Ever wondered why certain colleagues are so exacting? They’re the ones who always want to know why and how. They love to question the rationale for decisions and plans, especially plans that involve change...
Welcome to Cool Blue energy, where logic is king!
According to the Insights colour energy methodology, we all have four colour energies within us (Cool Blue, Fiery Red, Sunshine Yellow, Earth Green), but we’re more comfortable with some over others.
Here, we focus on the world according to Cool Blue. We explore how a preference for Cool Blue colour energy affects people’s communication style and needs, and how to get the best from working with these colleagues.
Let’s take Cool Blue energy on a good day: those who lead with Cool Blue often bring a stabilising presence to the team or project. You may notice a keen attention to detail and a strong desire for structure and order.
Leading with the Thinking and Introversion traits rather than Feeling and Extraversion, their actions are usually thoughtful, practical, conscientious and deliberate. They like to be well-prepared, often preferring to gather (and retain) what to others can seem like a LOT of information before making significant decisions.
Before trying out new methods and ideas, those who lead with Cool Blue colour energy tend to seek an established track record of success and some sensible supporting data.
Do you lead with Cool Blue? Tuning in to this colour energy
As you might expect, not all these traits and tendencies are well understood by those who don’t share that preference for Cool Blue energy!
Cool Blue’s ordered communication style may take some getting used to, especially if you lead with contrasting Sunshine Yellow energy. As with all workplace differences, though, there’s huge benefit in suspending judgment and tuning in to how your opposite colleagues are wired (if you already have an Insights Discovery profile, you’ll find a whole section on working with your opposite colour energy!)
The good news is that, with colleagues who lead with Cool Blue, you know where you stand.
You can expect your conversations to be clear and pragmatic and possibly a touch more formal than with other colour energies. Their natural ability to remove emotion from the picture and remain cool and calm under pressure brings invaluable objectivity.
You may also notice consistency, reliability and sound judgment as dominant characteristics. One other thing is certain: they’ll always bring a meandering conversation back to the matter in hand!
To that end, those who lead with Cool Blue often like an organised, structured approach to meetings, working environments and communication. They may like to see clear roles and may be diligent in adhering to guidelines and rules. Don’t be surprised if they want to spend time nailing the root cause of problems.
Others might perceive that these traits slow things down, but in the efficient mind of a person with lots of Cool Blue colour energy, it simply serves to avoid a similar situation in future. They can be terrier-like problem-solvers and trouble-shooters who, when on a mission to uncover the ‘why’, won’t leave any stone unturned.
Cool Blue’s introverted tendency leads to a strong desire to know and understand the world around them internally, before reacting outwardly. While this might feel frustrating for colleagues more comfortable with spontaneity, it has the benefit of bringing thought-through, high quality contributions. They often favour written communication, to ensure clarity and precision.
Cool Blue communication traits that contrasting colleagues might find challenging…
Overthinking
Their analytical approach comes naturally - it’s more of a default setting than a conscious choice. Cool Blue is happy ‘getting granular’, instinctively pre-empting the ‘what ifs’ before big decisions are made. They spot eventualities early, and often want to pre-solve them before moving on. The point is that they don’t see any of this as overthinking or particularly negative. It simply makes sense to scan for potential problems and eliminate them before they arise! They like to control and minimise spiky issues or confusion in the name of efficiency.
Love of detail
Cool Blue colleagues see detail without looking for it. If colleagues fail to join their enthusiasm and discipline for getting behind the detail, either by choice, frustration or carelessness, it’s likely, they believe, to slow a project down because important ‘missed’ points may cause mistakes, confusion and avoidable delays. It’s not that they can’t see the wood for the trees or appreciate the bigger picture, they’re simply wired not to neglect potential ‘red flags’.
Comprehensive emails
Don’t be mistaken: they know their emails can seem long to colleagues who prefer top-line exchanges, but they predict that important detail might get missed if the rationale or the ‘why’ is left out. If written exchanges are well structured, which Cool Blue strives to achieve, it can offend them when hasty colleagues fail to acknowledge all the points they’ve carefully presented for consideration, action or debate.
Wanting time
For Cool Blue, it’s about bringing quality to the table. They don’t want to be judged on a below-par, on-the-spot reaction when a few quiet moments of careful thought will elicit a better response from them. It’s not that they don’t appreciate spontaneity, they just don’t want to feel rushed into giving a sub-standard answer.
Correctness
When such careful thought goes into Cool Blue’s work and decisions, it can be hard for them to see that another way of doing things might work better. Prioritising quality control, they may prefer to stick firmly with what they know. The key thing for others to recognise here though is that it’s rarely about ego; it’s about a genuine desire for accuracy and best possible results.
Possible sticking points when communicating with Cool Blue energy
- They may become resentful if you gloss over important detail or if you’re too flippant
- They may readily call out ‘inaccuracies’ and can appear judgmental
- Under stress, they may seem rigid or inflexible, clinging to protocols and plans
- They may seem overly critical if situations don’t suit their sense of order
- They might hesitate to progress something if there’s no clear rationale or obvious benefit, especially if it involves changing the status quo
How to get the best from those who lead with Cool Blue
It always pays to empathise with styles different from your own.
Once you’re able to view Cool Blue behaviour through their exacting lens, reoccurring communication challenges can be more easily overcome. The same applies in reverse with other three colour energies, of course! The hard part here is refraining from judgment and blame when colleagues don’t or can’t see situations the way you do...
- Give Cool Blue the space to work independently and alone
- Present facts in a logical way and back up your arguments and theories with clear evidence
- Be prepared to answer questions (there’s a considered reason behind each one)
- Don’t disrupt their flow – their thoughts are ordered and leading to a clear conclusion. Interrupt at your peril!
- Allow them time to adjust to new situations and ideas and ensure that these changes are presented with a factual base
- Appreciate that due to their analytical nature, they enjoy having the opportunity to reflect and de-brief on projects
- Avoid drama, ostentation and bluster!
A few tips if YOU lead with Cool Blue energy…
Remember that not everyone is as naturally organised as you. Give people time and support to work in their own style rather than insisting on your way being best.
Share how you think. Your brain is happy with a lot of processing and analysis, but chances are that your colleagues are wired differently and less ‘chronologically’.
Set aside dedicated time for each team member. You work well alone, but your team may prefer to brainstorm ideas with and talk things through.
Accept that you can’t control everything, least of all how others prefer to operate. Accept that you could probably let (a few!) things go a little. Trust your colleagues to do their best. Not everyone can meet your high expectations…and maybe they don’t need to!
A word on perception…
Colleagues with dominant Sunshine Yellow energy, who combine Feeling with Extraversion, may find Cool Blue preferences more challenging than others, especially the more reserved, reflective or seemingly insular traits. Fiery Red may feel impatient with Cool Blue’s love of detail. Earth Green may find Cool Blue to be rather aloof and matter-of-fact.
Learn more about why we perceive each other differently here
But of course, we also know that opposites often attract, especially at work where a variety of approaches and talents make up the best teams.
If you develop the patience to understand the contrasting preferences, look for important clues and equip yourself to get the best from communicating with those who lead with Cool Blue, you’ll be several steps closer to creating a remarkably efficient, high-performing team!
