Surrounded By Different Colors

Have you ever left the room confused and feeling that you genuinely did not understand the person or people in the room? ?Making matters worse, they never seem to understand what you are saying, no matter how clearly you express yourself.

When it comes to CS and customer management, we would like to avoid this situation at all costs. Sometimes, we have one chance to make an impact, and we want to make the most of it by delivering a clear message and creating trust with our counterparts. Think about entering a physical or virtual room with little time to understand the people?and?their profiles and subsequently adjust your communication style.

As part of my continuous effort to understand people and human behavior, I found Thomas Erikson's book, Surrounded by Idiots, to be a practical guide. Despite its catchy and humorous title, Erikson's mission is to equip us with a method that focuses on the change each one of us can make in social interactions rather than trying to change somebody else.

Erikson's book introduces one of the world's most used methods for understanding human communication differences. It's a method derived from the famous DISA profiles, which use a color scheme of red, yellow, green, and blue to describe different behaviors and personalities. Understanding these profiles is crucial in navigating social interactions effectively.

Four distinct profiles based on their behavioral traits are followed by Erikson’s suggestions to optimize communication and subsequently improve engagement with the people surrounding us.

This article will explore these profiles and how customer success professionals can tailor their approaches to meet the unique needs of each type. I intended?to “translate” the book's more generic aspect to the reality of customer success.

The Dominant (Red) Profile

????Main characteristics: They are goal-oriented, direct and decisive, assertive, and competitive.

Additional professional aspects of their behavior:

They are quick decision-makers, sometimes impatient, and likely to consider only one option—the one they believe is right. They are results-driven, looking for the “bottom line,” and will care less about the “journey.” This is essential?for CS professionals as we design a customer journey with different milestones and activities. “Red” stakeholders will not care about the “how” if you deliver the expected results.

The “Red” profile people expect themselves or others to complete the tasks quickly, assuming everyone knows what needs to be done. In some instances, they can finish the task on their own.

Arguments? It is in their nature to stand up and “fight” their way with others with different perspectives. They may not be the “bad people,” but they are?the?ones who firmly believe their way of doing things is the most effective and will get them there in the shortest time possible.

You can also expect that they will not care too much about the emotions of their colleagues, let alone their vendors.

How do you interact with the “Red” stakeholders?

1. Be clear and straightforward in your communication.? Highlight the results and demonstrate how they can be measured along the way. ?
2. Be confident and willing to face challenges, as this is?part of their nature—they like this interaction with other people, including their vendors. You may even score points for defending “your corner,” even if they are not persuaded.?
3. The “Red stakeholders would like to have the “final word.” This is not easy to accept when you are knowledgeable and experienced, knowing how you will deliver the results they expect. In this case, I would listen to the stakeholders, giving them the “stage” to make their point. Then, I would continue with my plan or set of actions and update about the outcomes. When aligned with the “Red’s” expectations, they will not care if you follow their specific guidelines as long as you deliver. They just want to get things done.

?The Inspirational (Yellow) profile

????Main characteristics: They?are friendly, social, enthusiastic, optimistic, and persuasive. They like the attention of the people around them and are great storytellers. They are?Interested In the “big picture” rather than the specific details.

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Additional professional aspects of their behavior:

They are visionary; they can see the end goal and describe the benefits clearly and persuasively. However, they will not be interested in the various steps and dependencies to achieve the outcome. They expect someone else will take care of the “how.”? Think about a senior stakeholder with a clear vision of their organization and the benefits they will gain by engaging with you.? Now, it's for the vendor to perform and help them to see this vision in action.

In professional (as well as private) interactions, they will do most of the talking as they feel they need to entertain everyone. They also believe the audience expects them to take this “informal” role as other people do not have the same vision or cannot tell an exciting story as they do.

They prefer to see the positive side of challenges because they prefer the “bigger picture.” They assume their vendor will know how to mitigate and navigate the risks and obstacles.

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How do you interact with the “Yellow” stakeholder?

I encountered numerous “yellow” stakeholders and found three tactics helpful in building a trusted advisor relationship with them.

1.?They are in the process of refining their vision. They know where to go, but a?few pieces are missing to complete the story. Once you identify the gaps you can bridge with technology, service, or knowledge, you provide your input and translate their long-term view to a list of actions and next steps. ?

2.?They need support to “sell” their vision in their organization and to their management. They will not need help with storytelling. However, they may be challenged about the details they don’t have. Your being there to support them and provide additional information will increase their confidence in you. This may feel like being their “second in command,” which is an achievement considering you are a vendor and not an?organic part of their team.

3.?Be there when things go sideways. If your “yellow” stakeholders trust you, they expect you to be there when they?face criticism and internal challenges. In these circumstances, it was clear I had to step up and?explain how we would manage and proceed to complete our plan successfully. ?

General advice is to be friendly and comfortable with this dominant stakeholder. ?They want to succeed like everyone, with one significant difference: they constantly seek partners to help them turn their vision and fascinating stories into reality.

The Steady (Green) profile

???? Main characteristics:?They are patient, good listeners, reliable, and appreciate stability and harmony.? They care about other’s feelings and well-being.

Additional professional aspects of their behavior:

They tend not?to make decisions independently (unlike their “red” counterparts) as they think?a decision is better taken collaboratively with others. They feel more comfortable being part of the team and wish the team members to?support each other as the targets should be achieved collectively, not individually.

In addition, they will usually be calm and patient under pressure, not looking for confrontation. Instead, they will seek guidance and broader support for corrective actions to mitigate risks and unexpected changes in the plan.

The other side of their natural preference to stay calm is that they hold on to?their frustration and may need to “release some steam.” ?Like any other human being, they can be angry, but they try to control it. The question is whether they “blow up” at the wrong time and what the impact would be on others around them.

How do you interact with the “Green” stakeholder?

Initially, it seems that the “Green” stakeholder can be more favorable for CSMs. They will listen, collaborate, and maybe even show empathy under challenging circumstances. On the flip side, they will delay decisions when there is an urgency to solve issues or opportunities to strengthen customer-vendor engagement.

Here are a?few suggestions for managing “Green” stakeholders

1. When presenting a plan or a solution - be patient with their questions and tendency to seek support from their colleagues.
2. When facing “Green” senior stakeholders, learn quickly who their internal trusted advisors are?so you can include them in the decision process and convince them.
3. Use your soft skills to assess their level of anxiety and frustration. They could be supportive but are affected by internal politics or disputes with other teams, which you cannot ignore. ?Supporting them in this situation will help them reach the consensus they seek and, at the same time, promote your agenda and customer-vendor initiatives. ?
4. Create a stable and predictable experience, minimizing surprises. This will help to build confidence in your relationship with the stakeholders.
5. “Green” stakeholders often expect feedback to ensure everyone is aligned. CSM can acknowledge their contributions?and highlight the importance of?teamwork to the team's and organization's overall success.

The Analytical (Blue) profile

????Main characteristics: They are analytical, detail-oriented, diligent, and value accuracy and quality. They are often reserved and cautious.

Additional professional aspects of their behavior:

The “Blue” stakeholders will split a plan or a task into detailed activities to understand how each part contributes to the overall target. They will ask as many questions as?needed to understand the data they receive or expect to provide. ?

They will be diligent about their work and their vendors' deliverables. They find it challenging to accept mediocrity or lower quality that is not aligned with their standards. Moreover, they will not hesitate to voice their feedback and criticize others. Their strive for excellence drives their criticism.

They are likely to be stubborn and avoid compromises. They will not look for “shortcuts” and prefer to “follow the process.”

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Your interaction with the “Blue” stakeholder?

Over the years, I learned a?few valuable lessons from “Blue” Stakeholders. Their high standards and consistent approach usually paid off. ?Our engagements were successful as we adjusted and improved our deliverables. ?It could be anything from data accuracy, additional reports, and specific aspects to highlight during QBRs or EBRs.? The other challenge was knowing when to say NO. Sometimes, their requirements were too detailed and complicated to deliver or required a massive effort, which we could not support. ?“Blue” Stakeholders will typically detect “gaps” in your offering and raise product enhancements, which you should manage carefully with your product management.

Here are a?few more suggestions to optimize your communication with?“Blue” stakeholders

1. Break down a plan or idea into multiple logical tasks when presenting it. Unlike their “Yellow” counterparts, the “Blue” Stakeholders do not accept the high-level overview.
2. Reports and statistics should be super accurate, checked, and re-checked.
3. Be consistent with your deliverables. Use the same format that was agreed upon with the stakeholders.
4. Be prepared for in-depth discussions and questions.
5. Follow the process and minimize improvisations. This will create a sense of instability for the “Blue” stakeholders.
6. Respect their need for time to process information before making decisions.
7. You can leverage their feedback to learn and improve. I used to engage stakeholders who were experts in their field with unique knowledge and perspectives. That was THE opportunity to learn from the best and improve my profession.
8. Their requests and demands can be overwhelming sometimes, and you will have to balance their “wish list” with the internal priorities of the Engineering, product, PS, and support teams.

Summary and main takeaways

Erikson’s method can be a great reference and practical tool for CS professionals. It is not an exact science, and obviously, some people are?“mixed colors (I consider myself to be a “blend” of 2 colors). ?I strongly recommend reading the book for another perspective on human behavior and social interactions. It can be handy?when CS professionals engage with internal and external stakeholders to manage and navigate between the expectations and needs set by the very different people we engage with.

A few takeaways and recommendations:

?? Run the self-assessment suggested in the book/website to learn about your “color/s.”

?? Few people have one dominant “color,” and most people I know are a “mix” of two colors (sometimes three colors).

?? It is tempting to use this framework daily and “observe” someone else’s color. Before applying it to your customers, test it with your family and friends.

?? I recommend combining the insights from this book with other tools and frameworks you know and are?familiar with.

?? Assessing people’s profiles and characteristics takes time to practice and requires experience, while there is no “silver bullet” exists?to assess people’s profiles and characteristics.?