DISC Personality Color Model (Red, Yellow, Green, Blue)
Erikson’s color model describes Red behavior as assertive, Yellow as sociable, Green as steady, and Blue as cautious and detail-focused. An interview with Stefan, whom the author describes as Blue, illustrates the vocabulary. His reactions are one person’s account, rather than proof that a color determines someone’s abilities or conduct.
THE IDEA
An interview with Stefan
Stefan is an economist at the headquarters of a large company with offices in several European countries. Erikson describes him as Blue with some Red, and no Yellow or Green. The interview illustrates the author’s categories through Stefan’s views of work and colleagues; it does not independently establish the model’s reliability or validity.
What do you think of this tool? DISA language?
It’s quite an interesting concept. It seems like there’s been a lot of research done on the topic, which I find exciting. I’ve seen a variation of this tool before, but that system categorized people by assigning different letter combinations. It would be interesting to compare the two models.
There are several different tools available. Most of them are grounded in the same basic research, but as time went on they developed differently. The tool I use is particularly accurate.
Do you mean with regard to reliability or validity?
Both. I’d also recommend Marston’s book Emotions of Normal People if you’re curious to learn more. What conclusions have you drawn after reading the book?
It was interesting to see how the author structured it. He wrote about Reds first, then about Yellows, Greens, and Blues. Each new topic was explained in reference to the four different colors. That was good because it means you don’t get bored reading about any one specific color. And I noticed that there was always just about the same number of pages on each color, which is pretty impressive. I wonder how he managed it?
Regarding patterns of behavior, what have you learned so far?
That people are different. I knew that already, of course, but it was interesting to see exactly how we differ. And there were good examples in the book. For instance, I was particularly interested in Red behavior.
What are your thoughts on that?
Their tremendous drive to move forward. I have a colleague with exactly that kind of attitude and drive. Always moving forward, always first in line. His ability to make decisions quickly is very impressive. He ends up making a lot of mistakes, of course, but he corrects them quickly, so I don’t think it’s a huge problem.
Do you work well with Reds?
Pretty well, I think. Sure, they’re often careless, as I said, but you can help them be more exacting. My role is usually to make sure we stick to the plan, and that’s not something Reds are great at. But they’re often quite good at improvising, which is a valuable skill. And they’re brave.
It sounds as if you don’t have any major problems with Red behavior?
No. It depends on what you mean by major, but I’d say I don’t have any big problems with them. But, having said that, I think they have considerably more difficulty dealing with people like me.
What do you mean?
I want everything well structured. Zero mistakes. In this business, we work with finances and there’s no margin for error. This industry demands a rather meticulous type of person. If I’ve understood the book correctly, Reds aren’t interested in details, which is basically what my work amounts to. There would be enormous consequences if I were to be careless with decimal places. It just can’t happen.
Okay. How about the other colors? How do you get along with Greens?
Fairly well. Both of us—at least according to the book—are introverts, which I think is a positive. Then you can devote yourself to work rather than just lolling around chatting. [Pause.]
But Greens like chatting.
That’s true, they do. I don’t, though. Unless it’s work related. Then we can talk for a long time. What I don’t like about Greens is that they have a tendency to make a pretense of working. They are often away from their desks, doing something else instead of working, and that slows everything down. It’s a problem.
Do you find this is a common problem in your workplace?
Yes.
What have you done to tackle the problem?
Nothing.
Why not?
It’s not my responsibility. It’s a management issue.
Have you raised the issue with the management team?
No.
So some of your coworkers pretend to work, and this slows the whole team down. You’ve observed this but haven’t done anything about it?
That’s right.
But why not?
Like I said before, it’s a management problem. I don’t have any authority to act on the issue.
What would you do if you had the authority?
That’s a hypothetical question.
Yes, but let’s just say you did.
But that’s not the actual situation. I’m not interested in management, so I don’t know what I would do.
Just out of curiosity—if your boss asked you for advice on exactly this issue, an employee who doesn’t do what they should, what advice would you give?
Purely hypothetically?
Yes.
I’d ask the boss to follow up with the problem employee more frequently. Give them feedback on what’s not working, and demand that they change the problematic behavior.
Okay. Can we talk a little bit about Yellow behavior?
[At this point, Stefan crosses his hands on his chest and nods.]
How do you perceive people with distinctive Yellow behavior?
They’re a bit annoying. I just wish that they’d take things much more seriously. Work, to start with. Of course, I realize that you also need to have fun at work, but not for the majority of the day. You can’t fool around all the time during working hours. The worst thing is that they just wander around making a noise, bothering everyone. At times they can be very entertaining, but working is working and playing is playing. There’s also the issue of their total inability to get the facts right. I think they’re very incompetent when it comes to factual issues. They don’t take anything seriously, and that leads to lots of mistakes. For instance, if a pure Yellow individual worked as a controller how would that work out? He wouldn’t even know what to look for. But the really serious issue is that they say so many things that aren’t true. For example, they might say that they double-checked certain details without ever actually doing it. Or insist that they’re not careless despite the fact that everyone can see that they most definitely are. The whole thing is wildly frustrating.
Have you ever really gotten to know a Yellow?
How can you avoid it? They pour out their life story to whoever they like, with a total lack of discernment. They think that all of us are interested in their summer house, or their puppies, or their kid’s new tooth, or their brother’s new fishing boat. But all of that is completely and totally irrelevant.
Do you ever hang out with Yellows?
No. I tend to avoid them.
Why?
I wouldn’t be able to stand all that talking. They’d talk me to death. I can’t listen to them yammering on and on about everything and nothing. And you never know if what they’re saying is actually true. That irritates me. They hyperbolize all the time; five minutes with a Yellow and I’m at my wit’s end. My brother-in-law always talks about his new position at work. But he describes it differently every time. I’ve asked him what his title is, because I didn’t understand what he actually does, but he always gets very vague. One time I asked how the company was growing and I got a long harangue about how they were just about to take out a world patent on something. But he wouldn’t tell me how that was going to happen and what the details of the project were. It was hopeless.
Maybe he didn’t know the answer?
Then he should have said so! “I don’t know.” I mean how hard can that be? Instead, he exploded with a hundred million things I wasn’t interested in.
What advice would you give to others to help them interact better with you?
Good question. I’d advise them to please respect my desire to be professional and not devote valuable time to things that aren’t work related. They should be well prepared when they come to me with questions. I need lots of background information to be able to give a proper answer.
What are your greatest weaknesses?
Let me think. Sometimes I get way too caught up in details. I know that. I don’t think that it’s an issue at work, but in my private life it can be a problem.
How so?
My wife is rather Red. She thinks that I’m slow at everything, and she’s right. I tend to be suspicious of new ideas. Not that I can’t change, but I often see problems where none actually exist. Sometimes I find it difficult to make decisions and I get anxious. We really need a new television at home, because the current one is on the fritz. But there are so many different models, and I haven’t had the time to do proper research. My wife thinks we just need to take ten minutes and go buy a new one. But what if it isn’t good? How do I know if it’s the type we need? After all, it’s a big investment. So we’ve just been making do with the old one.
Any last thoughts?
It’s an interesting concept, as I said. I’m going to order the Marston book.
20
A Quick Little Quiz to See What You’ve Learned
This quiz tests your understanding of the profiles as Erikson describes them. Its questions reflect the model’s generalizations, rather than establishing how a particular acquaintance will behave or which job they can do.
- Which combination of profiles would naturally agree on a social level?
Two Yellows
Two Reds
Yellow and Red
Blue and Green
All of the above
- Which combination of profiles naturally work well together?
Green with anyone else
Two Yellows
Two Reds
Blue and Red
All of the above
- Which profile will always prefer to be the head of a project?
Red
Yellow
Green
Blue
- Which profile does the model associate with the precision required in surgery?
Red
Yellow
Green
Blue
- Which person would enjoy giving a speech the most?
Red
Yellow
Green
Blue
- Which person would know exactly where he saved that email from his boss?
Red
Yellow
Green
Blue
- Which person would want to do more tests or get more information before making a decision?
Red
Yellow
Green
Blue
- Which person can you always rely on to arrive on time?
Red
Yellow
Green
Blue
- Which person doesn’t follow the rulebook to get a job done?
Red
Yellow
Green
Blue
- Which person would be the most willing to try something new to get the job done?
Red
Yellow
Green
Blue
- Which person will remember personal criticism the longest?
Red
Yellow
Green
Blue
- Which person is the least organized but knows exactly where to go to get what he needs?
Red
Yellow
Green
Blue
- Which profile always wants to make decisions?
Red
Yellow
Green
Blue
- Which profile wears the latest fashions?
Red
Yellow
Green
Blue
- Which profile would enjoy new challenges the most?
Red
Yellow
Green
Blue
- Which profile would be the quickest to judge other people?
Red
Yellow
Green
Blue
- Which combination of profiles would form the best team?
Two Greens
Two Reds
Yellow and Red
Blue and Green
A mixture of all the colors
- Which profile will probably talk the most?
Red
Yellow
Green
Blue
- Which profile would assimilate new ideas the quickest?
Red
Yellow
Green
Blue
- Which profile would delegate a task but then still do it himself?
Red
Yellow
Green
Blue
- Which profile is the best listener?
Red
Yellow
Green
Blue
- Which profile wouldn’t miss the last step of the instructions?
Red
Yellow
Green
Blue
- Which profile is most common in your social circle?
Red
Yellow
Green
Blue
The book refers readers to page 269 for the answers.
When to use it
Assign project roles using demonstrated skills, interests, and the work required. Use the color descriptions, if helpful, to start a conversation about preferences.
Ask a customer whether they want detailed evidence, a concise account of results, or time to discuss options; adapt to their answer.
In a conflict, ask what a colleague intends rather than inferring hostility, frivolity, laziness, or negativity from a communication style.
Choose a specific habit to practice, such as checking details, following through, or making decisions sooner, and evaluate the change in actual work.
FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE
In practice
Stefan's Red Colleague
Stefan admires a colleague’s quick decisions and willingness to correct mistakes. He interprets these habits as Red behavior, while describing himself as the person who keeps the work precise and on plan.
The Yellow Brother-in-Law
Stefan describes his brother-in-law’s changing accounts of his job as an example of Yellow behavior. The passage illustrates Stefan’s frustration with vague explanations; it does not establish that sociable people are generally unreliable.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Put it to work.
Which behaviors in the interview do you recognize in yourself, and in which situations do you behave differently?
In a recent workplace conflict, what did each person actually say or do? Would a color label help you understand it, or hide a more specific disagreement?
Which habit described in the interview would you like to change, and what feedback could help you assess your progress?
References
- Emotions of Normal People — William Marston (1928)
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
Source texts
- Surrounded By Idiots (Thomas Erikson)