1.   Loosen up. Strangely, by consistently doing the right thing, you can come off to other people as being uptight, unapproachable, square, too serious and even inflexible. Most Gold people hate to think that "being good" can make them seem unfriendly or frightened of change. For sure, a serious, responsible person does not mind being called serious or even square, but UNAPPROACHABLE? Life isn't fair, right? Of course you know in your heart that you are indeed open to change, especially when research and science convince you of it. So what to do? Perception is everything. So change perception. Do that my knowing what non-Golds care about. Can they call you at any time to talk about their ideas? Are you willing to sit with them or walk with them outside your office? Can you handle talking business in the hallway or at happy hour? Do you listen more than you talk? Do you demonstrate (by words and actions) to everyone that you understand what they are saying? Do people see that your decisions have included the ideas and concerns of others? In a phrase, it's important to lighten up the atmosphere without giving up your values. You not only appear to "loosen up," but you truly LOOSEN UP by having social contact with Blues, by being playful and competitive with Oranges, and by valuing Greens' territory, independence, autonomy, research, and time.

2.   Choose round tables. Smart managers often invite their employees to do business at a round table. There may be one in the office. Other round tables are found in conference rooms, break rooms, and in bars for happy hour. If you are a Gold manager, you may be happy handling business in formal meetings, on committees, and through other formal decision-making, but you have to realize that hordes of employees feel their ideas are not heard enough within formal structures. A round table enables you to remove your manager's hat in the eyes of employees and to invite everyone to be an equal, especially when the goal is brainstorming, compromising, and finding solutions to problems. Square and rectangular furniture creates barriers - both psychological and real. Round tables - well, it can feel like a party!

3.   Choose your battles. You might rigorously follow a set of rules from early morning to late at night. It's a grave mistake to assume that other people - even other Gold people - are that self-disciplined. To an outsider (and you may be married to one), your self-discipline can feel confining, gloomy, unrelenting, and even darn right threatening to joy in life. In the business world where self-discipline is expected, your zealous adherence to rules can feel like micro-management instead of reasonable management. It's worth considering the opinions of your employees, therefore. For example, company policies may call for limited coffee breaks or a strict dress code when, in fact, the team you supervise may have happily ignored these policies for years with zero negative impact on high productivity, excellent customer service, etc. It is worthwhile to get consensus from people around you when it comes to policy enforcement, reserving strict enforcement for the most important of reasons, i.e., for battles truly worth fighting.

4.   Take a second look at "losers." Gold managers like to be acknowledged as winners, to be "A" students, trophy holders, and respected leaders. They want this for themselves. Fortunately or unfortunately, they want and expect this for everybody else. As a manager, your preference for "winners" may cloud your judgment against "losers" who do not seem competitive, who break a few rules, whose production and quality of work tend to be imperfect, and who may even be seen as "trouble makers" on the team. Know that behind such behavior can lurk brilliance, artistry, outside-the-box thinking, fiercely strong work ethics for the "right" project, and so much more. Grumpy mavericks may be grumpy because they really do have solutions to your biggest problems. Rule breakers may have more elegant, faster and more efficient methods for completing tasks. Social butterflies may have the secret to bringing the entire team together to create the right kind of change and to help resolve conflicts. A Gold manager is a strong manger by getting to know the values and strengths of every single person on a team, then by getting the best out of them by first demonstrating respect for their values and strengths.