Know Your True Colors: Why Understanding Personality Styles Makes You a Better Leader
Here’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately.
We spend so much time trying to figure out what to do in our businesses. What strategy to use. What marketing plan to follow. What product to build next.
But we spend very little time understanding who we are as leaders. And even less time understanding the people around us.
That gap costs us. It costs us in miscommunication with our teams, in frustration with partners, and in relationships that feel harder than they need to be. Recently, our EO forum had the privilege of doing a True Colors workshop with Bridget Sampson. And it was one of those experiences where you walk away thinking, Why didn’t I learn this sooner?
What Is True Colors?
True Colors is a personality assessment system created by Don Lowry in 1978.
It’s based on decades of personality research going all the way back to Hippocrates, and draws from the work of Carl Jung and David Keirsey’s temperament theory.
What makes True Colors special is its simplicity. Instead of complex letter combinations that are hard to remember, it uses four colors to represent four core personality styles: Blue, Gold, Orange, and Green.
Each color represents a different way of showing up in the world. One color might be more relationship-driven. Another might be more systems-oriented. Another thrives on action and spontaneity. And another leads with big ideas and vision.
Everyone has all four colors in them. The order is what matters.
Your brightest color is what comes most naturally. Your palest color is what takes more effort.
And none of them are weaknesses. They’re simply areas where you get to keep growing. To find out what each color means and which one you are, I’d encourage you to take the official assessment (linked at the bottom of this newsletter) or book a workshop with a certified facilitator.
What the Experience Was Like
I don’t want to give away the process itself, because it’s really something you need to experience firsthand with a trained facilitator.
But I can tell you this: it uses both visual and verbal prompts to help you figure out your color order. And it’s designed to tap into different parts of your brain.
What I loved is that it wasn’t just a quiz you fill out alone.
It was interactive. We were guessing each other’s personality words. We were sharing what we saw in one another. We were laughing, being honest, and having real conversations about how we show up differently. By the end of the session, we had a shared language for talking about our differences. And that changed the dynamic of our entire group.
My Personal Results (And What Surprised Me)
Here’s what surprised me most.
Going into the workshop, I thought I knew what my result would be. I was drawn to the idea of being relationship-oriented, warm, and connected. That felt like me.
But my actual results told a different story.
I came out as a Green with Gold as my second color.
And it made so much sense once I sat with it.
The Green in me is the part that’s always been drawn to what’s coming next.
I was into the internet before most people were paying attention. I’m deep into AI right now. I invented a product. I’m always reading, always thinking, always looking around the corner.
The Gold in me is the part that loves systems, structure, and planning.
I’m the person who plans the retreats. Who builds the spreadsheets. Who keeps the family traditions going.
And the Blue in me? Still very much there. That’s the part of me that connects. That hugs. That wants to know how you’re doing. That cares deeply about community and relationships.
My facilitator pointed out that my first three colors were very close in score, which means I show up strongly in multiple styles. And that’s something I’ve worked on intentionally over the years.
I want to think like a Green, plan like a Gold, and connect like a Blue.
Now, here’s the funny part.
My lowest score was Orange.
And yet? I love so many Orange qualities.
The Orange personality is all about confidence, impact, energy, and action. Oranges want to make things happen. They bring fun and spontaneity into everything they do. They’re natural risk-takers who see life as something to be lived right now.
I relate to so much of that. But the True Colors process helped me see that while I appreciate and even enjoy those qualities, they’re not where I naturally lead from. They take more energy for me. They’re not my default. And that distinction matters. Knowing the difference between what you admire and what comes naturally is one of the most powerful things you can learn as a leader.
How This Shows Up in Your Business
As business owners, we work with people every single day. Clients, employees, partners, vendors, family members who support our work behind the scenes.
And the truth is, most of the friction we experience isn’t because someone is wrong or difficult.
It’s because their personality style is different from ours.
Once you know someone’s color, it’s like having a secret code.
You start to understand why they do what they do. And instead of getting frustrated, you get compassionate.
That team member who’s always pointing out what’s wrong? They might be wired to spot how things can be made better. That’s their gift, not their flaw.
That person who can’t sit still or follow the same routine? They might need variety and challenge to do their best work. Give them something new. Give them something hard. Watch them come alive.
When you understand someone’s color, you stop taking things personally. You start seeing their behavior as a contribution instead of a criticism.
And that changes everything.
Bridget put it so well during our session:
“I think life is easier when we assume good intentions.”
I couldn’t agree more.
Why I Recommend Hiring a Facilitator
You can take the True Colors assessment on your own online. And I’d encourage you to do that.
But if you really want to get the full value of this work, especially with a team, I highly recommend bringing in a certified facilitator.
Here’s why.
A facilitator doesn’t just hand you a quiz and tell you your color. A great facilitator turns the entire experience into a team-building exercise.
They guide the conversations. They help people see each other in new ways. They teach you how to reframe the things that frustrate you about other people’s styles.
There were moments of laughter in our session. Moments of real honesty. And a few moments where people said, “Wow, I finally understand why we bump heads.”
You can’t get that from a worksheet alone.
A facilitator creates the space for those conversations to happen. And they help you leave with a shared language that your team can use long after the workshop is over.
Our forum walked out of that session with a completely new way of talking about our differences.
Instead of, “Why does she always do that?” it became, “Oh, that’s so Orange of her.” And we all laugh, but we also all get it now.
That kind of understanding is worth every penny.
Your Step-by-Step Guide to Using Personality Awareness in Your Business
- Know yourself first. Take the True Colors assessment or book a workshop with a certified facilitator. Get honest about what comes naturally and what takes more energy. Your brightest color is your superpower. Your palest color isn’t a flaw. It’s simply where you grow.
- Map your team. Have your team or business partners go through the process too. When a facilitator does this with teams, the results are always eye-opening. People start saying things like, “Oh, that’s why they do that.” It removes the guesswork and replaces it with understanding.
- Reframe your frustrations. This was one of my favorite takeaways. Instead of labeling someone as “too rigid,” see them as someone who provides structure. Instead of “they goof off too much,” see them as someone who brings energy and creative solutions. The reframe is a practice, and it’ll change how you lead.
- Adapt your communication. Once you know someone’s color, you can speak their language. Different colors need different things from you. Some need clear plans and timelines. Some need variety and room to move. Some need genuine connection and acknowledgment. Some need space to think and create.
- Create complementary partnerships. The best teams aren’t made up of people who are all the same. They’re made up of people whose strengths fill in each other’s gaps. Seek out collaborators who are different from you.
- Revisit regularly. Your color order can shift over time depending on what’s happening in your life. When my kids were young and I was running multiple businesses, I probably showed up very differently than I do now. Life changes, and so do we.
The Gift of Knowing Each Other Better
What I love most about True Colors is that it’s a practice in kindness.
It asks us to be more generous in how we see other people. It asks us to stop assuming the worst and start looking for the gift in how someone shows up.
We need all the colors to succeed, to support each other, and to get things done.
That’s true in business. That’s true in families. And that’s true in every community we’re part of.
So whether you’re building a team, strengthening a partnership, or just trying to get along better with the people in your life, start here.
Start by knowing your colors. And then get curious about everyone else’s.
Want to Find Out Your True Colors?
There are a few great ways to get started:
Take the official True Colors assessment:
truecolorsintl.com/personality-assessment
The official assessment from True Colors International includes a comprehensive report about your personality spectrum. It takes about 15 to 20 minutes to complete, and you can add an optional consultation with a certified expert.
Learn more about the True Colors system:
truecolorsintl.com
Book a workshop with Bridget Sampson.
If you want the full experience for your team, I can’t recommend Bridget highly enough.
She’s a Certified True Colors Facilitator, an Emeritus Professor of Communication Studies after nearly 30 years of teaching at Cal State Northridge, an ICF-Certified Coach, and a TEDx speaker whose talk How Public Speaking Will Change Your Life has over 400,000 views.
She’s also the author of Communication Secrets for Success and has worked with companies like Google, Mattel, and multiple universities. Bridget offers workshops ranging from 45 minutes to 3 hours and can customize the experience for your team.
Find Bridget and book a workshop:
sampsoncoachingandconsulting.com
Ready to go deeper?
If you’re looking for clarity on how you lead, how you communicate, and how to build a business that works with your natural strengths instead of against them, I’d love to talk.
Book a free discovery call:
calendly.com/Kalika
I help entrepreneurs whose goal is to reach $1 million in revenue, and it all starts with knowing yourself.
DOWNLOADABLE WORKSHEET
Know Your True Colors: Self-Reflection Worksheet
This worksheet is designed to help you take the ideas from this week’s article and apply them to your own life and business.
