INSIDER: Surrounded by Idiots
Human behavior is complex and often difficult to understand, but unique combinations of environment and heredity produce the billions of unique personalities around the world. There have been countless attempts to try and classify individuals based on their characteristics, behavior, and other factors. Each of these attempts have been based on the premise that accurate classifications would make it easier for one person to approach interactions with another individual. In his book, Surrounded by Idiots: The Four Types of Human Behavior and How to Effectively Communicate with Each in Business (and in Life), Thomas Erikson takes his own approach toward the challenge of categorizing human behavior. Erikson leverages the idea that people tend to follow a characteristic behavioral pattern and describes four “colors” of human behavior. Each person will be a unique mix of two, three, or four of these colors, but there are always behaviors that match at least one of the “colors.”
Erikson’s four colors are based on different types of behavior patterns: red for dominant and commanding, yellow for social and optimistic, green for laid-back and friendly, blues for analytical and precise. With an understanding of all these colors and the benefits and challenges that accompany the stereotypical behavior, your ability to communicate with others will be greatly improved.
THINK POINT #1: More than Just Words
The different colors of behavior are apparent in more than just words and noticeable actions. It is well known that body language plays a significant role in interpersonal interactions, and Erikson extends this idea noting that each color of behavior has a unique pattern of body language, as well. Our posture, gaze, heads, faces, hands, and how we establish our personal territory all come into play with this concept. If we examine each individual color, we learn to associate patterns of body language with each of them. Reds keep their distance from others, have powerful handshakes, lean forward aggressively, use direct eye contact, and use controlling gestures. Yellows are tactile, relaxed and jocular, show friendly eye contact, use expressive gestures, and often come close to others. Greens are relaxed and tend to come close, act methodically, tend to lean backwards, use very friendly eye contact, and prefer small-scale gestures. Lastly, blues prefer to keep others at a distance, either stand or sit, often have closed body language, use direct eye contact, and speak without gestures. Although these are not exhaustive lists, they provide a good idea of how personalities can be expressed through body language. Knowing this information can help you understand an individual before initiating a conversation and give certain insights that might help build a stronger relationship. Nevertheless, it is important to consider that, while significant, body language is not a constant and can be subject to certain situations like boredom or other factors.
THINK POINT #2: Being Considerate and Understanding Other Perspectives
While we are responsible for our actions, it is also valuable to be considerate of other personalities and acknowledge the reasons for why someone might act like they do. This consideration is necessary when you are interacting with more extreme personalities and less so with those that are a mix of the four colors. For example, when it comes to reds, those who are domineering and intense, competition is a mainstay in their lives. Reds tend to compete in everything, from the most mundane activities to the most important. As their friends and acquaintances, we can place certain amounts of blame on them, but we must also hold ourselves back from being too harsh. It is difficult for someone to alter the way they fundamentally behave if it is not completely off-putting or immoral. Looking back at the intensity of reds, they do not see themselves as trying to place themselves above others; rather, they enjoy competition because they like to win, nothing else. Similarly, blues tend to be introverted, and this characteristic can be stronger as the person gets more towards the extreme. While not as bothersome as a red’s behavior, introversion can be an obstacle. Once again, as we understand people’s behavior patterns, we must be considerate of each individual.
Real Estate Implications
Real estate is dependent on interpersonal interactions. To have a successful sale, an agent must first establish a rapport with a customer. Even the most successful and sociable real estate agent will have difficulty with an extreme personality or a personality that they do not understand. However, with the information available in Thomas Erikson’s Surrounded by Idiots, agents can approach interpersonal interactions with an upper hand. Erikson’s concept of different colors to describe behavioral patterns is extremely useful since it provides a base-level understanding for how someone else behaves as well as suggestions for successful adaptation.
Beyond increasing sales performance, having a real estate manager who can apply Erikson’s teachings to agent training sessions will help build a stronger, more successful firm. By learning and understanding Erikson’s ideas, interpersonal relationships within the firm can be strengthened. Employees will feel supported and understood by managers while managers will feel as if they can better relate to employees.
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Recommended Reading
Erikson, Thomas (2019), Surrounded by Idiots: The Four Types of Human Behavior and How to Effectively Communicate with Each in Business (and in Life), St. Martin’s Essentials: New York, New York.
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About the Author
Vineet Paidisetty, BBA
Baylor University
Vineet Paidisetty is a medical student at Baylor College of Medicine. He earned his Bachelor of Business Administration from Baylor University with a double major in Finance and Business Fellows while also being on the pre-medical track. Vineet hopes to combine his interests in finance and medicine for his professional career through healthcare administration or healthcare-focused private equity.
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KCRR 2025 June - INSIDER: Surrounded by Idiots (Paidisetty).pdf
