Welcome to How to be a RED
My personal introduction
Accept the BOLD - it’s not always easy
It takes courage to be bold. “How to be a RED” stems from a bumpy thirty-year ride of non-stop life lessons. We all have that friend, co-worker or boss that has an abrupt, direct and in-your-face mentality. They make it look so natural to be outspoken and can often be the life of the party. What you might not know is that behind the brazen exterior, life isn’t always so easy. This blog represents vulnerability and insight into my personal and professional world of being a RED.
RED’s are often described as being dominant, pioneering and resilient. If you’ve ever taken a personality ‘type’ assessment such as Myers Briggs®, DISC Profiles or Insights Discovery™, you’ll be familiar with this type of classification. Since I first received my results seven years ago, I have been hyper-aware of the personality stereotypes that surround me. There is a stigma that RED’s are often seen as being “bitchy” or heartless, especially for females. Being a young, female, RED, millennial, professional in a male-dominated industry is the beginning of the inspiration for this blog. For more information on personality types and colors see https://www.howtobeared.com/about
One could argue that I was raised to be a RED, my parents always had the highest expectations for me. If I got 95% on a test, the immediate questions to follow were, “What happened to the last 5%?” and “How did everybody else do?” There was a constant expectation to be the best, competitive and as close to perfection as possible. Goal setting and achieving came easy during elementary and high school, and the accompanying stubborn dominance that developed was either dismissed as a teenage girl phase or I was praised for being so driven.
University hit me like a brick wall and then came my ill-fated first job in the industry. It was the first time I had to deal with real loss, mental health issues, failure and people pushing back on my do-what-I-want attitude. My REDness contributed to job loss, strained relationships and an extended bout of unhappiness. Entering the workforce as a young, female millennial on a career path dominated by older white males further highlighted the faux pas of my personality. I became aware that my strong personality could be a major fault after it was repeatedly pointed out in a negative light. I was confused - what had previously driven success in my younger years was now my biggest limitation. I learned to hide the softer emotions like disappointment, sadness and fear. If I appeared to be strong in front of my friends and coworkers, then everyone would think I was achieving desirable life and work success.
Despite the hardships I’ve experienced as a RED, I have also gained many learning opportunities. All that life experience led me to where I am now. I’ve recently learned to accept my boldness as a positive, as well as gain a better appreciation and understanding for all the other personality types. Strong will and determination are something to be proud of, and honesty and transparency are respected by many. It comes down to the never-ending journey of learning how to handle interactions with empathy and continually build self-awareness. No singular personality type is better than another and true success lies in the ability to effectively communicate and utilize the strengths of the individual self to gain a holistic perspective. Being a RED has led me to persevere through two layoffs over two years, maintain a career in a volatile industry, find happiness after ending a heart breaking seven-year relationship, travel the world on my own, start a small business, land a job that respects individual personality, and most of all: put this personal story out into the universe.
I will never forget the boss who told me I would never achieve success because of my personality – well, here’s a big thank you. Without adversity there is no room for growth.
Looking forward to sharing my experiences.
Welcome to How to be a RED.
