GENEFest brought together most of GENE’s team from around the world for two jam-packed days of connection, collaboration, and - let’s be honest - a fair bit of chaos. There were swims in the sea, dinner at Yelken, and just enough bar-hopping to confirm we’re better at eCommerce than dancing.

But amidst the laughter, glorious weather, and the slightly awkward headshot updates (big thanks to David - Shoot Me Now), Thursday afternoon offered something a little more reflective: a deep dive into our Insights Discovery colour profiles…A personality model designed to help people understand how they show up at work, communicate with others, and, crucially, clash or click with teammates.

Colourful Characters, Unified Teams

The Insights Discovery framework maps people across four colour energies: Fiery Red (direct and driven), Sunshine Yellow (energetic and sociable), Earth Green (supportive and considerate), and Cool Blue (precise and analytical).

Now, you’d expect a business like GENE - part technical powerhouse, part creative studio, part client whispering operation - to produce a fairly mixed personality cocktail. And we did not disappoint. There were measured, methodical minds clustered around the Coordinator/Observer quadrant, a lively gang holding court in the Inspirer/Motivator corner, and a warm, grounded core of Supporters and Helpers anchoring the team with calm, people-first energy.

Seeing the team mapped out across the colour wheel was a reminder of just how differently we all tick, and why that’s a strength, not a spanner in the works. Some of us had that quiet moment of “yep, that tracks,” while others looked around like it had outed a well-kept secret. But once the chuckles subsided, there was something quite powerful about recognising those patterns - the overlaps, the gaps, the combinations that make us work.

Why It Mattered

The point of the exercise wasn’t self-indulgence (though I’ll admit I do enjoy a good self-assessment). It was about helping our teams collaborate better, especially in a hybrid environment where Slack threads and Zoom fatigue can easily dull empathy.

For example:

• It helped the ‘Cool Blue’ detail-focused folks feel seen, and gave the more spontaneous ‘Sunshine Yellow’ types a helpful nudge to land the plane occasionally.

• It reminded the introverts that saying “I’m processing” isn’t a cop-out.

• For managers, it was a chance to reflect on how their natural style might motivate one person but completely overwhelm another.

• It gave our more people-focused teammates permission to prioritise harmony without feeling “soft”, and our task-focused ones room to step back and consider tone as well as output.

• It explained why some of us need five minutes of chat to warm up, while others arrive ready to sprint through an agenda - and why neither is wrong.

• It even helped identify where healthy friction lives…the kind that leads to better ideas, not bruised egos.

Insight doesn’t always have to land with a bang to be meaningful - sometimes it’s just a quiet “ahh, I see you now.”

Bringing the Colours Back to Work

The real value now is in what we do with this knowledge. Already, we’ve seen teams referencing each other’s colours to give feedback more thoughtfully or tee up projects in a way that suits people’s preferences. It’s not a silver bullet - no behaviour model ever is - but it gives us a shared language to navigate the murkier bits of working life.

In a team like GENE, where creativity meets engineering, and strategy meets support, that shared language is powerful. It helps us deliver faster, smarter, and, crucially, with less friction.

Radical Collaboration in Action

One of the biggest takeaways? Just how vital these differences are to how we work, and why GENE’s approach to radical collaboration is more than a cultural philosophy; it’s a commercial strength. Every person in the company brings something unique to the table - whether that’s a big-picture instinct, a methodical lens, or an ability to keep things human. That’s why we involve the right voices from across the team at every stage. Because better products don’t come from a single perspective. They come from challenge, contrast, and turning individual strengths into collective momentum.

Led with Spirit (literally)

A big part of what made the session land so well was our facilitator, Michelle Spirit, who somehow managed to wrangle the 40+ personalities of GENE (and the myriad of opinions that came with them) with clarity, calm and just the right amount of challenge. Delivered through The Colour Works, the session struck that rare balance between insightful and engaging - no corporate fluff, no awkward role play, just genuinely useful takeaways we’ve already started putting into practice.

Looking Ahead

GENEFest was a reminder that no matter how good your tech stack or processes are, it’s people that power performance. The tools we use to understand and support those people? That’s what turns a team into a culture.

No, we won’t be printing out colour wheels for every meeting. But will we keep using it to work better, faster and with fewer crossed wires? Absolutely. Even if it means the Yellows need to let someone else finish a sentence now and then…I’ll own that, as a proud Yellow!

Real growth starts when you see the full spectrum.

We don’t just embrace different working styles, we engineer them into the way we build, support and evolve eCommerce. Because when every voice is heard, every colour has space, and every challenge is tackled from multiple angles, the result isn’t just better collaboration. It’s eCommerce evolution.