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Surrounded by Idiots
![]() | This ONE by Yolanda YuThis ONE idea and its manifestations in life and career |
Happy This ONE Friday!
Many of us feel like we are surrounded by “idiots” at work - people who are lazy, ineffective, mischievous, uncommitted, self-centered, etc. The book “Surrounded by Idiots” by Thomas Erikson explores this phenomenon and what’s creating it. The book categorizes people into four categories:
Reds: Dominant and assertive individuals who are driven by results and goals.
Yellows: Social and enthusiastic people who thrive on interaction and positivity.
Greens: Relaxed and friendly individuals who value harmony and stability.
Blues: Analytical and detail-oriented people who focus on accuracy and logic.
There is a broad correspondence to DISC. In highly personalized 1:1 coaching, I prefer traits-based tools (a portrait of the person) to typological tools like DISC (putting people in a bucket). But categorizing helps our discussion here, and we will go with it.
Try to imagine how each type might experience the others. For example, Reds and Blues might think of Yellows as social butterflies, gossipers, and too indirect.
We are used to experiencing the world with ourselves in the center and as the central reference point. But be mindful that our experience is only part of the truth, not the only truth.
In the picture below, the world through the photographer’s lens would be drastically different from what it is in other perspectives.
![](https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/11aa33e8-2172-48fe-97a5-e966c60ef5b4/image.png?t=1721343638)
Source: boredpanda.com
Question For You
Do you often feel irritated by other people’s behavior? What new lens might be helpful?
If you want to improve your relationship and interpersonal dynamics at work, we can have a good chat.
Until next week,
Yolanda Yu
Coach and lifelong learner
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Every Friday, I share ONE idea and its manifestations and 1 question for you to ponder. Other ingredients you can expect will be book extracts, quotes, metaphors, tools, resources, and mini-exercises to keep growing your self-awareness.