The Big, Bad, RED Boss
Leading with fear is not uncommon, but for RED personalities it is often an unintentional by-product of a lack in self-awareness
Understanding personality strengths and weaknesses is a two-way street
Think about your current or previous management teams – it’s likely there is one unapproachable and domineering RED sitting comfortably in a corner office. It is not uncommon for them to be described as an older white male with a terrible tie, or an aggressive female that has clawed and slashed her way to the top. I had a memorable REDdest-of-all-REDs boss with a personality that packed a mean punch. There was never a “hello” in the morning or any show of personal interest in anyone at the company. Every day she rode around the office on a bulldozer destroying anything in her path. All interactions were strictly and solely focused on work strategy or execution. Leading with fear is not uncommon, but for RED personalities it is often an unintentional by-product of a lack in self-awareness.
Before I knew I was a RED, I experienced the impact of what a non-self-aware RED leader could do to a team. There was daily disrespect and an accompanied slow destruction of team morale and productivity. Being given the power and permission to lead is often a RED’s dream come true, but the Spiderman comic got it right, because “with great power comes great responsibility.” RED leadership needs to go hand in hand with training on self-awareness, social awareness and a deep-rooted understanding of how other personality types may interact and perceive you.
A few career shifts later, I had another RED manager. Her office reputation preceded her as being a tough, no BS straight shooter – she was the big, bad, RED boss. Armed with a bit more insight into bold personality tendencies, I observed that she wasn’t intentionally rude or dismissive, it was driven by a lack of self-awareness. After some time, she verbalized that she was working on her personality weaknesses and soon enough, her desk was covered in daily tips and reminders. The shift in interactions was readily apparent and a couple years later she was still very RED, but with an added layer of empathy, compassion and understanding.
It is not only a leader’s role to put in time to understand their personality pitfalls, but it is also the responsibility of everyone else to understand their manager’s personality. For example, a typical email request from a RED boss will be very short, concise and lack in detail. Without the assistance of body language and tonality, this can very easily be interpreted as a rude barking order. If you understand a RED, you will be aware they believe the most effective way to communicate is by concise wording and a “need to know” basis. Understanding personality strengths and weaknesses is a two-way street and the sooner you learn your manager’s style, the easier communication and growing the relationship will be.
