What are your true colours?
By Sharon Clish, Director of Learning and Development at Grahame Robb Associates
Have you ever wondered if colour influences us in anyway? Whilst recently working with a team of leaders, I stumbled across a fascinating observation about colour that fuelled my curiosity. If I may, let me set the scene and share what happened.
Visualise a training room if you will. After a delicious lunch, we were settling into the “grave yard shift” as we trainers call it and energy levels were dwindling. ‘Oomph’ was the order of the day and so we assembled around a couple of flip charts to discuss the topic of “effective leadership.” As the groups rotated around the charts, with marker pens in blue, green and red in hand, discussing different leadership challenges, a theme began to emerge. One of the topics I had asked the groups to consider was “what factors determine an effective leader?” and, as we perused the list, it became evident that a link between colour and leadership was beginning to stir some relevance.
Before I continue, may I offer a quick history lesson in colour analysis? Back in the 1900s, it was Johannes Itten, a Swiss expressionist and tutor who taught at the Bauhaus German School of Art, who first observed the concept of colour psychology. When Itten asked his students to paint landscapes, he noticed that some painted in warm colours and some in cool colours. Not only did they paint in warm or cool, their clothes also reflected their colour preference. As time has progressed, the concept of colour psychology has meant many things to many people. When I witnessed my group of leaders confirming my beliefs regarding the influence of colour, I was eager to explore this further.
The human eye registers colour first, especially red, and psychologists claim that colours can impact how we are perceived because it influences the way we think, feel and even the way we look. Think about red. Red signifies confidence, influence, and power – for example the branding of Coke, Virgin or Santander. Blue is for intellect, calm, and reflection – have you ever wondered why policeman and surgeons wear blue? Green is the colour of harmony, life and growth – hospitals are often painted green to relax patients and in the middle ages brides wore green to symbolise fertility.
So, what has this colour analysis got to do with my rejuvenated leaders around a flip chart discussing the factors of effective leadership? Well, the remarkable observation was that the group using a red pen listed leadership qualities such as influencing, charisma, confidence and vision, while the group with a blue pen highlighted listening, trust, credibility. As for the green group, we saw comments such as “encouraging work life balance” and “creating an environment for individuals to flourish”.
Resonant leadership has always been of interest to me. Here at GRA, we have supported leaders at all levels for years, helping them to be the best that they can be. However, just lately we have been engaging with the colour palette and identifying where it connects in the world of business. If true leadership starts with the heart, then surely if we want others to follow, we have a duty to think, feel, and look our best? My questions to my peers are:
- Do you know your blind spots (black and white or colour) as a role model to others?
- If your image, or the way you are perceived, is what you want to change, could colour psychology help?
Maybe the next time you go to buy new business wear or even go to grab a flip chart pen, stop and think, “What message do I want to send to my receiver? Is it one of energy, calm, or harmony?” Above all, one should always strive for authenticity.
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