Yellow Personality: Relationship Building
Erikson’s Yellow profile emphasizes sociability and relationships. He portrays people in this category as focusing on who will work together and how well the group gets along.
THE IDEA
"I Know Lots of People. All of Them, in Fact."
If Yellows aren't allowed to cultivate their relationships, they will slowly wither and die. Okay, this may be somewhat exaggerated, but the very definition of Yellow behavior revolves around their ability to build relationships.
The Yellow traits are inspirational. They inspire those around them, and the best way to achieve this is through building relationships. A Yellow knows that by far the most important factor in business, for example, is relationships. If your customer doesn't feel positively about you, it will be difficult to make any headway.
Yellows know everyone. They have more acquaintances than everyone else. They like everyone. A Yellow doesn't need to know a person very well before calling him his friend. Anyone who doesn't actively dislike them they consider to be a pal. Remember that when Reds ask what is going to be done, Yellows want to know immediately who will do it. This question is crucial for Yellows. If the team or group does not function smoothly, a Yellow will not feel well. He needs functioning relationships for him to come into his own.
When to use it
Networking: learning about other people’s interests and following up on useful connections.
Team management: asking what helps members work together and addressing friction.
Customer relations: learning a client’s priorities and maintaining reliable contact.
Conflict resolution: Using interpersonal skills to mediate and restore harmony.
FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE
In practice
Yellow Salesperson
A Yellow salesperson spends considerable time getting to know clients personally, remembering names and details, and building rapport before discussing business. They may even consider a client a friend after one meeting.
Yellow Team Leader
A Yellow manager organizes frequent team-building events and informal gatherings to ensure everyone feels connected. They are more concerned with who is on the project team than what the project entails.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Put it to work.
How do you prioritize relationships versus tasks in your daily work?
Think of a time when poor team cohesion affected your performance. What relationship-building actions might have helped?
Are you more focused on the 'who' or the 'what' when planning a project? What biases might this reveal?
Often confused with
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
Source texts
- Surrounded By Idiots (Thomas Erikson)