Red.

Reds decide. That's the whole thing. Other people will sit with a problem for a week, talking it over, walking around it. You've already moved on it. Sometimes that means making the wrong call faster than other people make the right one — but you'd argue, fairly, that a fast wrong call you can fix beats a slow right call that arrives too late.

Erikson puts Reds at about 9% of people. Doesn't feel that low, because Reds tend to take up most of the air in any room they're in. You'll find them running ERs, running law firms, running startups, running for office, running in general. Anywhere a real decision needs to happen and someone needs to actually own it.

• Hard calls don't take you three weeks. They take you ten minutes.
• You love a target. Give you the goal and you're gone.
• No coach needed.
• Risk doesn't bother you. The lack of it does.
• People always know where they stand with you. There's a real comfort in that, even when it's bad news.

• You're impatient with people who think out loud. (Most of the world thinks out loud.)
• You can come across as harsh. You don't always mean to.
• If results are on the line, you'll roll right over the feelings part.
• You stopped listening because you're already three steps ahead.
• Quick to spot the problem, slow to share the credit.

You need things to chase, room to operate, and a clear scoreboard. Without those you get restless and start picking fights for sport. The trap to watch: treating people like items on a list. Slow down once a day. Ask one real question and actually wait for the answer. Remember that what other people feel is data, not noise. Your energy is a real gift. Aim it carefully — not just at whatever happens to be in front of you.

You tend to pair well with Yellows (they soften your edges) and Blues (they keep your speed honest). Greens can steady you, but you'll have to meet them at their pace, and your patience for that is roughly thirty seconds, so good luck.

Steve Jobs · Margaret Thatcher · Serena Williams · Gordon Ramsay · Winston Churchill.