Probably the most important differential in personality typing is Aliens versus Earthlings. David Keirsey coined these terms.
To translate into Four Windows speak, Aliens are the Greens and Blues. Earthlings are the Golds and Oranges. Aliens joyfully party in their heads with endless ideas and juicy abstractions. The Earthlings, on the other hand, party hardy quite literally with feet planted concretely on the floor.
Pay attention here.
If you call a meeting with Aliens on one side of the table and Earthlings on the other, the number one virtue to encourage is patience.
Why patience?
Right from the get-go, those Green and Blue Aliens love talking about ideas in abstract and general terms. They can be slow to make decisions because Aliens want to exchange plenty of ideas, hear plenty of options, encourage input from all stakeholders, identify firm ideas while seeking compromise on others, talk circularly with some digressions, welcome change, favor the long term over the short term, and insist on group harmony. A sign on an Alien door might read, "Good Ideas Welcome Here."
Across the table, the Gold and Orange Earthlings will tend to demand concrete answers, e.g., who, what, where, when, and how. Ideas and options are fine, but they prefer black and white clarity over "grey fuzzy thinking." Because Earthlings think in terms of hierarchies, they want to know who is in charge, who really "needs to know," and when a decision can be made. They will say they are open to compromise, change, long-term strategy and harmony, but too much of that can look to them like delaying genuine action on a recognizable timeline. If Earthlings had a motto, it would be "Talk, Decide, Act."
By the way, 25 percent of the world is Alien, and a whopping 75 percent is Earthling.
Think about that for a minute.
If you are an executive or manager - and happen to be a Green or Blue Alien - your communication skills and level of patience will be tested before a probable large army of Earthlings who work for you and probably have little patience with constant chatter about "the big picture."
If you are an Earthling company owner whose prize innovators and planners happen to be Aliens, your logistical and tactical comfort zones can feel severely threatened unless you understand the values underlying Alien thinking - which, by the way, often call for re-zoning.
Maybe this will be clearer with a brief list of career paths frequently chosen by actual Aliens and Earthlings. Set up a "fantasy meeting" in your own head. Pick three or four careers from each of the two lists below and imagine them making plans together around the same table.
ALIEN PATHS: Hi-tech CEO, international financier, venture capitalist, computer analyst, urban planner, structural dynamics analyst, mathematician, astronomer, computer scientist, corporate training facilitator, motivational speaker, career counselor, minister, psychologist, yoga instructor, civil rights attorney, journalist, communications specialist, social worker.
EARTHLING PATHS: Business manager, plant supervisor, general contractor, police chief, accountant, insurance appraiser, loan officer, purchasing agent, salesperson, administrative assistant, public prosecutor, corporate recruiter, lobbyist, real estate developer, repair technician, equipment operator, musician, corporate spokesperson, newscaster, sales force trainer, stage director, graphic artist.
To conclude, understanding the stark differences is a good start. Mostly, however, it takes patience to foster continuous harmony, good decisions, and solid action.
Click here to get your own Color spectrum. You are an Alien if your first Color is Green or Blue; an Earthling if Gold or Orange.
