People who value strength get things done, even difficult things. Strength is associated with intelligence, capability, and reliability. People who base their values on strength hold steadfastness, discipline, competence, and confidence in high regard. They value integrity, individual effort, merit, honor, and duty. Strength is represented by the roots of the tree. The roots form a sturdy foundation. They do not dance in the wind like the branches but are unmoving and provide stability. They hold their ground and do the necessary dirty work. The roots provide vital nutrients to sustain the tree and must remain firm to endure the storm.

People who rely on strength values highly regard tradition, respect, and personal fortitude. On The Personality Color Matrix wheel, strength is often associated with red, blue, and purple personality color tendencies. They admire hard work and action. They gravitate to leadership positions, wield influence, and inspire us to follow them. They value ingenuity, outspokenness, and determination and have little tolerance for laziness. They pride themselves on their precision, persistence, follow-through, and achievement.

Because they are response-oriented instead of emotion-oriented, they usually keep their cool during disasters. They seek solutions and avoid emotional reactions. To them, “crying over spilled milk” wastes time and mental resources. They like the fact that they don’t feel compelled to cry over things most people shed tears about. Their ability to restrain their emotions aligns with and fortifies their ideal of what it means to be strong. As a result, they encourage others to inhibit their emotional responses as well. This becomes an issue when dealing with interpersonal relationships, especially listening to other human beings and their problems.

When a person relies more heavily on strength tendencies, they respond with less sympathy and compassion, causing people who value warmth to imagine people who value strength as being emotionally stunted or heartless. We distrust the motives of people who lack warmth because we don’t believe they authentically care. People without warmth put us on guard. We want to keep our distance and try to avoid them. However, the foundation of centered strength is honor and respect. When one feels honored and respected, tears are unnecessary to prove the depth of one’s dedication.

In the center, strength feels safe because it is honor-bound, capable, substantial, firm, and fortified. Strength stands tall, rarely falters, and is easy to respect. The strength side insists, “Use your head.”