Surrounded by Idiots: How to Understand People Different From You

I recently finished Thomas Erikson's book "Surrounded by Idiots" and it's changed quite a bit how I see my work. After years managing teams, business clients, and complex projects, I've been in too many meetings thinking "why don't they understand what's obvious?".

The book doesn't tell you the other person is an idiot. It tells you that you're the one not speaking their language.

That's it. And when you understand that, many things change.

The Starting Point: We All Speak Different Languages

Most business conflicts don't happen because people are incompetent. They happen because we're trying to communicate something in a language the other person doesn't understand.

You give an instruction that seems clear to you. The other person asks for "more details". You think they're slow or they don't get it. But their brain simply processes things differently. It's not that they're inferior. It's that they're different.

Thomas Erikson proposes a model based on psychologist William Marston's work that divides people into four types based on how they process information and make decisions. He calls them colors: red, blue, yellow, and green.

The model is based on two simple questions:

Are you extroverted or introverted?

Do you focus on tasks or on people?

When you cross these two dimensions, you get four different combinations. Each one of them is a different operating system.

Important: You're Not Just One Color

A person is not totally red, nor completely blue. We're much more complicated than that. Normally, you have characteristics of several colors, but in different amounts. Someone can be mostly red, with some yellow and a little green. Another can be mainly blue with quite a bit of green, a little red, and almost no yellow.

What matters is knowing what your dominant color is and what the other person's is. That's enough to start really understanding how that person communicates. But remember: nobody is black or white. We're all a gray that blends between several colors.

The Four Systems: Red, Blue, Yellow, and Green

Red: The One Who Needs Speed and Results

Reds are in positions of power. CEOs, founders, operations directors. They see the world as a set of objectives that need to be achieved right now.

For a red, indecision is weakness. Delay is death. Their brain works by urgency. They make quick decisions, sometimes without waiting for all the information. They call it pragmatism.

What drives them is control and results. They need to feel that they're moving forward and that they have the power to decide. Their great strength is the ability to act under pressure without getting paralyzed.

The problem is that reds communicate the same way with everyone. Short sentences, clear direction, straight to the point. If you write them a three-paragraph email, they'll read the first line.

In a team, a red is typically the project manager or the one in charge of the product. They say things like: "We need to launch this on Friday. Don't talk to me about perfectionism now. The data shows the client needs it." They're direct, they make decisions without waiting for everything to be perfect, and they expect their team to follow.

How to communicate with a red: forget nice stories. Get to the point. Instead of "we need to improve the process", say "we reduce delivery time by X percent". Give clear options. Be specific: "Friday at three in the afternoon", never "soon".

Blue: The One Who Needs Analysis and Precision

Blues turn chaos into systems. They see the world as something complex that needs to be understood and validated before acting. Speed without validation is a risk they can't take.

They usually work in finance, solution architecture, analytics, or quality. What matters to them is being sure that something is correct. They need the root of the problem, the real numbers, the validation. Quality is their obsession, not for social perfectionism, but because they really fear making mistakes.

They're very organized in everything. From their ultra-organized notes to their perfectly classified documents. Blues need everything to have logic.

Their problem is that they get stuck analyzing. The market moves forward while they verify the last risk.

If there's a five percent risk, they want you to know it. They want a Plan B. It's not that they distrust you. It's that their brain needs to solve the problem completely before moving.

In a team, a blue is typically a solution architect or quality manager. When someone proposes important changes, the blue asks: "I need to see the current state of everything. I need to understand exactly what problem there is. I need a document with all the changes. I need a plan for how to go back if something goes wrong. I need to know what's going to change." Their obsession isn't whether it's socially a good idea, but whether it's solid, feasible and verifiable.

How to communicate with a blue: come with data, numbers, and facts. Give them time to analyze. Respect that they ask many questions. They need to understand it completely. Be specific. Never say "more or less" or "approximately". For a blue, that's just noise.

Yellow: The One Who Needs Connection and Purpose

Yellows are the energy of the company. They see the world as a collection of people and relationships. A project without purpose doesn't make sense to them.

They usually work in sales, communication, design. They're masters of relationships. At any event, the yellow is the one who knows everyone.

What drives them is impact, recognition, and the diversity of people they work with. Their weakness is that they confuse enthusiasm with strategy. They can promise too much to too many people and get lost in the details.

They communicate with stories, humor, energy. They seek personal connection before talking about numbers. If there's no chemistry, they don't engage.

In a team, a yellow is typically the product manager or user experience specialist. When they propose a new project, they say something like: "Look, our users asked for this. This is going to completely transform their experience. The team will be happy. It's a real opportunity to make an impact." Their obsession isn't whether it's technically perfect, but whether it creates impact and whether people feel part of the journey.

How to communicate with a yellow: start with personal connection. Use stories instead of data. Recognize their contribution in public. Yellows grow with recognition. Give them variety in tasks. Pure administrative tasks are poison for them. They'll procrastinate or do them poorly.

Green: The One Who Needs Stability and Harmony

Greens maintain systems in balance from a human relations perspective. They're committed to keeping the team stable and they need security.

They usually work in operations, human resources, project coordination. They're the ones who turn vision into reality while making sure the path is sustainable for everyone. Without the greens, the company falls apart even if everything else is perfect.

What matters to them is team security, stability, and feeling they belong. Their fundamental concern isn't "is this correct?" but "is this sustainable for our team? Will everyone be okay?"

Their problem is that abrupt change is a threat. They can resist necessary changes just to keep the peace. Because they see human risk before any other risk.

They communicate slowly, thinking everything through carefully. In a meeting, they listen more than they speak. They take detailed notes. They seek consensus because they need everyone to really understand the topic.

In a team, a green is typically the Project Manager or Coordinator who cares about team wellbeing. When someone proposes important changes, the green asks: "Okay, I understand. But has the team seen this? Do we all agree? How are we going to communicate it so it doesn't scare anyone? Do we have a plan everyone can support?" Their obsession isn't whether it's technically valid, but whether it's human and sustainable.

The difference with the blue is interesting: both can stop the project, but for very different reasons. The blue stops it because they need to be sure the implementation of the idea is correct and feasible. The green stops it because they need to be sure the team is ready and that everyone understands. The blue asks "does it work?" The green asks "do we all agree?"

How to communicate with a green: give them time to process. Don't expect immediate answers to important changes. Always explain the why, not just the what. They need to understand how the change will affect the team and that their work will still be secure. Avoid surprise changes. If they're necessary, give them a heads up in advance.

The Most Important Move: Adapt Your Communication Without Being Fake

Most people use the same communication style with everyone. If you're red, you talk about speed with everyone. If you're blue, you give data to everyone. You only connect well with people who think like you.

Here's where it gets interesting. If you really want to influence someone, you have to speak their language. Adapting your communication isn't manipulation. It's understanding how the other person works and giving them the message in a way they actually understand.

Imagine you're developing a solution for a client and after three weeks you discover a major problem. There's a two-week delay. The client has four different profiles waiting for news.

The red client is the operations director. They need to know what happened and when you'll fix it. Forget about explaining all the technical complications. Tell them: "We found a problem. Solution: new approach. Impact: two extra weeks. Cost: X euros. Do we approve it or explore faster alternatives?" Give clear options, dates, and results. That's what works with them.

The yellow client is the communications manager or the person interested in the business. They want to understand the impact on end users. Tell them: "We understand this is important for the launch. We've discovered that the experience wouldn't be what we want if we continue this way. We're going to take two more weeks but the result will be much better. Users are going to really notice the difference." Give them context, purpose, and recognition for their patience. That's how they get it.

The green client is the internal team coordinator or the project manager who handles everything. They need to know how this will affect the team's workflow, how we'll communicate internally. Tell them: "We need two more weeks. Here's the new calendar. We've talked with the team and we can communicate the new launch in a way that won't surprise anyone. Should we do it this way or do you prefer a meeting with the whole team?" Seek consensus, explain the process, anticipate human impact. That's what they need.

The blue client is the technical lead or the person who supervises quality. They need to understand exactly what happened, why it happened, and how you're going to fix it. Tell them: "We found that the problem comes from an integration that wasn't working correctly. Cause: we didn't verify X, Y, Z properly before starting. Solution: change connection with X, improve validation of Y, better document Z usage. Validation: we've tested it and performance has improved by %. Plan: two weeks, complete documentation, contingency plan attached." Give them data, analysis, verification.

In each case you adapt the message but the essence is the same. The delay is still a delay. The solution is still the same. What changes is how you communicate it.

For this to work, you basically need to change these things:

Speed of communication. With a red, short sentences and decisions now. With a green, time to process.

Message content. With a red, impact on time and resources. With a yellow, vision and final purpose. With a green, how it will affect the team and that everyone agrees. With a blue, logic and validation.

Structure of the conversation. With a red, conclusion first. With a yellow, start with why it's important and the impact. With a blue, data first.

Follow-up. A red expects clear actions with deadlines. A yellow, regular contact and celebration of achievements. A blue, documentation and metrics. A green, making sure everyone is comfortable with the changes.

Building Teams That Really Work

The ceiling for your company's growth is always going to be your team. Many entrepreneurs build teams accidentally. They hire whoever is available in the market or whoever they like, without thinking about how those personalities will interact with their current team.

Some combinations work better than others. Red plus blue is brutally effective. Red brings urgency and direction. Blue brings serious analysis and quality control. They make fast but solid decisions. The secret is that red respects that blue needs information, and blue accepts that not everything will be perfect.

Yellow plus green also works well. It's like creative harmony. Yellow brings new ideas and connects with the client. Green brings real execution. Only yellows means you have opportunities but don't execute them. Only greens means you execute but without novelty or without clients.

If you have a small team, five to ten people, ideally you'd have all colors represented. You'd need:

A leader who is red or mainly red with yellow elements. Someone who decides quickly and takes direction.

One or two yellows in client relations. People who connect with sales and communication.

Two or three greens in operations and coordination. People who sustain execution and ensure everything gets delivered on time.

One or two blues in validation and quality. Someone who thinks about how things are going to work long-term.

If your team is homogeneous, you have a problem. Only blues means analysis paralysis. Only reds means constant conflict for control. Only yellows means energy but no execution. Only greens means no innovation or direction.

Final Reflection

Your ability to understand people different from you is the most important thing if you want to grow.

An employee who can't decide quickly isn't incompetent. They're probably a blue or green who needs information or consensus. A client who obsessively asks for all the details isn't annoying. They're a blue who needs that information to feel secure. A partner who always wants to explore new opportunities isn't scattered. They're a yellow who needs a green or blue to help them focus.

The good thing is that when you start seeing others as humans who process the world differently, conflicts disappear. Teams work better. Productivity goes up.

And it's not because people have changed. It's because you changed how you communicate with them. And suddenly, they felt understood.

I recommend Thomas Erikson's book. It's especially useful if you work with teams, manage clients, or simply want to stop getting frustrated constantly in emails and work meetings.

And you? Do you know what colors match your profile? What do you think is your dominant color? And what about the people you work with most regularly?

In My Case: Blue, Red, and Green

I've been thinking about this while writing the article and I realized I'm myself a mix of three colors.

Blue (45-50%)

I need to understand exactly why things work. I'm not satisfied with quick solutions. My specialization of more than ten years is no accident. A blue goes deep into something until they master it completely. I need data to make decisions, and I always think about alternative solutions in case I'm missing something.

Red (30-35%)

But I don't just stop at analyzing. I have several projects in progress, I decide without waiting for consensus, I launch things that aren't yet perfect. That's what makes me move forward without getting stuck in endless analysis. That's why I start my own projects and why I became freelance.

It's probably why I end up leading some teams or meetings, combined with my blue side that makes me share the downsides I see and the solutions that can be applied along with their implications.

Green (15-20%)

I care that teams are well and that changes are sustainable. I collaborate with agencies maintaining long-term relationships. I try to get along with everyone, reduce differences of opinion, look for solutions at middle points, and consider whether my decisions affect the team's work.

Yellow (little to none)

I have almost no yellow. I don't seek public recognition or social impact. It's just not my drive. I work well, I share with the community, but not because I need attention. It's just that I think it's worth sharing what I learn.