Speak Colorfully
To Convey the Plan, Speak Colorfully
Once upon a time, a senior leadership team went on a retreat to create their organization’s strategic plan. As the dust settled, and their compelling one-page plan stood proudly on a flipchart, the smile of exhausted contentment on the faces of the leadership team slowly faded. Now came the really hard part: figuring out how to go back to their organization and tell everyone about the plan. Three questions concerned them:
- How could they bridge the gap between the strategic planning offsite and the direction and outcomes needed from the team back home?
- What could they do to compel the others in their organization to act on the plan with the same energy that they felt as leaders?
- How could they help people to embrace the necessary changes and not go into a downward spiral?
Implementing a new plan typically requires change—either to the business, to attitudes, or to expectations. And the best way to align teams amid that change is to help describe the changes that are about to take place in such a way that they feel a part of them, not apart from them. To best help your teams transform the plan from a piece of paper into reality, consider their styles using Insights Discovery color preferences.
Here is how to help the cultural sparkplugs in your organization make a new beginning using Insights Discovery colors:
Extroverted Thinkers: People who lead with Fiery Red
Concentrate messages on the purpose— the reasoning behind the plan and any necessary changes. Clarify and communicate the purpose by explaining the reasoning behind the outcome you seek.
Fiery Red people need to understand the logic of the outcome before they are willing to work on it.
Extroverted Feelers: People who lead with Sunshine Yellow
Help them to understand the picture by providing a description of what the future will look like when the plan is implemented. What will it look like when the goals are accomplished? What will it mean for the team?
Sunshine Yellow people need to imagine how it will look and feel to participate in the outcome before they can commit to it.
Introverted Thinkers: For people who lead with Cool Blue
Focus of the plan— the steps necessary to move from the current state to the desired future. Create a plan, laying out the steps necessary to reach the desired goals.
Cool Blue people need a clear idea of how they can get where they need to go, and enjoy learning or creating the details of “how” just as much as “why.”
Introverted Feelers: For people who lead with Earth Green
Explain the plan from the perspective of part— the role each person will play in both the destination and the plan to get the organization there. Give each person a role to play in the plan and its outcomes.
Earth Green people need a tangible way to contribute and participate, and want to feel connected to the outcome.