- Home
- >>
- Business Self-Help
- >>
- Personality Power
Personality Power
Discover Your Unique Profile--and Unlock Your Potential for Breakthrough Success

Author: Shoya Zichy
Pub Date: March 2013
Print Edition: $16.95
Print ISBN: 9780814421239
Page Count: 288
Format: Paper or Softback
e-Book ISBN: 9780814431184
Buy the book:





Excerpt
1introduction
I SAT, STRANDED, in a muggy Asian airport. It had been a long, overscheduled
trip seeking new private banking clients. In the midst of a pile of
debris left behind by the late-night floor sweepers, I noticed a dog-eared
book. I picked it up and, from that moment, my view of the world was
changed forever.
“If a man does not keep pace with others, perhaps it is because he hears a
different drummer,” it began with the frequently quoted Henry David
Thoreau. The book, a since-discontinued presentation of the theories of Swiss
psychologist Carl Jung, outlined new insights into the way people take in information
and make decisions. The contents confirmed what I had long sensed
intuitively, having observed people with fascination since I was a child. The
information hinted of a new framework to use with clients and associates.
Settling back in my Hong Kong office the next morning, I decided to
categorize each of my customers according to their Jungian behavioral profiles.
I used four colors to create a simple system that could be used by the
support staff during my frequent absences. Each file included brief instructions
for handling personal interactions. “When a Gold comes in, make
sure all statements are up-to-date and organized in date-sequential order.
If a Blue makes an appointment, call our investment guys in New York and
get three new ideas.” There were four color groups of clients; each had its
own service strategy.
Over the next few months our new business increased by 60 percent, primarily
on word-of-mouth. My company benefited, but I did as well. I began
to enjoy my clients more, my stress level went down, and, in time, my relationships
outside of the office would improve as well.
For some ten years, I applied the same techniques to a growing and
diverse client base: high-net-worth individuals in South America, white-robed
sheiks in Abu Dhabi, shipping magnates in Athens, aristocratic
landowners in Spain. No matter who or what, the color coding dotted their
files and it worked—for men, women, young, old, and worldwide ethnicities,
the results were universal.
Institutions reorganize and solid careers dematerialize overnight. With
my firm in the throes of a major transition, I took some time off to go up to
Maine and rethink my life direction. On the porch of my small seaside inn
sat a man reading a book written by Isabel Myers, who had been deeply
influenced by none other than Carl Jung. She had developed a new application
for Jung’s work called the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). It was
the life direction I was looking for.
As I discovered a worldwide network of MBTI books, seminars, tapes,
and people, a new and strong sense of internal direction unfolded.
Suddenly, the right people and events began to materialize. Jung would have
dubbed it “synchronicity.”
Drawing on my corporate experience, I began pioneering unique ways of
applying these ideas to workplace applications, such as team building, leadership
development, and sales. And 35,000 attendees to my seminars later,
my life is now completely focused on my coding system, which has evolved
into a model called Color Q (www.ColorQPersonalities.com).
Evaluating people was key to survival during my unusual childhood; I
was born a countess in Hungary. When my family fled the communists, we
landed in the court of King Farouk of Egypt, where I played with his daughters
in his 550-room palace. Later, we fled the horrifying bloodshed of
Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser’s revolution.
I’ve turned what I learned then into a system that helps all of us define
our unique strengths, pursue the best career, and reduce conflicts in key
areas of our lives.
What Color Q Is Not
Color Q is not a labeling system denying the individuality of every person.
It does not measure the impact of education, intelligence, mental health,
special talents, economic status, motivation, drive, and environmental influences
on the core personality type. There are billions of unique people on
our planet and only four color groups. If you wonder what that leaves, I say
the deepest and most important part of you—the part that always knows
what it really wants and won’t be happy until it gets respect!
The framework is not gender specific. It works equally well for males and
females. Both men and women are found in each personality style, though
in some groups the percentages differ.
What Color Q Is
Color Q is about categorizing people—ourselves and others. It is based on
the extensive research of “personality type” experts who, for the past seven
decades, have laid the intellectual groundwork that serves as the basis of
this book. There are many systems for understanding others. This is the
one that I have found probes most deeply into the core of human behavior.
It confirms that each personality style is natural, equal, observable, and
predictable, and that each can be equally effective at work. Once mastered,
the system provides practical ways to maximize our natural talents, as well
as those of others.
Truly exceptional people always do so much more than is required. The
only way to do that without severe burnout is from passion born of confidence.
You are the right person doing the right thing in the right place,
and enjoying it! Sound impossible? Not at all, for those who are true to
themselves in spite of naysayers, parental expectations, and societal pressures.
Use this book to reveal your road to being exceptional.
Color Q is also a tool for understanding the sometimes-incomprehensible
behaviors of colleagues, bosses, clients (and even friends, dates, mates, and
children!). Since so much of success depends on “emotional intelligence,”
you’ll find your increased ability to “read people” perhaps the most valuable
outcome of reading this book. Enjoy your new journey!
Search the full text of this book
Search Full Text of
Our Books:

Order Now!
For single copy purchases of any AMACOM title, you can connect directly to the online retailer of your choice, from the list below, to buy the title you have selected. Most of our links will take you directly to that title on the site, making your shopping experience easier. You can also visit your local retailer, and if the book is not on their shelves they can special order it for you.
- Amazon - Canada
- Books for Business - Canada
- Chapters-Indigo Canada
- The Entrepreneurship Institute of Canada
- SHRM Store
- Find an Independent Bookstore near you
Retailers: Please contact us to change or add a listing.
Buying in Bulk?
We have very competitive discounts starting at 5 copies, as well as personal service, for bulk orders. Simply contact our Special Sales Department. Call 800-250-5308 or 212-903-8420 and ask for Special Sales. You can also email: SpecSlsWeb@amanet.org
