The Personality Behind the Leader

My own journey into leadership did not begin with a formal leadership program, management training, or a mentor. I was hired into a training leadership role with virtually no management experience, and, like many new leaders, I was expected to figure it out as I went.

I relied heavily on what I had learned from the managers I had worked with over the years—some excellent and some less so. Fortunately, most of my experiences had been positive, and their examples helped shape the kind of leader I wanted to become.

Of course, I also brought my own personality into the role.

I brought my natural way of communicating, making decisions and building relationships. I brought the things that energized me, the things that frustrated me, and the expectations I had of myself and others.

We don’t suddenly become someone different when we are given a leadership title. The personality behind the employee becomes the personality behind the leader. The difference is that our natural approach now affects more than our own work. It affects the people around us.

Knowing Your Colour Is Only the Beginning

Those of us who facilitate Personality Dimensions® have seen that wonderful moment when people recognize themselves in the framework. There is often laughter, relief, and the occasional “Well, that explains a lot.”

That recognition is important, but knowing our dominant colour does not automatically make us better leaders. What matters is what we do with that knowledge.

Our temperament influences what we naturally notice and value. Authentic Blue leaders often pay attention to people, relationships, and the emotional tone in the room. Inquiring Green leaders may focus on ideas, competence, and the logic behind a decision. Organized Gold leaders are often drawn to expectations, responsibilities, and keeping things on track. Resourceful Orange leaders are likely to see opportunities, immediate priorities, and ways to create momentum.

That does not mean all Authentic Blue, Inquiring Green, Organized Gold, or Resourceful Orange leaders will lead in the same way. We each bring a blend of all four colours, an Extraverted or Introverted energy orientation, years of experience, and everything we have learned along the way.

While writing Your Leadership Journey Starts Here, I spoke with leaders from different industries and temperament styles about their real experiences. Again and again, I was reminded that our natural strengths shape the way we lead—but they can also affect what we overlook.

Four Leaders, Four Different Starting Points

One Authentic Blue leader told me that her first consideration in any major decision is the effect it will have on people. That became especially important during a large organizational restructuring.

Before the final decision was made, she pushed the leadership team to explore every reasonable alternative. Once it became clear that jobs would be lost, she focused on how the decision would be carried out. She advocated for clear communication, opportunities for employees to be heard, visible leadership and practical support.

As she put it, “How we do hard things matters.”

Her concern for people did not stop her from making a difficult decision. It influenced how she handled it.

An Inquiring Green leader shared a much smaller incident, but it led to an equally important realization. Shortly after moving from colleague to manager, he scheduled a meeting with a former peer without explaining what it was about.

To him, it was a routine invitation. To the employee, it was now a meeting with “the boss,” and the employee worried that something was wrong.

He had not changed the way he sent the invitation, but his role had changed—and that affected how his message was received. It was a simple reminder that, as leaders, we need to think about more than what we intend to communicate. We also need to consider how someone else may interpret it.

An Organized Gold leader spoke about learning to delegate to emerging leaders whose approaches were different from hers. She was a thoughtful planner who created reliable systems and knew how she wanted things done.

Her challenge was learning to provide clear expectations without controlling every part of the process.

She realized that developing others sometimes required her to tolerate a little “messiness.” The work might not unfold exactly as she would have organized it, but that did not mean it would be unsuccessful. Her structure remained a strength, but she learned to use it as a foundation rather than a mold everyone else had to fit into.

A Resourceful Orange leader described herself as someone who moves quickly, changes direction easily and does not spend a great deal of time planning far ahead. She trusts her experience and is confident that she will find a way forward.

That approach had served her well, but she also recognized that it could be difficult for people who needed to see the plan earlier. What felt flexible and energizing to her could feel uncertain and frustrating to someone else.

She did not have to give up the adaptability that made her effective. She simply learned to slow down, explain more and provide enough structure for other people to come along with her.

None of these leaders needed to become less Authentic Blue, Inquiring Green, Organized Gold, or Resourceful Orange. They needed to recognize how their natural approach was affecting the people they led.

Empathy sometimes needs to be accompanied by directness. Analysis may need to include attention to the emotional context. Structure has to leave room for individual ownership. Action often needs to be supported by communication and preparation.

Personality Dimensions® does not tell us whether someone will be an effective leader. It helps us understand where they are likely to begin.

We Often Lead People the Way We Want to Be Led

One of the easiest traps for any leader is giving people what we ourselves would want.

A leader who values autonomy may step back because they want to demonstrate trust. The employee may experience it as a lack of guidance.

A leader who values warmth may spend time building rapport before addressing an issue. The employee may be sitting there waiting for them to get to the point.

A leader who values careful analysis may want more information before making a decision. Other people may interpret that delay as indecisiveness.

A leader who values structure may provide detailed instructions to ensure everything is clear. Someone else may experience those same instructions as micromanagement.

None of these approaches is necessarily wrong. The question is whether our natural approach is helping the person in front of us succeed.

That takes more than memorizing communication tips for each colour. It requires us to pay attention, remain curious, and ask questions rather than assuming everyone wants what we want.

I have worked with leaders for more than 30 years, and I still have moments when I realize that I have approached someone from my perspective rather than theirs. Knowing ourselves does not mean we will get it right every time. It gives us a better chance of recognizing when we need to adjust.

Before your next conversation, decision, or difficult leadership moment, think about what you naturally bring to it. Then ask yourself:

What does this person need from me?

Understanding the personality behind the leader will not tell us everything about how someone will lead. But it gives us a valuable place to begin.

And in many ways, that is where our leadership journey starts.