Blue (Realist) Personality
Erikson describes Blue personalities as skeptical of grand visions without realistic steps. He recommends clear facts, achievable goals, and an explanation of how a proposal would work.
THE IDEA
NO VISION NECESSARY. LET’S ALL STAY IN THE REAL WORLD, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
Your Blue friends aren’t flying around up there in the blue, blue sky. They’re on the ground using their critical minds to judge whether things are realistic or not. While you may think they’re boring, suspicious, or downright pessimistic, they believe that they’re only realists. They want to know what reality looks like, not what the world looks like if you’re a dreamer or a visionary.
I remember once when I was working in the banking world we were having a kickoff event and I wanted to inspire my team to do great things, the likes of which had never before been seen. I finished my rousing speech by exclaiming, “Soon we will stand on top of the peak of success and look down on the market we’ve conquered. We, all of us, will be atop that mountain!” While both Yellow and Red and, to a certain extent, Green employees smiled and were hyped up, the Blues only said one thing: “We can’t imagine ourselves up there. How did we get up there?”
The Yellows shouted, “Don’t you have any vision?”
And the Blues replied, “We have Excel.”
If a plan seems crazy, a Blue will never have any confidence in it. There’s no point in playing on his feelings or trying to promote ideas that are way too wild. What you say needs to have realistic perspectives; otherwise, you won’t get anywhere.
Conclusion: Think through what you want to say and what you want to convince a Blue to believe. Put daydreams and visions aside. It may even be worth rethinking the kind of language you will use to talk about your plan. Skip all those inspirational speeches that Yellows and Reds adore. Stick to the facts, and be clear.
If you have an idea that hasn’t been tested before, try to set reasonable goals. Don’t say that you will dominate the market within three months or that the Little League team will win the championship despite having lost all of their matches so far. They’ll only consider you a lunatic. If you have Yellow in your own profile, you should really think twice about how you interact with Blues. You’re already fighting an uphill battle as far as a Blue is concerned. And be careful to avoid any overly dramatic body language.
When to use it
Presenting a business plan to a detail-oriented colleague.
Proposing a project timeline to a skeptical manager.
Discussing team goals with a data-driven stakeholder.
Introducing an innovative product idea to a risk-averse client.
FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE
In practice
Kickoff Meeting Mountain Metaphor
During a bank kickoff, the speaker inspired the team with a vision of standing atop a conquered market. While others were hyped, Blues responded with skepticism, asking for a concrete plan to get there, indicating their need for realistic steps.
Little League Championship Claim
A promise that a losing Little League team will win the championship offers little reason to believe it. Erikson’s advice is to explain realistic goals and the improvement plan behind them.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Put it to work.
How can you present a new idea to a Blue in a way that is realistic and actionable?
What language should you avoid when communicating with a Blue?
How can you balance vision with realism when collaborating with Blues?
Often confused with
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
Source texts
- Surrounded By Idiots (Thomas Erikson)