Orange personas are driven and ambitious go-getters who know what they want and how to get it.

Oranges are dynamic perfectionists with high standards. They do not let their high standards get in the way of progress. They hold their standards high but don’t let matters get held up by small details. Orange personas have a highly competitive drive, but for the most part compete with themselves. They always want to improve on what they already have including everything from their surroundings to their career. Orange personas are great conversationalists and are fun and exhilarating to be around. They are adventurers and thrill-seekers. Impulsiveness is an orange quality that can be seen in many areas of their lives. They can make sound decisions on the spur of the moment.

Oranges have a need to be right, when they are not, it takes a lot for them to admit it so expect some conflict if you decide to challenge them. Even though they come across as confident they can be prone to self-doubt but they will rarely admit to this. They struggle with criticism but to hide it they will come back at you with clever retorts to disguise it.

When Orange personas create bonds with other people, these bonds are very strong. They would “kill for you”, metaphorically speaking off course!. They will do anything for you and pull out all the stops, work around the clock and do whatever it takes for you to be in a good place. Don’t take that effort for granted, because being taken for granted will leave them jaded. We have seen many Orange personas walk away from friendships because they felt they have been taken for granted.

Oranges take good care of their appearance and are very unlikely to be in bad physical shape. Their image is important to them so they are typically well groomed and well dressed.

Oranges have a great deal of confidence and carry themselves with dignity. When an Orange walks into the room, they draw attention. As dazzling and popular as they may be, even if they are aware of it, they have no need for limelight and are rarely chasing fame. They chase progress and success.

To open the section click on + below

An Orange persona tends to mix with or befriend people who have a practical purpose. They appear as friendly and outgoing people, but they are friends with a select few. Since they trust a select few, their inner circle consists of a few close friends or confidantes. This does not faze them at all as they are very independent and self-sufficient people and don't have a need to see their friends on a regular basis. However, for those whom they proudly call friends, they would easily move mountains and rescue if the need presents itself.

Orange Personas are perfectionists and very particular about food, dress and furnishings, and in particular, the proper use of language. They are also fiercely loyal to those they care about!

If they should accompany you to any event they will come across as engaging, friendly and interested in most people. But don’t be fooled into thinking they are extroverted. Orange personas are confident, outspoken and engaging, but they are still introverts. As introverts, they become fatigued if they are subjected to environments where they have to ‘perform for the crowd’ for too long or too frequently.

To open the next section click on + below

If you are planning to work with an Orange Persona, be prepared to have your plans changed at short notice every now and again. They may arrive a bit late for an appointment here or there. It depends what the appointment is that they are attending to. However, time invested in meeting with them will generally be very pleasant and productive. In business, they will be rather time conscious, there is always an end goal in mind for them.

If you are working with an Orange, they may bank on the fact that you would be OK with them overshooting on time here or there. They tend to get wrapped up in what they are doing at the time, and if it is important, other things may have to wait for them. Those ‘other things' might, unfortunately, be your priorities.

A good way to explain how an Orange persona prioritizes is a visual of what other colours are most likely secondary personas when someone is a primary Orange. On our colour palette, Orange is a combination of Red and Yellow, with a healthy dose of the perceptive White. Don't be tempted to think this is an extrovert, though, Orange is as introvert as most of us are, their confidence is just the means to the end.

On the other hand, if you should be in the unenviable position of having to ask an Orange for more time, make sure you don’t list a few lame reasons as you will experience their displeasure! If you do have to give an Orange bad news focus on the outcome and the results so far, this is more likely to pacify them.

To open the next section click on + below

People who are fortunate enough to be regarded as trusted advisers to an Orange persona will have ticked a whole range of boxes! But you will never realise that you are being carefully assessed as Orange personas are very polite and tactful.

The independent Orange is willing to be a team player but only if they believe the rest of the team is going to contribute to a speedy result or desired outcome. Those who see themselves as gatekeepers of rules and process will have needed to prove their worth to be held in any regard with an Orange.

To open the next section click on + below

Orange personas tend to be academically inclined. They are quite likely to be intelligent people who light up at the prospect of interesting and exciting conversations. They are not likely to make small talk; there would be a purpose in what they have to say, so anyone wanting to influence them would need to have an opinion about things. They are extremely knowledgeable about a whole range of subjects, which makes them great conversationalists.

They may talk about their aspirations and use words like ‘independent, achieve, adventure and explore’’. A tip on how to communicate with them, be it in writing or in person: The metaphors that they use in everyday speech reveals a lot about how they think, so try to make your point using the metaphors and language that they would use.

Don’t be verbose when you are talking to an Orange persona, just say what needs to be said clearly. That does not mean they don’t enjoy a bit of lightheartedness, but keep it short. Lastly, whatever you do check your facts, and if you are writing to them, your grammar and your spelling!

To open the next section click on + below

Orange personas will become particularly aggravated when someone blocks the way they have decided upon. Some personas tend to stall progress or executing a decision until they have enough information or stall for an opportunity to think about things longer. Such behaviour will cause frustration for the Orange persona. They will also become increasingly irate when people are vague, ambiguous and non-committal.

Lack of quality, general sloppiness, poor logic and poor language are hugely irritating to them, in both personal and work contexts. This is not the person you want to message or email using text speak or poor grammar – you might be ignored and they will definitely form a less than positive opinion of you.

To open the section click on + below

To be clear, items listed here may be irritating to some people and quite acceptable for others, depending on their own persona colour.

You may be forgiven if you think an Orange persona seems to have two sets of standards; one for themselves and another for everyone else. They can cut themselves a lot more slack than what they are willing to give anyone else. However, saying you find an Orange persona irritating may be a bit of a stretch. It will probably be more of a sense of trepidation or healthy respect. Orange personas are vibrant and likeable people who get on with anyone they like, thanks to their social skills. They are confident and intelligent perfectionists who are used to getting their own way. They are sharp and most often right, and on the odd occasion when they are wrong, there is no way on earth you would convince them that they are! You probably won't be the first one who will be driven mad by their stubbornness.

Oranges perform well under pressure and quite often are the ones responsible for putting themselves under it. When it gets too much for them, they can easily snap and turn their heat on you if you happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time – which is beside them when they are stressed. They have quite a temper when they are upset or stressed and won’t hesitate to breathe fire on anyone who unsettles them. The best strategy here is to flee the scene and come back when the storm has passed – they are not aggressive by nature and these spurts of anger are nothing more than their way of coping with stress.

To open the section click on + below

Orange personas are generally easy-going people and are fun and vibrant to be around. But don't mistake their friendliness for a lack of direction or ambition. They are fiercely focused on what they want to achieve, and there is never a time when they are not chasing some major milestone. You either like the pace of an Orange persona's life or you would be best just get out of the way and watch them race ahead while you watch from the sidelines. If they are dependent on you delivering something that they need, you cannot be dithering around stalling for time or by throwing more options in the ring. You will risk experiencing the full-blown fury that only an Orange can measure out, that is if they really need you. If they don't, you will be bypassed without you even realising they had left.

To open the next section click on + below

Some Orange personas are prone to emotional outbursts, depending on how fiery their secondary persona is. (An Orange/Red tends to be quite fiery while an Orange/White might be quietly formidable) Orange personas have a hurricane of emotions burning on the inside and they don’t mind relieving themselves of those once in a while with a little outburst.

However, their bark is entirely worse than their bite and they normally just move on after getting things off their chest without holding a grudge or dwelling on things. They are quite capable of dealing with their emotions on their own, but once in a while, they don’t mind sharing what’s inside them with someone else. If you can manage to become this person’s trustworthy confidante, rest assured you will be valued very highly on their hierarchy of important people.