Jack,

I learned in the three workshops of yours I attended that "genius happens" when you are lucky enough to have all four Colors represented on your work team.

Well, we do have plenty of Golds, Blues, and Greens (in that order!), but can't hire any Oranges to save our lives. You don't have to persuade me. I know we need those action-oriented, fun-loving Oranges.

I work for a city in the Metro Phoenix area - in the Finance Department. What is it about our work that turns Oranges off?

Help me out, Jack.

                                      Laila Schroeder

Hello Laila,

You would be surprised how many company workshops I run in which one or two Colors predominate. In marketing and journalism, you find plenty of Oranges and Greens. In warehousing and fulfillment, you discover an "overabundance" of Gold. Non-profit organizations -both leaders and followers - tend to be Blue.

Finance organizations such as yours are almost always Gold and Green. Such teams are extremely good with logistics and strategic thinking, but they can be painfully task-oriented. They might lack the soft human touch of Blues and certainly the fun of the very physical and hilarious cut-up Oranges.

So what to do?

Yes, a group gets more creative and synergistic with all four Colors onboard, but such grouping is not always suitable. You need to face the fact that Oranges do not like sitting at a desk doing routine tasks. They won't even apply for such a job.  

An Orange will apply for a job there if you create a position whose description involves physical movement, different daily or weekly challenges, options for changes in routine, multitasking, and plenty of interaction with people. In Finance, such a person might be the leader of an auditing team that visits offices all over town or beyond. Or you might have work that requires intricate score-keeping, much like a quarterback considers many options from play-to-play. I have seen such people in Finance offices; one in particular had the first two Colors of Orange and Gold.

Generally, however, Oranges will look elsewhere. Inside your organization, you might note, it should be possible to invite Orange people from other departments to work with you on interdepartmental planning and related activities - even for the sole purpose of getting Orange input. For example, by inviting Oranges from public safety, streets, and water to join you in developing your department's strategic plan, you will get suggestions that most of your internal staff may never have thought of. Oranges will dissuade you from slow action. Oranges will have ideas to save steps and decrease bureaucracy. They will let you know when you have too many rules, too much ruminating about unimportant ideas, and certainly they will tell you if you have too many meetings. Oranges will urge independent thinking and as much freedom of action for individual employees as possible.

To sum up, then, if you can't hire them straightaway or create a position for them, then invite them in as guests!

          Jack