What’s your True Color?

I recently attended a workshop put on by volunteer coordinators in Newaygo County. One of the presentations at the workshop was on finding your True Color and how to work well with people who are a different color from you. What is a True Color you may ask, and how do I figure out what mine is? True Colors is a personality test that determines if your personality is one of four colors: blue, green, gold, or orange. It offers an opportunity to understand ourselves more fully and appreciate the differences in others. We all have a little bit of each color in us, but usually one color stands out from the rest. The test looks at your strengths and helps you to understand why one person can look at a situation one way, and another looks at it completely different.

My True Color is gold. Actually, I’m very gold. Here’s what that means according to my results: “Your strength is duty. You are organized, punctual, and dependable. Others know they can count on you to get things done. You believe that work comes before play. Your best skills include completing tasks and paying attention to details.” I have to say, that pretty much describes me to a “T”. So how does this really help me in my personal and professional life and how can it help you in yours? Well for me, I have a clearer idea of who I am and why I make the decisions that I do. It also helped me to realize that not everyone’s strengths include organization and paying attention to details. As gold is my highest color, I find myself feeling frustrated when the people around me are not as organized or dependable. This test made me take a step back and realize that their strengths are different than mine and both are just as useful in a personal or work situation.

You can take the True Colors Personality Test online and determine your own True Color. Unfortunately, the online test is not as informative as sitting in a face-to-face workshop with a certified trainer. The workshop gave us tools to communicate with people that have different personality types from ourselves and what kind of leadership styles each color emphasizes. The online test is just a basic assessment, but it is still useful in that you can see where your own strengths lie. The workshop takes it a step further and helps clarify why you communicate in a different way than your peers or coworkers, and it makes you appreciate the way others think. If you ever get a chance to attend a True Colors workshop, I highly recommend doing so.

You may volunteer closely with several other people who may or may not have similar personalities and strengths as you. This can create a frustrating environment; or it can be an opportunity to learn from each other’s strengths and use them to complete your volunteer assignment or tasks in a new way. This page outlines some of the differences between color personalities and how it applies in the workplace: http://bit.ly/m0YXMm. Individuals volunteer for many different reasons, not the least of which is meeting and interacting with new people. The True Colors test is a great starting point for learning how to communicate with your fellow volunteers, especially if your personality types are polar opposites!

For more information on the True Colors Personality Test, visit: www.truecolorstest.com.