When I started to learn about E-Colors and found out it was a tool that could be used to help people communicate better, it immediately sparked my interest.
However, my potential limiters included being picky, too serious, and critical which I did not believe to be true at all. In fact, I took the PDI a few days later to prove that it was wrong. But low and behold, I got almost the identical printout of Green/ Blue.
When my wife of 12 years heard about E-Colors, she became interested and also took the PDI. Her report also came out as Green/Blue! Discovering we were the same E-Colors changed our relationship significantly. In true Green/Blue fashion, she began reading up on the different E-Color combinations, and we discussed them together frequently.
Soon we were having open conversations about our personalities that in 12 years, 6 states, and 2 kids we had never had before!
Over the years we had been through a lot together. My previous career in the military meant frequent travel and constant change. Thankfully, we were always been able to work through our struggles. However, having this new tool opened the door for us to have conversations around our blind spots. Blind spots are parts of our character which we may not see in ourselves, but others may recognize more clearly. Understanding our strengths and potential limiters allowed us to talk about things in an entirely new way.
We reached a level of higher understanding in our marriage. Along with this new awareness, came more dialogue. And through the increased dialogue, we began understanding each other more deeply.
I learned my potential limiters are a blind spot, and I learned how they affect other people. I’m grateful for Equilibria’s E-Colors, without them I would never have had such meaningful conversations with my wife and family!
Several years before joining Equilibria I was working as an IT Manager for the Canadian Government and I was completely unaware of my behaviors and how it caused various mishaps. Here is one such misadventure which still makes me shake my head and giggle at the same time.
It began on a flight from Vancouver to Ottawa with a change of planes in Calgary. There were only about 30 minutes between flights so I sprinted through the airport as though it was the size of Heathrow.
I proudly made it to the boarding gate with time to spare, armed with a boarding pass and carry-on baggage. Like always, I presented my boarding pass to the check-in staff at the gate. I gave the ticket stub a quick glance before putting it in my pocket and proceeded down the aero bridge.
When I reached the entrance to the plane I realized I had forgotten my seat number so the ticket was retrieved from my pocket for another scan. Despite all the useful information on the ticket all I cared about was my seat assignment, 12FÂ was all I needed to know.
While making my way down the aisle the seat numbers, it I started to realize my seat must be in the front of the plane. But that canât be. Government workers always fly economy. Great! I mustâve been upgraded by the airline I thought to myself and a moment later I found the invitingly vacant business class seat.
A flight attendant approached me to ask if I would like a drink. I quickly sat down and asked for a glass of champagne. Now that I began accepting the notion of a more comfortable flight my next thoughts turned to lunch.
Just as I was looking through the business class menu and my imagination starting to visualize a juicy fillet mignon steak, a well-dressed man in a suit interrupted saying,  “Is that my seat?”
I politely explained he must be mistaken and to double check his ticket. A moment later a flight attendant came by to see how she could help. We both presented our tickets in a jolly fashion as if there was no tension.
It only took her a nano second to determine my ticket was from the previous flight between Vancouver and Calgary. She explained this in a way that minimized the humiliation â comforting me that, âThis happens all the time...â
Talk about embarrassing. I’m not sure how many shades of red there are, but my face was emitting several hues. Not wanting to delay the walk of shame any longer I apologized for the confusion, abandoned my champagne, and headed for the back of the plane, seat 33A.
Looking back, I can see all the characteristics of a person with a primary E-Color of yellow. One of our potential limiters is being in a rush without much regard for details. I know this could happen to anyone, but looking back I understand now how it happened to me.
There were many wonderful memories created this week at our touching commencement for graduating students. One that stands out is when Lewis and David presented a balloon exercise at the commencement ceremony. The exercise asked students to release any negative experiences along with balloons that had been symbolically untied.
The exercise allowed the students to focus on the good moments and the bright future ahead, meanwhile their balloons scattered every direction in the air above them. A magic moment was captured in the photo above and the exercise ended with a thunderous applause!
Here are a few words from three of the newly graduated E-Colors Student Champions:
“Through E-Colors I have learned to not judge others before knowing them. Understanding this, I open myself to appreciate people better and build stronger relationships.” -Luis, (R/B)
“I was led to realize again that life is truly in our hands. Problems, obstacles, doubtsâŠthey are all just barriers that we can easily set aside of our lives by believing.” âKevin (B/G)
“I learned that you shouldnât have negative feelings, because they can stop you from achieving your goals. If you want something, do everything possible to achieve it.” âVeronica (B/G)
Commencement not only means summer break, but the chance to reflect on the past year and plan how to make the next upcoming year even better for students. One way to do that is by joining our 2013 Summer Leadership Institute for Educators.
The institute will take place from July 29-31 in Houston, Texas and cover topics such as turning schools around, leadership coaching and improving communication tools for staff.
Share this opportunity with an educator or anyone interested in serving the education community. Register for the 3-day institute together. It will be the best $250 investment you can make for your professional learning.
Of course we all heavily use our strengths â they are a large part of who we are.
The heart and soul of leadership development lies within managing the shadows of our strengths.
For most of us, however, heavy use becomes OVER-use and this is where the deepest challenges to leadership effectiveness and development hide â the unwanted side effects of over-used strengths.
Think about any of the classic complaints that we have about ineffective leadership: dictatorial,  plays favorites, micromanages and so on. Each of these patterns can be seen as the shadow side of over-used strengths.
If I have strengths in clarity and confidence and I over-use them, I am likely under-using opposite strengths, like inclusion and consensus-building, and will thus be seen as or actually be dictatorial.
We tend to value and rely on our own strengths so much that it is often difficult to see their downsides.
Every strength has a shadow when it is overused. Improving and sustaining our effectiveness as leaders requires awareness of this reality, and an ability to utilize strengths and approaches to counter-balance our own favorite strengths.
Ask yourself:
 Which of my strengths do I over-use? In which kinds of situations?
 What negative impacts does that over-use have? on which people?
 How can I increase my awareness of when I am over-using these strengths?
 What balancing strengths or approaches might be useful for me to consciously develop?
Article By:Â Zemo Trevathan
If you havenât established your E-Colors yet please visit www.equilibria.com and complete your PDIâ itâs free!
We welcome your comments. Just leave a reply below and weâll get back to you.
You would think at this point, I would no longer be amazed by the kids in our E-Colors in Education program, yet IÂ STILLÂ am.
Each year Southwest Schools Middle, High School, and Phoenix Campus have gradually found new ways and ideas to meld E-Colors into the district culture.
A couple of weeks ago, one of those ideas became a reality with E-Champs taking place at three different school campuses. The E-Champs program is comprised of students from 5th grade though 12th grade, many of whom had never met before.
I had the pleasure of being able to work with an E-Champs group assisting 4th graders in taking the JPDI for the first time. The older students helped mostly simplifying the choices into terms the young students could understand. Afterwards each 4th grader received their E-Colors, with their new mentors helping give out bracelets and lanyards which they absolutely loved!
Earlier I had separated all the champs into two different facilitator groups, making sure that there was a balanced representation of colors in each group. They used the same groups to divide the younger students and do a variety of fun and challenging activities to further explain the E-Colors.
The champs facilitated all the activities with only a few supporting adults and they did BEAUTIFULLY.
The champs were better mentors than I thought possible; displaying leadership, patience, and enthusiasm that really drew the 4th graders in!
Most importantly the champs took away a better understanding of their potential, and the confidence of knowing there are other champs out there who understand and share their passion.
The day ended with the feeling of invigoration, and excitement for what comes next in our Southwest Schools campus journeys together!
Article By: Blaise Wooten Nash (Yellow/Red), E-Colors Coordinator of the Southwest School District
If you havenât established your E-Colors yet please visit www.equilibria.com and complete your PDIâ itâs free!
We welcome your comments. Just leave a reply below and weâll get back to you.
In our recent DIFO (Deliberate Incident Free Operations) meeting we struck upon an idea that is super easy.
Itâs a 3 second activity that people can use anywhere they are to assess the safety of the area around them.
While sharing some of the incidents that occurred in the field we all noted auto pilot often takes over when doing tasks on the job.
During this time people become oblivious to their surroundings.  Thus, in an effort to bring us back to conscious awareness the team came up with what theyâve termed ‘a three-sixty.’
If everyone took 3 seconds to stop, look up, down and all around (360 degrees) to note what could possibly affect their safety or the safety of others, many incidents could be avoided; a rock that could cause someone to trip, a loose piece of clothing, grease on a tool that could cause it to slip, etc.
The brainstorming continued and team members suggested doing a whistle blow and yelling, â 360!â so everyone would do a personal Stop Work Authority (SWA) and check their space.
The simplicity of the idea is having a powerful impact already. Crews have found it fast, easy and effective and most significantly, it’s a three second activity that works in any environment.
For example, recently as I was spending time with my family and the 360 degrees of safety kept popping into my head as I prepared food for friends and family.
âQuick 360â — oops, a knife too close to the edge of the kitchen counter that could be reached by little hands, a drawer inadvertently left open, and is that cranberry sauce on the floor?!
So I am grateful to our DIFO team for such a quick and easy safety activity that I can use anywhere!
One of the top special moments shared was a team of our coaches who participated in a bike ride to raise money for multiple sclerosis (MS).
Last year the team of 5 raised nearly $10,000 for the cause and this year YOU have the opportunity to participate!
1. Ride
This year the team is commited to growing to a strong team of 15 riders. One of those could be you! If you’re interested, get more information on the ride here.
The Multiple Sclerosis Bike Ride takes place in San Francisco on September 21-22, 2013.
2. Donate
If you’re not able to participate in the ride, another way to show your support is to make a donation to the team, which goes towards their 2013 goal of raising $10,000.
3. Show & Tell
Here’s the part we can all participate in! Since so many people are diagnosed with MS each year, it’s a condition everyone should know more about. Tell someone about this serious disease and the need for more research to improve treatment.
Best of all, you can show and tell the the story of Team Equilibria’s campaign to end MS while encouraging others to get involved. If you or friends decide to become a virtual rider, you can raise money for the team even though you may not be able to participate in the race!
Equilibria’s E-Colors in Education team is launching a 2013 Summer Leadership Institute for Educators in the Houston, Texas area. The institute will give school leaders the capability to implement E-Colors tools on their campuses among both staff and students.
If you or someone you know is a lead teacher or administrator in a school in the area, please review the details below and contact us to reserve your school’s space in the institute.
All participants will be involved in dynamic, small group sessions that can be implemented at the campus/district level.
They will also be provided a leadership toolbox which includes tools to:
Develop a proactive approach to resolve and manage conïŹict
Improve campus-wide communication using the debrief process
Increase collaboration among peers through E-Colors
Employ Personal Intervention strategies, as part of the current student discipline management plan
Requirements:Â Take the Personality Diversity Indicator (PDI) Survey. The campus principalâs presence is mandatory with the core leadership team throughout the duration of the institute.
The campus core leadership team can consist of counselors, lead teachers or department heads, content specialists and assistant principals/deans.
Date: July 29-31, 2013 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. (Continental Breakfast Provided) Location: Alief ISD D. Smith Elementary, 11300 StancliïŹ Houston, TX 77099 Fee: $250 per person due at the time of registration Minimum group size: 5 people per campus team
Registration form can be submitted via e-mail to Dr. Rosalinda Mercado-Garza, PhD at rosalinda.mercado-garza@equilibria.com
If you have any questions, feel free to call (281) 202-9392.
This past month Equilibria turned nine year’s old!
In the past year in particular, the company has put more emphasis into building an online presence and using the web to tell more people about the benefits of reaching their potential.
Today we look back and celebrate nine online achievements from the past year from our blog and elsewhere on the web!
1. Equilibria 1, Bullies 0
Bullying isn’t cool! Over the past year Equilibria executed a campaign to speak out against bullying in schools. Watch the touching video above with students speaking out against mistreating others. Also worth watching is the response video where people share their reactions to the video.
2. Personality Diversity Indicator (PDI) on Apple Devices
Bringing the PDI to a smart phone was a GIANT step! This app gives access to more people, both those taking the test for the first time or those who want to share their E-Colors experience with friends and family.
5. Giving Time at the E-Colors in Education Center
Don’t forget Lewis shared his dream to one day have a foundation to help kids in schools around the world benefit from E-Colors. For now, however, Equilibria team members who want to give back can do so by donating time and input at the E-Colors in Education center in Houston. Read:Â Giving Back to the Education System: How Equilibria is Transforming Communication in Schools
7. EQ Social App for Android & Apple Smart Phones and Tablet PCs
Another addition to being able to access the latest communication, community of encouragement, and coaching tips has been the development of the EQ Social App for use on your smart phone. Download it on your devices today!
8. Learning to LISTEN better.
The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effectiveâŠas the rightly timed pause. â Mark Twain.
9. More Equilibria Tools Available Online Than Ever!
Finally, don’t forget there are more tools for you to access available online from Equilibria than ever before. This includes our most popular coaching tools such as The E-Colors Desk Book and The Seven Essentials of High Performance Teams. Take a moment and browse our small library of content available on iTunes and Amazon.
Congrats on a great ninth year and we’re excited about more developments coming in our tenth year!
Have something you want to see your Equilibria team doing on the web?
Make sure you take a second and leave us a comment below or post on our Equilibria Facebook Page.
My E-Colors experience is about an experience with a Blue/Yellow team member who would hardly ever wear his safety glasses when I saw him.
I had spoken with him before about wearing them, but clearly SOMETHING wasn’t working.
I approached him again about it and he said, “I forgot, sorry.”
I asked, “What do you need to do?”
He quickly replies, “I SHOULD wear my safety glasses.”
His replies are two of the most common phrases I have ever heard in the oil field.
Based on his responses, I knew if I left him there I would be repeating the same thing next time I saw him.
I decided to take some time to explain that many times our ears hear, “DON’T FORGET to wear your safety glasses.”
However, some people unknowingly omit the word DON’T.
Just like a child who’s told DO NOT SPILL that drink and minutes later the drink is on the ground. His demeanor changed after I shared this example and I sensed I had his approval to continue coaching him.
Furthermore, the E-Colors personality indicators for Blue/Yellow personalities tell us that often, people with these traits can be hurt when they lack the proper motivation.
Knowing this, I knew I needed to change his thought process from a SHOULD to a NEEDS to wear safety glasses.
Reaching my hand out, I asked to have his safety glasses.
“Why?” he asked hesitantly.
“You don’t use them, so I am going to break them and put them in the garbage. You can work without your safety glasses.”
His exact words where, “No, you can’t do that I NEED them!”
“What do you need them for?” I followed.
“I NEED them to wear when I am working and I NEED to wear them when I am on the remote platform.”
“Do you need to wear them ALL the time when on the remote?”
“Yes I NEED to wear them all the time.” he answered.
I began to understand from this experience that for some people having the proper motivation is just as important as having the proper safety equipment.
That day I constantly thanked him throughout the day for wearing his safety glasses and I haven’t had to remind him since!
If everyone took 3 seconds to stop, look up, down and all around (360 degrees) to note what could possibly affect their safety or the safety of others, many incidents could be avoided; a rock that could cause someone to trip, a loose piece of clothing, grease on a tool that could cause it to slip, etc.
