What happens when sailors of different colours share the same boat?
The wind and the crew
No captain sails alone. Even the most experienced needs a crew... and each member has their own way of reading the wind, setting the sails or interpreting the horizon.
On a boat, as in a team work, Some want to move forward quickly, others need a plan before they act, still others seek harmony in the relationship or feed off the energy of discovery. These are simply different ways of looking at the same sea.
The tensions of difference
When different styles, with colours dominant opposite, When people meet, the first impression is rarely positive.
Some get straight to the point, others need to understand the context. Some value rhythm and action, others security and stability. And still others find their motivation in relationships, enthusiasm and sharing.
- What is enthusiasm for some is impulsiveness for others.
- What is prudent for some seems slow or frightening for others.
In the team work, Each of us sees the world through our own colours and hopes to be understood through them. But the real conflict does not come from difference, It comes from a lack of awareness.
The strength of complementarity
- A crew made up entirely of people action-oriented would go fast, but perhaps not very far.
- A team made up entirely of analysts would know every detail of the route, but would hesitate to weigh anchor.
- The most stable would keep the boat upright, but perhaps wait too long for a favourable wind.
- And the most enthusiastic would make the crossing a celebration - at the risk of forgetting the stars that guide the way.
In the team work, Balance is achieved when each person recognises their own value and that of the other. When the person who decides quickly trusts the person who reflects, when the person who analyses accepts the light of the person who communicates, and when the person who seeks stability understands that sometimes you have to sail outside your comfort zone.
My own bridge
For several years, I managed a team of around fifteen people, each with its own rhythm, its colours and the way it reads the wind.
My natural style is that of a coordinator predominantly blue and green: structured, analytical, attentive to consistency and stability. In this team, I had a Sales Manager with a profile of promoting, A dominant red and yellow, my exact opposite! And also an Operations Manager with a profile cooperative, The area is predominantly green.
Our meetings were sometimes veritable exercises in navigating between styles. The salesman found them slow and too rigid, but recognised the importance of the framework. For my part, I listened to his need to innovate, to challenge, to open up new markets - and I saw the value of his energy and vision. Our differences, once recognised, became complementary strengths.
I remember many proposals prepared together: I would dive into the details while he climbed up on deck to look at the horizon. This balance between depth and vision was the key to our most successful projects. great successes in our teamwork.
With the Operations Manager, the journey was different: she progressed through relationships, care and trust. She needed stability to build her path, which required me to be a more empathetic listener and to play a mediating role - especially when the momentum of the sales person upset her peace of mind.
That's when I realised that leading is not about imposing a single direction, but about adjust the sails to your own pace... and make the difference a compass, not a storm.
The role of communication and listening
Understanding others means making adjustments tone and rhythm, how to give a feedback. It means speaking the other person's language without losing your own.
In the ocean of teamwork, the wind is the wind. communication. When it blows in the right direction, differences cease to be obstacles and become a driving force.
La AEC DISC method is not for sticking labels on, but for opening maps. It shows that each of us is a unique combination of colours, and that no crossing is successful when someone is rowing alone.
Recognising the difference is the first step towards confidence. And confidence is what holds the boat together when the sea rises.
👉 What about you? What colours makes up your crew? And what happens when they meet?
- Exploration in Colour 🌈🧭
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