The construction industry has the most interesting personalities working within it.

For example, you have your older field guys who can be stubborn or a bit grumpy. They’ve been doing their job for years and want to get it done without anyone bothering them. They’ll work with you, but you might get a little bit of attitude in the process.

You then have your quiet and reserved project engineers on the other end of the spectrum. These guys are straight out of college and likely don’t know much about construction. They are timid and are scared to speak up on certain things since they don’t know what’s right.

I know because I was that project engineer when I first started, but I’ve learned to work with the field crew and superintendents.

The way I see it, it’s a collaborative process, but you, as the project manager, must be able to feed information to the field so they can do their job.

I mentioned the example of the two different personalities above because these two are stuck working with each other usually. You can imagine there might be some disconnect between the two, and the project engineer could be scared to talk to the field guy.

The disconnect is because they don’t understand one another, and this is what I want to touch on.

Also, this is not just for the construction industry; I’m sure you could take this and apply it to any aspect of life when it comes to relationships.

So Why Even Talk About This?

Being able to work as a team is a necessity in the construction industry. Not one single person can carry the load for an entire project. It consists of many different players, each with a specific role to complete a job.

I’ve been experiencing situations where I have some conflict with individuals, but it could be that there is some clash between who we are as people.

I recently attended a workshop where we learned more about our coworkers and who we are as individuals.

It was an exciting exercise, but we conducted an assessment that gave us color. There were four colors, each representing a different personality type.

When learning about the different colors, some traits used to describe the person’s color were surprisingly accurate. Beyond this, it allowed others in the workshop to get a better grasp of understanding another person.

With this knowledge, it gives you something to work with now. When you approach this person and understand how they operate, you’re less likely to push their buttons.

The better we can work together, the happier everyone will be, and a better work environment equals greater productivity.

Easy, right? Yet we all still seem to struggle with it, and unless you can get 100% involvement with the understanding of others, it may continue to be complicated.

Let’s go through some of the colors to see what they consist of and if you can relate to any yourself.

The Four Colors

Being an Orange

Orange personalities are usually energetic, spontaneous, and playful. They value freedom, flexibility, and excitement. They are often good at problem-solving and can be very pragmatic and skillful.

To work best with the orange personality type, you should avoid being rigid, dull, or limiting their freedom.

Orange personalities are spontaneous and like to have fun, so they might feel restricted if forced into rigid structures or routines. They may find it challenging to deal with mundane details and administrative tasks.

Most often, technicians will be an orange personality.

Being a Gold

Gold personalities are responsible, prepared, and value order and rules. They often excel in situations that require structure and organization. They are usually practical, thorough, and dependable.

To work best with gold, avoid being disorganized, irresponsible, or breaking the rules and commitments. Gold personalities value reliability, punctuality, and order, and they can get frustrated if others are inconsistent or unreliable. They may not respond well to sudden changes or lack of structure.

Your project managers will typically identify with the gold personality.

I am a gold and much of what I heard at the workshop resonated with me. Project managers need to be organized to do well in their roles.

An unorganized PM will struggle to complete their job and miss things constantly.

I also understand that time is a precious commodity. If you’re late to a meeting, you’re wasting someone’s time, and to me, that is a sign of disrespect.

I wasn’t always focused on punctuality, but as I grew in this career role, I learned its value and what it signifies.

To be clear, you don’t have to be a gold to be a project manager, but they are more likely to be of the gold personality type.

So if you’re someone that shows up late for meetings and your PM is a gold, you’ll know why they are giving you the side eye!

What it’s like for a Blue

Blue personalities are typically compassionate, empathetic, and cooperative. They value relationships and are very social, caring, and warm. They are good at communicating, listening, and encouraging others.

The blue likes to make connections with anyone and is good at it.

Avoid being overly critical, harsh, or dismissive of their feelings when working with a blue. They value harmony and may feel hurt if they perceive an interaction as uncaring or inconsiderate.

Blue types are usually susceptible to others’ feelings, so impersonal or blunt communication can come off as harsh or uncaring.

They are very personable and work well with others; you’ll want more blues on your team.

Lastly, the Green

Green personalities are typically analytical, logical, and visionary. They love learning and are often drawn to complexity. They value competence, intelligence, and insight.

A green will typically be more introverted and appreciate being left alone when they work. You will have to approach them, but just try to keep it brief and to the point instead of trying to get to know their life story.

When you work with green, avoid being illogical, uninformed, or dismissive of their ideas.

Green personalities value intellect and insight, and they might feel frustrated if they perceive others as irrational or ignorant. They also value their personal space, so it’s better not to invade it without permission.

Your greens will be those in IT, accounting, or engineering.

My next highest color is green, so I prefer to be left alone to do my work, and the only conversations I want to have is about work when I’m there.

As terrible as it is to say, I’d instead focus on work rather than have casual conversations at times. I also believe there’s a time and place for everything, and sometimes it’s ok to chat.

For example, during lunchtime, I’m open to talking about anything. Usually, I spend my lunches alone and reading a book I enjoy most.

Infographic of the Different Colors

Here’s a picture you can reference so it’s easier to remember what each color represents.

Note this is not my image; I got it from the following website:

Conclusion

When you understand someone better, you know their boundaries and how they operate. It makes life easier for both parties.

Finding how to work with others will benefit you in any industry in your career, not just construction.

The color system that we went over is just one of many personality tests that exist. You can use this as a system to better get to know your coworkers.

Many other personality tests exist, but this system is simple and easy to understand.

The main takeaway is to know the type of person you’re working with to best cooperate with them. You’ll make your jobs much more manageable and benefit in the long run.

Thanks,

Alex