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Forty Shades of Green



Ireland is known as the Emerald Isle, where there are forty shades of green.  With the week that’s in it and St Patrick’s Day being celebrated the world over the focus is on us this week.  I got to thinking, which shade of green is your attitude to your business?  I’m not going to go through all forty, just nine.  Read on and see if you recognise yourself or even someone else in here.

Ivy Green: That bright over-shiny-green that looks like it’s on its last legs.  Don’t be fooled by this green.  It’s got tendrils that bury deep into the foundations and don’t let go.  Despite some pruning and cutting away of old branches this tenacious green will flourish again.

Bilious green: This green is, to coin a phrase: as sick as a parrot!  It has over-indulged in the good times and gluttony and short-sightedness has turned it from a fat-cat to a seriously worried scarecrow.  Its main worry is how it is going to manage to retrieve the lifestyle it had for the last ten years without having to curb its bad habits.

Khaki green: This green is a meticulous planner.  It thrives in times of conflict.  It can go in size up a situation, devise a plan of action and implement it, and quickly.  It is also a forward planner and has an exit strategy for nearly every situation and can handle change well.  Needless to say khaki green is more than a survivor, it’s a thriver.

New Shoots green: This green is only starting out and is only pushing up new shoots to the sun.  The ground was prepared, seeds planted, watered and maintained.  Now it’s time to nurture these new shoots until they develop some strength to be able to bend with the wind instead of breaking.

Eco green: This green has an environmental conscience.  The whole idea of this green is to ensure the ecological future of the planet while growing a sustainable business in the process.

Other side green: This green spends as much time worrying about what the competition is doing as it does on surviving in the world of business.  They always feel that everyone else is doing a better job, getting better return on investment than them, with the result that they don’t put as much care as they could into just being their best themselves.

Leprechaun green: Like all pixies, fairies and imps, this green is a trickster and their aim is to take your money and run.  This green will promise you what you want, take your deposit and disappear into thin air.  The worst thing about this green is they will catch you when your guard is down, so beware.

Cabbage green: This green is really wet behind the ears.  The phrase: “you’re as green as you are cabbage looking” really does apply here.  They don’t know where to start and need taking by the hand and shown the basic steps before being allowed loose in business.

Sea green: This green has weathered a few storms, has quite possibly had to dock for repairs a few times, but like any good seafarer has gone back out with new provisions, repairs carried out and new determination.  This old sea-dog doesn’t quit, it heads straight for the swells to dive straight in and ride the crest of the wave.

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The Author:

Mairéad Kelly developed the Cute Honey System - Business training, coaching & mentoring for Mumpreneurs & Mum Biz Owners who want to buzz their business into a hive of productivity while raising young children & often can’t get out to training events, morning or evening network events due to family commitments and/or a lack of finances. http://www.cutehoney.ie

Add Your Comment

  • Anonymous

    Like the analogy. Identify with a couple of the shades myself. Clever to colour the headings in the different shades of green.

  • Anonymous

    Very apt post. There are too many “Other Side Green” businesses out there.

  • http://www.seefincoaching.com/blog Elaine Rogers

    I like the sea green, although can be treacherous out there!
    Love the post, and the colours Mairead :)

  • http://bettercloser.com Bill Rice

    Great post and concept. It feels like and Ivy Green day for me today–tenacity take the day. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

  • http://www.btbtraining.com/blog Niall Devitt

    Hi Mairead, Love the angle! I think the Bloggertone project is still very mush a “New Shoots green” but we are getting there. Hopefully this comp and the great posts will give us all a nice push. Happy Saint Patrick’s Day.

  • http://www.encouragingexcellence.ie/ Mairéad Kelly

    True Niall, but the groundwork has been done, and the shoots (bloggers) are slowly gathering strength and pushing Bloggertone upwards. Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you too.

  • http://www.encouragingexcellence.ie/ Mairéad Kelly

    Thanks Elaine. Yes it can be treacherous out there, and that is where prior experience and a willingness to learn and adapt comes in.

  • http://www.encouragingexcellence.ie/ Mairéad Kelly

    Thanks Bill, it’s that tenacity that sees us through the tough days.

  • http://www.encouragingexcellence.ie/ Mairéad Kelly

    Thanks Greg. There are, those and Leprechaun Greens.

  • http://blog.myprojecttracker.com Barney Austen

    Great analogy Mairead. I love it. We all have different shades, it’s just a question of which we bring to the fore that will dictate our respective success

  • http://www.wchingya.com wchingya

    What can I say, this is another refreshing and educational post about business attitudes. :-) Love it! Not to mention it matches the theme of St. Patrick’s day, you’re indeed following the trend — smart strategy! Visually, I love the eco green; Leprechaun green is the least welcoming to the eyes & coincidentally, in real life based on your description too. If only we can all be persistent as the Ivy Green, the underdog but strong willed.

    @wchingya
    Social/Blogging Tracker

  • http://www.encouragingexcellence.ie/ Mairéad Kelly

    Then the strategy worked ;) . The Ivy Greens to me are the Banks and other institutions and no matter what they always seem to just about keep going, mostly because we need institutions like that ALL the time.

  • http://www.stress-solutions4life.com/ Catherine Connors

    Wonderful post Mairead, I love all the different greens. I like Sea Green and Eco Green, a good reminder that we all have different shades within us. Well done.

  • http://www.encouragingexcellence.ie/ Mairéad Kelly

    Thanks Catherine

  • http://www.fortysomethingbride.com/ Colleen Cole

    What a great article – it gave me a new way to look at things. I’d be firmly in the new shoots category. Thanks!

  • Catherine

    Excellent green analysis.
    Hello,
    I am currently writing a report based around this topic.
    Please could I ask for your opinion on the following extract of my report:

    Social media marketing (SMM) has low capital costs, only covering the wage of the person monitoring the fan page. Therefore business owners spend little time deliberating the use of this strategy. If it is unsuccessful the marketer is at no great financial loss; thus SMM has come to be considered a gamble (Weinburg, 2009). Although many businesses see SMM as the future, it is important to consider whether service encounter is being compromised. Peter et al. (1999) state that consumers have different levels of product knowledge which they use throughout the decision making process. From this it can be argued that, when using the intangible medium of the Internet, an understanding of the product is lost from the outset. This leads one to question the effectiveness of online marketing. Moreover, when sat behind a computer screen, the extent to which the recipient of a message has emotions can be easily disregarded. Therefore, in order to successfully market via online media, the communication with the customer must be as genuine as if it were face-to-face.

    Please discuss…

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