We have all four colors in us
Ntrinsx is designed to help you understand yourself and others in a practical way. By practical, I mean in a way that helps you remember and relate to people intuitively in every day situations at work and with your family and friends. To make it easy to relate, we associate core values to each of four Colors – Gold, Green, Orange, and Blue. Each Color is portrayed in the videos and descriptions below as if we had only one Color. But in reality, our temperament is a hybrid, a unique blend of all four Colors.
As you watch the videos and read the accompanying descriptions of each Color, think about your own relationships. I am confident you will recognize people you know in terms of the Colors. Once you do that it will become almost second nature for you and you will intuitively relate to those people with respect for their values, which will not necessarily be the way you want to be treated.
Want to know more about the theory behind Ntrinsx?
Intuitive | Optimistic | Genuine | Supportive
Meet Lisa. She's Blue
Intuitive | Optimistic | Genuine | Supportive
Meet Lisa. she's blue
Blue people like Lisa value relationships and self-expression. They don't think twice about sharing their own feelings, which serves them well by establishing trust and endearment. They show true empathy for others. Being very intuitive, they feel your pain and share in your joy. They have a tendency to immerse themselves in others' emotions, so much so as to neglect their own needs. In fact, Blue people can become so concerned for others that they unconsciously set aside their own agenda and loose sight of commitments, like getting to a meeting on time, as an example. Eventually, the focus on others can add to their own stress and they need to "escape" into their own private world to re-energize.
So, how do Blue people re-energize? They give themselves the luxury of private time to think about how to make the world a better place. Turns out, Blue people are very imaginative and their naturally optimistic tendency shows through as they express new, creative ideas with enthusiasm.
Blue people tend to be accepting of the situation at hand and supportive of those who might be put off or threatened in some way. That's why they are often enlisted to help others cope with change or deal with conflict. You can always rely on their genuine optimism to help others see past the current obstacles and envision a brighter future.
Direct | Flexible | Resourceful | Confident
Meet Gustavo. he's Orange
Orange people like Gustavo value freedom and fun. What exactly does that mean? By freedom we mean having the flexibility to accomplish whatever it is that drives them. Orange people tend to be mission driven and see obstacles as challenges to be overcome. And if those obstacles come in the form of “arbitrary” rules, well, expect an Orange to push the boundaries if those rules stand in the way of meeting real goals or doing “the right thing.”
And what about the fun part? Fun doesn’t mean play (well, maybe sometimes). It means finding enjoyment in what they are doing. Oranges seek the work they enjoy, and they try to make it enjoyable for everybody else to. While some may prefer to get things done with computers, Oranges get things done by inspiring people, motivating themselves and others to achieve meaningful results.
Orange people are outgoing and can be quite convincing. Expect them to be very direct and spontaneous. Their easy-going, confident attitude draws others into their cause, and their resourcefulness equips them to get things done. In fact, they don’t spend a lot of time theorizing, they act quickly and decisively. And if they determine that they need to change course, no problem. They thrive on change and can be counted on to motivate others through the change process if necessary.
Analytical | Observant | Rational | Calm
Meet Al. he's Green
Green people like Al value competency. They are driven to understand. They can’t stand to be wrong and they hate making mistakes. Like Orange people, Greens love a challenge. But, unlike Oranges, Greens need time to think things through – usually alone. They need quiet, uninterrupted space and time to understand the big picture and envision the optimal approach. And optimal might mean the quickest or cheapest or it might mean the longest lasting or most strategic. Regardless, a Green person will naturally analyze the pros and cons of multiple approaches and determine the “best”, often very innovative way forward.
Green people are independent thinkers, which is often misunderstood. While others are fully, sometimes loudly, engaged in debate, Greens are busy taking in data, listening intently to different perspectives, analyzing the situation, and forming their own opinion. Those who don’t know that about them mistakenly think they are not engaged. They are. When a Green feels that he or she understands the situation and has a clear position they will share their conclusions and the reasoning behind it. Now they are ready for debate. Go ahead. Debate them. They love it – once they are ready intellectually.
Because of their quiet nature, Green people are often labeled as shy or introverted. That is not necessarily the case. In fact, Greens enjoy intellectual interaction with others. Having said that, Greens will bore quickly if the conversation is, in their mind, trivial. Greens tend to be visionary and think in abstract terms. Their conversation may come across as conceptual and idealistic at times, but it is most stimulating to them if you meet them in that theoretical place.
Responsible | Consistent | Reliable | Stable
Meet Sarah. She's Gold
Gold people like Sarah value responsibility. They are most comfortable in an environment that is orderly. They don’t like chaos, sloppiness, or disregard for the “rules”. By rules I mean moral, ethical norms as well as strict interpretation of governing policies and procedures. And, by the way, they expect to be held accountable to follow the rules and they expect everyone else to follow the rules as well.
Gold people expect to have clear, comprehensive, and concise policies and procedures and they focus intensely on the details. To them, it’s either right or wrong. Golds are honest in their own accountability and they believe that if everyone is held accountable for the same set of rules the world will be a better place. As a result, Gold people tend to be well organized and dependable. And, you can count on Golds to be objective in the way they engage with others, treating everybody consistent with the same measures they hold for themselves.
At this point you might be thinking that Gold people don’t have any fun, but nothing could be farther from the truth. Once they have met their obligations, they are ready to let their hair down like everybody else. In fact, they are likely to be the organizer that makes the party happen. Golds love to be involved in group activities with professional associates as well as social events with family and friends. And, if you look closely, you will often find Golds at the center of successful charity, community, and school events.
Some theory behind Ntrinsx
We naturally behave in accordance with our predominant Color, but we have all four Colors in us. I am Green/Gold/Orange/Blue. Most people pick up immediately on my Green nature. Those who know me understand that I am first and foremost contemplative, analytical, quiet, inventive.
That's my Green nature. But I am also very organized, dependable, practical and reliable (the Gold parts of my temperament), and I am resourceful and creative in achieving what I set out to do (the Orange parts of my temperament). On the other hand, those who don’t know me may misinterpret my behavior as aloof, uncaring, unemotional, or even arrogant. Those are my Green shadows.
Ntrinsx has made a difference in my life because it helps people to see me for who I am. In my work, I want to be respected for my accomplishments. In my relationships I want those I care about to know that I am, in my own way, committed and engaged in our relationship.
Our temperament is complex. For important relationships you should take the time to understand the person’s spectrum in terms of all four Colors in the relevant aspect of your relationship e.g., at work, at home, with friends, keeping in mind that most of us are not the same in all aspects of our life. An example of where this is very important is in the case of hiring, placement, or promotion. These are cases where the person’s second, or even third Color should be taken into consideration.
For more causal interactions, showing respect for a person’s first Color will go a long way toward building a strong relationship. And that’s a good thing because it’s natural to relate to a person’s first Color and it's easy to remember.
Hopefully, the videos and descriptions above helped you interpret each of the four Colors. And, while this is a good place to start, it is best to read the person’s profile in the appropriate life context (e.g., work, home, etc.) because an accurate portrayal of a person’s temperament is not as simple as stacking four colors in order. That’s because all Green people don’t share all the same Green temperament attributes, and don’t cast all the same shadows, and don’t exhibit all the same stress behaviors. My Green attributes (my first Color) are influenced by my Gold attributes (my second Color). My Gold attributes are influenced by the fact that I am Green first, Gold second and Orange third. And accordingly, the specific Orange and Blue attributes I possess are appropriate for their position in my personal temperament spectrum.
We also talk about the “Whole Person”. This is a temperament spectrum that aggregates the spectrums of all of our individual life situations. In other words, it gives us a composite view of the combination of who we are at work, at home, with friends, our self-view, and our world view – all of which may be different for a given individual. This is depicted in the picture below:
This pictorial depicts the various Color spectrums of a real person. As you can see, she holds different values in the various aspects of her life. At work, she solves problems, gets things done with urgency (her Orange values) and highly values competency (her Green values). In other aspects of her life, her Gold values come through. Looking at the Whole Person spectrum, it is clear that her Gold and Green values are dominant over all.
As I got to know this person better, I wanted to understand why her Orange is so high at work and low in all other aspects of her life (last in the Whole Person composite). The answer lies in the career path that she chose, the work she loves and what she is very good at. She is an urgent care nurse.
When you understand the role of an urgent care nurse it is clear that this person’s temperament fits that career path. They have to act quickly or a person’s life could be in jeopardy. They must be competent and think on their feet, often analyzing the situation and evaluating alternative treatments – no time to check procedure manuals, they must figure out quickly how to react to the situation before them. They must stabilize the patient and move on to the next emergency. Sounds nerve-racking to me, but it’s perfect for her.