For some people the business field is a very sterile and cold environment. Leaders manage a team, team members do work, and parties get paid. It’s a cycle which can seem fairly banal after a certain amount of time. Within the industry it can also be difficult to fight against the feeling that everything surrounding you is mundane. Luckily there is hope for something more. Breaking the repetitive cycle is accomplished by stepping outside of yourself and learning about the people surrounding you. Leaders need to gain insight and understanding into how their workers operate. It can mean the difference between the hugely productive team with incentive to continually improve or a team motivated by clocking out at the end of the day. While human resources plays a large role in bringing emotion to the world of business, understanding yourself and how you best operate in a work environment can mean a world of difference in how approach the job.
Marlo Thomas Watson, President of The Marlo Company, Inc. has made a career of finding the human element. “My career path has involved a lot of different, wonderful opportunities. The seamlessness, or the constant stream, has been developing people and developing communities. I wasn’t your traditional graduate from high school and go to college. I went for one semester and thought, “I want to make money.” I didn’t know what I wanted to do because I was interested in so many different things. When I was in my early 20’s I got involved in the YMCA and found my passion. It was a career development program targeted towards inner city youth. These kids were given the opportunities to be close to a variety of career opportunities. I was so passionate about it but I reached a point that I knew then it was time to go back and get my degree.”
Helping to build a positive force in the community can create waves of positivity. Leaning about what drives you is what helps you see where and how you can make a difference. Watson had helped communities with a wide variety of improvements and over time she began to see holes in the system. “I began to see a lot of consistencies from the YMCA to the nonprofit where you do 10 jobs and you’re compensated for one. Even as the executive director I began to see a lot of similarities in organizations and states. I came in contact with True Colors and it was a life changer for me.”
There are moments in business which can either make or break your path. They show you which path is the right one for you to go down. Watson knew that path was in front of her, “I realized a whole lot about myself,” she says, “I reflected back on my child rearing by my parents. At this point I was married and we had a young child. I was so thankful for this. I knew I needed to get certified in this. I always had the goal of one day wanting to be able to do this for organizations and communities and even families. I’ve always been an entrepreneur-minded individual. I was just never willing to take the risk. When I always tried taking calculated risks in my life, it never panned out. It was always safer to go work for someone else and do a great job and have steady pay. This is what led to developing the Marlo Company because I’ve come to realize that even though I’m an excellent employee, when you are entrepreneur-minded you demonstrate that no matter how respectful of authority and following the chain of command you are, that mindset it is demonstrated in your work and your actions. So what I have come to realize is that I just had to begin to step out there.”
With the introduction of True Colors, Marlo knew how important it was to see this opportunity out. “True Colors is a personality profile. It helps individuals to understand how they’re made up. Everyone for the most part has a dominant, or what we refer to as a bright color and it’s based off of four colors – green, gold, orange, and blue. There are certain characteristics that are innate with each color. The beauty of true colors versus a lot of other personality profiles is that True Colors is a spectrum. So you have your brightest color but then whatever your subsequent colors are, and how high you rank in those, can impact even how you manifest your brightest color. You can really help people to build career paths or make relationships with other people. You get to really understand how people are made up. The Marlo Company is about people development. We like to develop your people so you can do your business.”
Knowing about yourself and understanding how you best function in an environment is the best step you can make to turn your work and personal life around. The True Colors system, like other personality tests, are focused on helping you figure out who you. With years of experience behind her, Marlo looks forward to continuing her efforts to introduce people to who they truly are. With assistance to groups, organizations, and small businesses, Watson has built a business designed to help clients from the bottom up. With the dense population of the Maryland, Virginia, and D.C., working in such a great environment has its benefits. Especially when it comes to helping such a diverse population understand what they are made of. “I think because there is such a broad and diverse set of businesses…the diversity – ethnically, age wise too. It’s such a diverse area in every aspect of the word. That opens up the opportunity to really grow and develop as a person and as a business. To be able to work with a variety of different industries is great. It’s a truly great place.”
Marlo Thomas Watson is President of The Marlo Company, Inc. To learn more about True Colors or to speak with Marlo about her services please visit the website above.