April 19, 2024
Understanding people is at the heart of good leadership. The idea of management colours gives you a simple, shared language for behaviour at work. If you are new to the topic, start with an overview of management colours. To see the model behind it, explore the colour wheel. If you want to try it with your team, consider the short and practical colour test.
Management colours describe preferences in how people communicate, decide and lead. In most organisations, you will come across four core colour energies: Red, Yellow, Green and Blue. No one is only one colour. Most of us use all four, with some stronger than others. The aim is not to put people in boxes, but to make day-to-day collaboration easier.
A colour language helps managers and teams do three useful things.
Below is a simple view you can use in coaching or team conversations. Keep it light and practical.
Red
Action, results, decisions. Clear goals, deadlines and ownership work well here.
Tips: ask for a one-page plan, agree on a timeline, and define done.
Yellow
Ideas, energy, influence. This style thrives on brainstorming and early drafts.
Tips: start with the big picture, invite options, capture decisions at the end.
Green
Support, collaboration, values. This style notices team climate and customer experience.
Tips: allow time for questions, show how the change affects people, and agree next steps together.
Blue
Facts, structure, precision. This style cares about evidence and method.
Tips: share data up front, explain the process, document assumptions.
Colour insights can support hiring and development when you use them with care. In hiring, colours can help you shape interview questions and onboard new starters. In development, they give managers a clean way to discuss strengths and blind spots. If you are assessing people, use validated tools and trained reviewers. Combine behavioural data with interviews, references and work samples.
Over labelling
No one is just Red or just Blue. Treat colours as preferences that shift by context.
Excusing poor behaviour
Strong colour energy is not a free pass. Direct does not mean rude. Careful does not mean slow. Agree on standards and hold everyone to them.
One and done
A single workshop is not enough. Build colours into your rhythms, like stand-ups, retros, one-to-ones and project kick-offs.
Getting started
If you want a plain English introduction that you can share with colleagues, read the short guide on management colours. For a deeper dive into positions and types, the colour wheel explains how the colours fit together in a single map. Ready to experience it in your own context? The hands-on colour test is a quick way to start a team conversation and identify strengths you can use this quarter.
Management colours work because they are easy to remember and apply. Used well, they create a common language that lowers friction, speeds up decisions and improves the way people work together. Start small, keep it practical and tie it to real business goals.
The core management colours are Red, Yellow, Green, and Blue. They represent different preferences in how people communicate, make decisions, and lead within an organisation.
Management colours help improve feedback by reframing it around preferences rather than personal flaws. This approach removes blame, making discussions about communication styles more constructive and less confrontational.
Absolutely. By understanding the mix of colour energy in the room, you can structure meetings to ensure every style is heard. This can lead to clearer discussions and quicker decisions, ultimately shortening meeting times.
No, no one is exclusively one colour. Most individuals use all four colour energies, with some being more prominent than others. The model aims to facilitate collaboration, not to put people into rigid categories.
Key pitfalls include over-labelling individuals, excusing poor behaviour based on a colour preference, and treating the introduction of colours as a one-off event. It is crucial to integrate colours into daily team rhythms and maintain agreed standards.
Start by picking a shared reference model, like the colour wheel, so everyone uses the same language. Begin with a small pilot team, apply the concepts to real work, create quick guides, and regularly review progress to adjust your approach.
