To continue our series of blogs about personality, and how your personality colours your leadership style, we present to you the Earth Green manager. This comes from the Insights Discovery model which is where we start all our Leading & Developing High Performance training. Todays post has been written by Ali Stewart who is the perfect person to educate us about the qualities of this supportive, friendly and helpful personality.
What is Earth Green energy?
This colour preference is characterised by the following adjectives:
• Caring
• Encouraging
• Relaxed
• Sharing
• Patient
The Earth Green manager is appreciative and respectful, builds harmony and group cohesion, believing that if you value people they will give of their best. They aim to create the ideal environment for those around them and above all want everyone to be happy. They want to achieve goals too, and can be very driven, but if the human cost is too high they will change the goal. Quieter by nature, they prefer low-key conversations, and will only act vociferously if values are at stake.
It is best to keep the Earth Green manager informed, they like to know what’s going on, but will give you free reign to go about things in your own way. In order for you shine when working for this type of manager, show how you support others and the team, rather than striving selfishly for your own gain.
What I appreciate about this energy
They understand you! When you see this energy in action, it is calm, quiet and supportive. The Earth Green manager has your best interests at heart, and will generally give you the benefit of the doubt. They gently control situations by deciding things by consensus, getting buy-in to projects, building harmony and loyalty, so that in times of strife, the team pull together well and successfully. Generally they are peacemakers, but when things go wrong, you can be taken aback by their strength of conviction.
When Earth Green energy gets in the way
These very gifts can be seen a lot less nicely when over used. The Earth Green leader, when trying to please everyone can end up pleasing no-one. This will cause them to retreat, almost like a tortoise into its shell. They will become uncommunicative, avoid making decisions and will shut themselves off until they have worked through the issues in their own mind. To others this energy can appear stubborn and sluggish. Best to leave them alone at first, then quietly ask if there is anything you can do to help.
Under pressure this manager can seem more:
• Docile
• Bland
• Plodding
• Reliant
• Stubbon
Earth Green energy and Leading and Developing High Performance
The Earth Green preference means there will be a focus on high support rather than high challenge. This could mean the team and members in it are not pushed to be the best they can be. The leader may take the blame for mistakes and correct inaccurate work that is handed in, when actually the team member should be held to account.
You may not always know what the manager is thinking and work may lack structure and process. They will excel in the coaching and mentoring aspects of the role, inspiring and developing the greatness in you for they can see it is already there.
What is your experience of being, or working for, an Earth Green manager? We would love to read about your stories.
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