Everyone has all three (Red, Green, and Blue) tendencies in varying degrees. No one is void in any one area. It is possible to complete an instrument that will determine the "score" of each color.

A high score in the Red category indicates that this individual will be comfortable with changes that result in more precision and a clearer definition of operating framework. Reds highly value accuracy and attention to detail. They tends to work efficiently, being task oriented – feeling more productive when they are doing rather than when they are planning to do. Those with a Red dominance prefer specific and measurable priorities supported by clearly defined short-term objectives.

Individuals with a strong Green score will favor change that provides flexibility within a given structure. Greens prefer incremental change rather than dramatic shifts. Unlike those with a blue dominance, who are comfortable moving ahead with only the outcome clear, Green dominant people want to know how the outcome will be reached before launching a change effort. Planning and developing strategies provide a framework that makes change initiatives more attractive to Greens.

The Blue dominance indicates a high comfort level with change when conditions are apt to be ambiguous. A Blue will look for new and different ways to do things, and prefers an approach to change that provides for flexibility within a broad field of options. Blues are comfortable dealing with ambiguity. They tend to like little or no direction – broad concepts, such as outcomes, vision, and values, provide adequate direction for those with a dominant Blue profile.

Talent: … a characteristic feature, aptitude, or disposition of a person … the natural endowments of a person.

To be clear, talent exists apart from skill, which may add to the talent to produce something of entirely exponential value.

Some people, for example, have a talent, a way with numbers. If they also develop accounting skills, that individual may excel as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). Someone with little inclination to work with numbers may also acquire accounting skills but will probably be far less effective as a CPA.

What we present here as fundamental talent sets: Red, Green, and Blue - are value laden talent predispositions required in the right mix for organization success. Can a person "become" more Red? Yes. But a fundamental question might be "Why would a person want to become something they do not have a natural predisposition to become?" Answers would range from one incentive or pressure to another: career advancement, financial gain, security, family tradition, or even prestige.

The following descriptions have emerged from research with thousands of participants in workshops over an 18-year period. The descriptions used to describe behaviors have been "lifted" directly from working papers used by these groups.

It is also noteworthy that those completing RGB Inventories have always had scores resulting in all three colors being depicted. Normally, one color will dominate, or one color will be represented as somewhat minor in relation to the other colors. Variations, the meanings associated with those variations, will be presented toward the end of this Chapter.

1. Short Interpretation. Five characteristics are easily comparable across all three colors. These comparisons allow reasonably accurate interpretations of one's preferences.

a. Decisions – Made quickly, fact based, relying on experience, with minimum discussion.

b. Planning – Short-range – 1 to 6 months out, focused on reality of the present.

c. Relationships – Leaders or followers, prefer one-on-one, predictable interactions.

d. Situational Structures – Well-defined, unambiguous, structure, organized and orderly processes.

e. Activities – Supporting thoroughness, checklists, dealing with details and numbers, implementing.

2. The Red Dominant Uniqueness. The Red Dominant person is also characterized by the following ten unique characteristics.

a. Precision – to be exact, correct, or within acceptable tolerances.

b. Clarity – to do things a single best way, to know in advance an outcome.

c. Short-term Planning – to plan for immediate results, schedules, and calendar.

d. Urgency – to take care of first things first, in chronological order.

e. Numbers – to make decisions based on quantifiable criteria, to work smart.

f. Solitary Work – to depend little on others for integrated work, to work alone.

g. Lists – to keep track of what needs to be done, by whom, by when.

h. Validation – to be valued for good work frequently, and to be recognized for it.

i. Practicality – to have a practical outcome that satisfies a current need.

j. Common Sense – to adhere to common practice, and traditional wisdom.

3. Unique Language of the Red Dominance. Someone with a Red Dominance dislikes being interrupted when engaged in a task. They also dislike interrupting others. When asking someone else to do something they will go to great lengths to avoid the interruption. "I don't need this right away, so don't let this impede what you're doing. When you have the time to fit this into your work would you . . .?" This language reflects respect for the work that other people have scheduled.

4. Irritating Characteristics. Red Dominant thinkers really have trouble listing characteristics that may be irritating to others, but if pressed, they will reluctantly admit that a penchant for detail often generates hard feelings between them and others. Some Reds will even sheepishly hypothesize that jealousy may be at the root of the irritation.

a. Decisions – Made with ambivalence, seeing both sides, easily swayed from one position to another.

b. Planning – Intermediate range – 6 months to 1 year out, anticipating probabilities.

c. Relationships – Catalysts for connections, love to involve people, create comfort and good feelings.

d. Situational Structures – Need clarity, framework for understanding, firm limits/boundaries helpful.

e. Activities – Bridging gaps, applying concepts, sharing information, affirming people, implementation.

2. The Green Dominant Uniqueness. The Green Dominant person is also characterized by the following:

a. Connections – being able to connect ideas that appear disparate.

b. People – interacting with a variety of individuals, each being critical to success.

c. Methods – having instructions that allow critical tasks to be completed well.

d. Progress – being able to demonstrate advancement toward goals and objectives.

e. Sociability – wanting to engage in activities for the community value alone.

f. Collaboration – strongly desiring to engage others in decisions, collegiality.

g. Patterns – being able to pick up on trends and archetypes that have utility.

h. Networks – having relationships that can be called upon to get things done.

i. Structure – knowing the relationship between people and work.

j. Compromise – being able to reach amicable decisions through dialog.

3. Unique Language of the Green Dominance. Connectivity and collaboration are important to the Green dominant individual and the language they use supports this drive. Instead of asking a coworker to weave a task into their schedule, they might ask for the time needed to collaborate on a task - together! "When you have time I'd like about 30 minutes to discuss a potential new course shift for our department." What the shift might be is less important than the way a decision is made about the shift.

4. Irritating Characteristics. Because maintaining harmony and avoiding conflict are so important to the Dominant Green, they will tend to see and empathize with both sides of an issue. The yield from this multiple view is a tendency to avoid decisions that would alienate anyone or any group. Those with strong viewpoints that want clear lines of distinction between issues are often irritated by this Green tendency.

a. Decisions – Made slowly, considering many alternatives, building support for implementation.

b. Planning – Long-range – 1 to 10 years out, imagining many possibilities.

c. Relationships – Natural leadership tasks are comfortable, don’t fear the unknown, risk taking is desirable, multiple simultaneous agendas with colleagues and friends.

d. Situational Structures – Structure is confining, need room for spontaneity and serendipity.

e. Activities – Inventive, leading to change, inspiring buy-in, figuring out why, innovating.

a. Ambiguity – a high tolerance for confusing conditions and lack of clarity.

b. Long-range Planning – to plan for the long term, patient, and plodding.

c. Important – to create an order based on significance rather than chronology.

d. New – to NOT be bound by an existing process or an existing template.

e. First – being before anyone else in implementation, innovative.

f. Systemic – to think and act with an understanding of an entire system.

g. Utility – to have or create value without having to be bound by correctness.

h. Direction – having a high regard for the future, for course of action.

i. Comprehensive – to be all-encompassing, to have thought about every angle.

j. Large – having boldness and expansiveness at the heart of an endeavor.

3. Unique Language of the Blue Dominance. Blue Dominant individuals tend to be systemic thinkers and want to involve "everyone" in an open-dialog initiative that will develop broad ownership among all constituents who will be impacted by a change. "I'm forming a team to look at the issues surrounding our impending change. Who do you think should be on the team?" Gathering as many points of view as possible will slow the final product down, but implementation would be faster, the Blue would theorize.

4. Irritating Characteristics. The Blue Dominant thinks more in terms of possibilities than probabilities. When thinking out loud, the Blue will not be "confined" by the practical in pursuit of the possible. To those who require (or at least desire) greater structure, this tendency proves irritating.

1. Level Distribution. When the RGB point distribution is nearly equal (within three points), the distribution is said to be level. Under these conditions people are readily able to shift to any of the three colors with about equal comfort. Although this may be an ideal profile because of the heightened adaptability it offers, there is an Achilles heel. A person who can adapt to all three colors easily may be observed by others to have wishy-washy behavior. To illustrate, let’s assume that you have a level profile and that you adapt quickly in the presence of a Red coworker – you take on the Red characteristics embedded in the relationship. A Blue observer with whom you have worked well recently, may not easily understand why your rapport can be equally effective with someone so opposite (Red versus Blue).

2. Dysfunctional Profile. When any one color scores over 45, the dominance may be so strong as to be dysfunctional. Rather than being able to easily call upon the characteristics of the remaining colors, people often become so "trapped" in their dominance that adaptability becomes far less likely. The higher the score above 45, the more dysfunctional behavior may be.

3. Deficient Profile. Of equal importance may be the low score of the third color. Normally any score at or below 20 is considered a profile deficiency. There may be a severe blind spot that requires deliberate strengthening of those characteristics, or reliance on another individual to provide the third lens.

4. Prime Colors. Often the first two colors provide a strong dual dominance. Our experience suggests that the first two colors often provide 80% to 90% of a person’s characteristics. When only a few points separate the two primary colors, either color may dominate in any given situation. It is often best to refer to this profile using both prime colors (a Red-Green, etc.).

5. Comparisons. Three potential comparisons can be made: individual to individual, individual to composite (discussed in Chapter II), and individual profile to task profile (presented in Chapter III). In each case, the graphic spins the dominance to the center of the page, where the two profiles intersect. A description of each archetype created by the comparisons is discussed in the next Chapter. The ability to compare a person’s profile to the tasks that person is expected to perform, or actually performs, will result from a task audit. The closer the profile match, the greater capacity is available to the organization.

a. Red. Reds require validation and recognition for tangible achievement. The recognition ought; however, to manifest itself in some "object" that represents that achievement rather than a simple certificate.

b. Greens. Greens require acknowledgement for participation and for helping to create improvements in harmony between members of a group working toward a common goal.

c. Blues. Blues require recognition for visionary pursuits that promote change toward increased organization security.