colors, a personality profile tool that uses four colors (green, gold, orange, and blue) to describe different personality traits.

She emphasizes how True Colors helps individuals understand their own dominant traits and those of others, fostering better communication and relationship-building.

Marlo discusses how True Colors can be applied to improve client relationships and internal team dynamics.

Marlo also mentions her work with organizations to bridge gaps between individuals with different personality profiles and how this can be more effective than traditional approaches to diversity and inclusion.

The conversation highlights the importance of self-awareness and understanding personality profiles for personal and professional growth.

Business Pillar: Human | People

Episode Link: understanding-your-true-color-to-strengthen-you-your-team

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Transcription:

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Marlo Watson Teaser 00:00
Everything that you can get from an employee or from a team if people are not properly aligned. It just automatically eliminates a lot of unnecessary headaches that organizations go through without even knowing it.

Intro 00:18
Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO Podcast and formerly the CEO Chat Podcast.

So doing something a little bit different as we ease into the fall from the summer and everybody's traveling a lot more. Life is obviously a lot different than it has been in the last four years, definitely since I started this let alone the last two years or so.

But I had a podcast called the CEO Chat Podcast, which is a lot more of a long form podcast. I didn't really reach the 1400 plus episodes that we did with the I AM CEO Podcast.

So there's a lot more long flowing, a lot more conversational, but might be dusting off the CEO Chat Podcast and bringing that back out.

So with that being said, while considering that, what I wanted to do is go through some of the interviews that I had that were some of my favorites and share those.

It's not gonna obviously be the full entire interview. We're gonna have links in the show notes so that you can go and listen to the full interview.

But I wanted to do some snippets that you can get. You're gonna hear, of course the visibility, either the resources or the connections in each of these different snippets.

So it's gonna be one of those things that's really gonna help you to hopefully learn more about the guest that's on the show, what they do, how they do, why they do it, but also get that opportunity to really learn about some resources that can make you more effective and efficient.

So sit back and enjoy this special throwback CEO chat episode.

Marlo Watson 01:49
So true colors is that it's a personality profile, and it helps individuals to understand how they are made up. Everyone, for the most part has a dominant or what we refer to as a bright color.

And it's based off of four colors, green, gold, orange, and blue. And there are certain characteristics that are just they're innate with each color.

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And the beauty of true colors versus a lot of other personality profiles is that true colors is a spectrum.

So you have your brightest color, but then whatever your subsequent colors are and how high you rank in those can impact even how you manifest your brightest color.

So, for an example, I am a bright green, actually a green gold. There's like a two point difference between my green and gold.

So I'm very, big picture visionary idea generating, can typically handle a whole lot more than most people.

So because the gold is my second color, which is a very structured, organized, traditional, conservative color, I tend to follow things out.

If I start something, I will keep going until I complete it. Whereas most greens, depending upon what their color spectrum is, they are idea generators.

And so they come up with it, and then they pass the baton. Now you all go get it done. So true colors is so, valuable to me because once you understand a person's spectrum, what their subsequent colors are, how dominant they are in those subsequent colors, you can really help them to take career paths or build relationships with different people because they understand how they are made up.

And the additional benefit is that they get to understand how other people are made up. And so after you become a little familiar with it, you almost can identify, oh, I bet this person is a green, or this person is a gold, or I bet they are an orange, or they really seem like they are blue.

And so you I say to everyone, the purpose is for you to first understand yourself, but then you have to take it to that next level and be willing to accommodate your personal preferences to build a relationship with someone whose preferences are totally different.

And I use the analogy of language. If I only speak English and you only speak Spanish, we're not gonna be able to communicate with one another and get results because you don't understand my English, and I don't understand your Spanish.

And that's what happens when people are dominant in one color and then, and they're interacting with someone who is dominant in a totally different color.

And especially if there are colors that clash, like tip there's colors like green and blues typically clash. Orange and gold typically clash because they're structurally polar opposites.

Gresham Harkless 05:13
Mhmm.

Marlo Watson 05:14
It's really valuable. And I work with small business owners, to help them to understand how to work with clients or potential clients.

Because if you are so that you can make money and move and make the progress in terms of building the relationship.

If you are working with someone who is important to them to have the relationship piece, you don't want to start the meeting off with facts and data and what it's gonna cost and what they need and da da da because you've instantly built a wall between the two of you.

So it's a way to help people to understand how their clients or potential clients may be to be able to build a relationship.

And in my experience, I've worked with organizations at the state level who thought that they had race issues.

And after going through True Colors, they began to realize that, okay. This person is a different ethnicity than I am.

But really, the issue is that the person is a different color, and we're color clashing because I am a person that needs relationships and needs you to validate my worth to this team.

And you are a person that only cares about facts and data and don't have no interest in the small talk. It's not that organizations don't have other issues, but True Colors is a very intentional and non-intimidating way to open up the dialogue between people to understand their differences.

And so and because it's fun and entertaining, people have a good time, and they're like, oh my goodness. I didn't realize. I thought that you were this, or I thought you were mean, or whatever the case may have been.

So I've had a lot of success, in different state agencies and different communities by being able to bridge the gap.

And so that's what the Marlo Company is about. And in addition to that, we provide leadership development, conflict resolution, team building in terms of nonprofits and member organizations, helping them to re-energize their board of directors or to establish how to go about establishing a board and building partnerships.

And I do some grant writing services, but that really is on a limited, basis. Everything with the Marlo Company is really about people development. We like to develop so that you can do your business.

Gresham Harkless 07:58
Right. That's awesome.

Marlo Watson 07:59
True Colors actually incorporates Myers Briggs. It was, Okay. The historical context of True Colors came about from, Catherine and Isabel Briggs. Myers Briggs, the mother daughter team, but it's in a layman's terms because everyone doesn't speak in psychological terms or doesn't have that breadth of knowledge.

And so it's very parallel. The I'm a big fan of Myers Briggs as well. And you were right. It's all about self awareness.

If you understand how you are made up, you can that's 90% of the battle. That's 90% of the battle.

Gresham Harkless 08:43
Right. And I think that's it. Definitely, you feel like any of the maybe, experience that you have helps you out in the day to day, with your business and getting clients and talking with people and things along those lines?

Marlo Watson 08:56
It does indeed because one of the greatest challenges and struggles is when people are and I don't even have a name for this, but it's the example of an employee is good at if you are a post office or if you're a school.

A teacher is an excellent teacher, so naturally, the thought is, well, then let's move the teacher up, and they become a supervisor.

Well, teaching and supervising are two totally different skill sets. You can be an excellent teacher, but maybe not necessarily an excellent supervisor.

So then you get someone who is now a supervisor. Not a good fit for them, but it's a compliment. It's a testament of your hard work and the great job you did.

Then you have another teacher that I mean, another supervisor that comes in, and they are an excellent supervisor. They're good at what they do. They understand people. They understand and are passionate about developing people, and these two are in the same department.

What happens a lot of times is that they begin to clash because the one that doesn't wanna be a supervisor is not good at it, is intimidated or insecure or whatever the case may be by this person who is naturally great at supervising.

And so there are all of these elephants, white elephants that are in the room that are so apparent to everyone, but no one really wants to deal with it because people just don't like to deal with it.

So a lot of what has a lot of my experience, which was really what led me to want to develop the Marlo Company, is helping organizations to be able to see the importance of having people properly aligned for the position that they are hired.

It can't be just because you like someone that you and they want more money, and this is the only way to do it. Okay. Well, then we'll move you into this position.

It always shows when a person is not happy, when they don't enjoy what it is that they are doing, it spills out. Even if they just do a good job, but it doesn't spill out.

So helping people to understand what it is that they are passionate about and finding a way to move in that direction is so much more fulfilling for them.

And it is for me as well when I have a small part in it because it makes it better for the entire organization.

You'll never really get everything that you can get from an employee or from a team if people are not properly aligned.

It just automatically eliminates a lot of unnecessary headaches that organizations go through without even knowing it. You know what I mean?

Gresham Harkless 12:01
Right. Yeah. And it makes a huge difference. And so, again, like a lot of our audience is entrepreneurs and business owners.

So what kind of takeaways would you give for business owners or entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, or maybe CEOs of big large companies to I guess to really use a lot of the knowledge that you have and use it starting today or a little bit down the line starting the new year?

Marlo Watson 12:36
Absolutely. I'd say to any CEO, even if you are a solopreneur, entrepreneur, small business owner, first, you have to be true to yourself.

You have to understand that if you want people to develop if you want to see your business thrive and succeed, you have to be true to yourself and know what your strengths are and what your weaknesses are, and build your team of people around areas that you are weak in.

And when you look at people that you are bringing on board to participate in your team, whether it's a contractor or someone that our business to business type of situation or someone that you are bringing on as an employee, put together an assessment package that is far more than just an application.

And someone's resume and checking their references because you want to know you want to really take the time to get to know the people that you are considering bringing on board.

It does slow things down a little upfront, but then you will become better skilled at it and to know what it is that you are looking for because you can have someone who is an excellent programmer or an excellent HR person or an excellent admin assistant.

But because of attitudes or lack of passion or maybe there are things that are going on in their personal life, whatever the case may be, it can interfere with your organization's ability to make money or to fulfill your mission.

So I always say to people, take that extra time and it's not even to promote True Colors. Whether it's True Colors, there's StrengthFinders, there's Myers Briggs.

There are a multitude of assessments that you can have your employees to go through that will give you a little more insight as to who they are.

And you wanna make sure that the person is a good fit for your organization or your team, but not based off of personality.

Because a lot of times, people tend to let their friend or someone whom they know about of an opening that happens.

And before you know it, you can just have a team full of people that just like each other and get along well, but aren't necessarily doing the work that needs to be done, to the degree that it needs to happen.

So it's really important to understand your strengths and your weaknesses as a leader of the organization or a team or a business, and then look at where your gaps are, where your weaknesses are, and what's necessary for your organization to go to that next level and incorporate more than just the application and a resume.

We all can make ourselves look a little bit better and than what we are. And at the end of the day, you wanna get it right the first time as much as possible.

Outro 15:48
Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO Podcast and formerly the CEO Chat Podcast, which we might be dusting off and bring it back that we, the sunset.

So I hope you enjoy that episode. Like I mentioned, the goal is really just to give you some visibility around the guests, where it is around, what it is that they do, and how they do it, and what makes it unique, or get some resources that can help you level up within your business or within your organization as an enterprising individual that you are.

And then, of course, you might even get a different perspective on what it means to be a CEO and have that opportunity to connect with the person.

So I hope you enjoyed that episode. You can, of course, go to CEOChat.co to hear more of that episode.

Also, go to the show notes to actually hear the see the direct link to that episode. But I think it's something phenomenal that we have the opportunity to take the snippets from the longer form podcast and get some really valuable information that can help us love our organizations and our businesses.

So definitely take care, and look forward to talking to you soon.

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