Can A Chameleon Be Trusted?

I grew up in tropical Africa, and chameleons were everywhere. Watching a chameleon change color is truly remarkable.

Why do they change color? Most of us have learned that it’s a self-protection mechanism, as it helps them camouflage to avoid predators.

Chameleons have other reasons for changing color. They use it to communicate and signal each other, mostly for mating and establishing dominance hierarchies. They also use it to regulate temperature. Because they are ectothermic (cold-blooded), they adapt color to absorb or reflect heat from the sun.

Human Chameleons

During my growing-up years, I remember being called a chameleon once. At the time, I wasn’t sure what it meant, but later on, I realized it wasn’t meant as a compliment. My primary personality type, the one I was born with, is Promoter, which is adaptable, persuasive, and charming by nature. As the son of missionary parents, my personality enabled me to adapt to constantly changing environments, make friends easily, and build rapport quickly. And I’ll admit, as a teenager, the mating and signaling capabilities of a chameleon would have been really handy too!

To others, however, this behavior appeared shifty, inauthentic, and manipulative.

Recently, I was having a conversation with a cousin of mine about this topic, and we were discussing the pros and cons of being a human chameleon, and how it relates to big issues of trust, integrity, and authenticity.

What is Trust?

At Next Element, we’ve done a lot of research and work with leaders and teams around trust, and here’s what we’ve discovered. First of all, being trustworthy and trusting are two different things. Like Steven Covey recently told me, the workplace is filled with trustworthy people who don’t trust each other.

Second, trust is experienced differently by different people. This second discovery is probably the reason behind the first discovery.

If you assume that everyone defines trust like you do, you might think you are being trustworthy, but missing key opportunities to trust and build trust with others. 

Trust is experienced uniquely by different personality types. This has implications for how we interact with others, communicate, conduct meetings, make decisions, manage our professional reputation, and even how we set up our learning and work environments.

Trust and The Golden Rule

One of the most common patterns I observe with leaders is that they project their definition of trust onto others by applying the Golden Rule – “Treat others as you want to be treated.” They believe they are being trustworthy for others by doing whatever they would want. But what if others define and experience trust differently? In this case, applying the Golden Rule is like rolling the dice.

Trust is about intentions, behavior, delivery AND impact. What matters isn’t what we think we meant or said, but how others experience it. 

The Six Faces of Trust

The Process Communication Model (PCM®), an internationally acclaimed framework for communicating with different personalities, identifies six distinct personality types, each with unique perceptual filters and psychological needs that determine what trust means for them. Each person has all six types in them, but one is primary for how they experience trust. Here are tips for earning trust with each personality type in your world. Which one best fits you?

Thinkers

Thinkers are logical, organized, and responsible. They experience the world through thoughts and prize data and information.

How to earn trust with Thinkers:

• Provide them with plenty of data, time frames, and an outline of the plan.
• Come prepared with the data to back up your conclusions. Show them the logic.
• Follow through on what you say you will do, and keep them apprised of pertinent information.
• Execute important steps on time.

Persisters

Persisters are dedicated, conscientious, and observant. They experience the world through opinions and prize loyalty and commitment.

How to earn trust with Persisters:

• Ask for their opinions, listen to their vision.
• It’s OK to share your opinions along with foundational values underneath.
• You don’t have to agree with them, but respect them.
• Follow through on your promises and commitments.

Harmonizers

Harmonizers are compassionate, sensitive, and warm. They experience the world through their emotions and prize family and friendship.

How to earn trust with Harmonizers:

• Listen to their feelings, showing you care about them as a person.
• Avoid judgment.
• Show them you care about them for who they are and will support them emotionally, even when they make a mistake.
• Share your own feelings, from the heart. When you are vulnerable emotionally, this shows them that they are safe with you.

Rebels

Rebels are spontaneous, creative, and playful. They experience the world through reacting to things, and prize spontaneity and creativity.

How to earn trust with Rebels:

• Be open to new ideas, encourage trial and error.
• Avoid micromanaging or preaching at them about what they should or shouldn’t do.
• Accept them the way they are and give them an open space to experiment and create.
• Let your guard down and have some fun with them.

Imaginers

Imaginers are reflective, imaginative, and calm. They experience the world through their imagination, and prize privacy and their own space.

How to earn trust with Imaginers:

• Use explicit commands to elicit their imagination, e.g. “Tell me what’s on your mind.”
• Tell them exactly what you want them to do, then leave them alone to do it.
• Give them the space and time to imagine new possibilities.
• Don’t expect them to socialize with the Harmonizers or brainstorm with the Thinkers and Rebels.

Promoters

Promoters are charming, adaptable, and persuasive. They experience the world through taking initiative, and prize self-sufficiency and adaptability.

How to earn trust with Promoters:

• Cut to the chase and focus on immediate action.
• Give them exciting, time-sensitive, mission-critical tasks.
• Keep things moving and avoid getting bogged down in details.

As you read about these six personality types, what stood out to you? Do any of these describe people in your life with whom you’d like to build a more trusting relationship?

Trust begins with communication. If earning trust and being trustworthy are important to you, adapt the way you communicate.

Trust and Agility

Trusting others means setting aside your own comfortable and safe definition of trustworthiness and taking a chance to see things from another’s point of view. Like a chameleon, our personality has multiple purposes to help us communicate, survive, and connect with others.

Adapting to trust and be trusted by others isn’t manipulative or shady. It’s how you show respect for other human beings. A chameleon is still a chameleon, no matter what color they are. Instead of questioning their integrity or authenticity, try getting curious and learning more about their perspective and inner workings. I guarantee that what you learn will help you in the trust department. Agility is a key factor in resilience and leadership impact.

My cousin is a successful and very well-respected chiropractor. He understands that his technical skill, while top-notch, isn’t his competitive advantage. His gift and differentiator is being able to meet people where they are, show respect, walk with them to a better place, and still maintain his own identity along the way.

Here’s to the chameleon in all of us. As my father used to say, “Blessed are the flexible, for they will bend and not break.”

Copyright Next Element Consulting, LLC 2025