In this episode of Uncoachable, your hosts Rhys Waters and Jon Burns are joined by Earl Hoeg, coach, former federal leader, and representative of PeopleFirst. Together, they dive into the power of understanding personality differences at work, whether you’re navigating team dynamics, looking to improve collaboration, or simply hoping to learn more about yourself. Earl shares his journey from public service to coaching, demystifying the Insights Discovery system and revealing why knowing your own “color energy” can change the way teams communicate, collaborate, and thrive.

Key Highlights:

• Rhys and Jon take the Insights Discovery assessment and share candid reactions to their color-energy profiles.
• Earl’s career shift from the Canadian public sector to people-focused leadership coaching.
• What are color energies (Fiery Red, Sunshine Yellow, Earth Green, Cool Blue), and how do they shape team interactions?
• How personality assessments can help teams build trust, reduce friction, and improve retention.
• The strengths and potential blind spots that come with every color, and how to play to your strengths instead of fixating on weaknesses.
• Real stories of teams transforming after understanding each member's style (including a dramatic ROI case study).
• Candid reflections, from “leaving chaos in your wake” to turning quirks into teamwork superpowers.
• Practical tips for managers and teammates on communicating across personality differences.
• How self-awareness and honest dialogue can spark professional and personal growth.

Guest info:

Earl Huyghen is a leadership coach, facilitator, and founder at PeopleFirst, with more than three decades of experience in the Canadian public sector. Earl specializes in helping teams unlock their full potential by understanding and leveraging personality differences using the Insights Discovery system. Earl's passion is teaching organizations to put people first, building trust, self-awareness, and authentic workplace cultures one team at a time.

00:00 – Introduction & team color energies explained
03:00 – Meet Earl Huyghen: public service to people-first coaching
08:00 – The Insights Discovery system: beyond black-and-white assessments
13:00 – Exploring the four colors: Red, Yellow, Green, Blue
18:00 – Immediate reactions: How accurate were the personality reports?
23:00 – Using Insights to improve teamwork, communication, and leadership
28:00 – Case study: how understanding personality led to massive ROI
31:00 – When strengths become weaknesses (and vice versa)
36:00 – Personal takeaways: printing weaknesses, doubling down on strengths
39:00 – Next steps: sharing profiles, building a more self-aware team
41:00 – Final reflections and applying Insights at work and beyond