Color Psychologist Says This Is the Color Worn Most by 'Natural Leaders'

You’re up for a promotion during a performance review and want to convey executive presence through your clothing. Depending on the industry, you may wish to look “polished,” “commanding” or “creative.” Fit and vibe matter, but don’t overlook the power of color psychology in the workplace. The hues you use can contribute a lot to how you’re perceived.

“Color is one of the fastest signals of intent in any room—and in leadership, intent is everything,” says Michelle Lewis, a color psychology expert and certified color analyst. “The colors a leader consistently chooses are already communicating their values, their energy and their relationship to authority before any agenda item is addressed.”

She notes that the most self-aware people understand and deliberately embrace the psychology of “power dressing.”

“Color in leadership is a real-time declaration of who you are and what you’re building—and the people you’re leading are reading it and responding, whether you’re thinking about it or not,” Lewis, who is also the founder of ColorAnalysis.com and The Color Institute and the author of Color Secrets: Learning The One Universal Language We Were Never Taught, explains to Parade.

OK, but what color means “leadership”? It can depend, but natural leaders tend to wear one specific color the most. In turn, people flock to them and consistently follow their lead. Lewis shares the best colors for CEOs and other “powers that be” (even budding ones). She also shares the best colors that represent leadership in every situation, from layoff news to mentoring sessions.

Related: Color Psychologist Says Wearing This Color Makes You Appear Instantly More Approachable

The #1 Color Worn by Natural Leaders: Blue

According to a color psychologist, blue is the color that best represents natural leadership.

Blue reigns supreme among power colors in business because it builds reliable, long-term trust, Lewis says. Compared to red, which demands attention in the moment, blue exudes a calm authority, clear thinking and dependable judgment.

The Psychology Behind Why Blue Projects Authority

Lewis shares that there’s consistent behavioral evidence in color psychology that blue signals “leadership.” For instance, research in Sciencesuggested that blue could improve performance on tasks that needed people to think expansively and creatively. She also points out that a University of Cambridge study published in Frontiers in Psychology linked blue with trust, competence and reliability across cultures and contexts.

All of these qualities are ingredients for sound, natural leadership. However, the color analyst points out that blue’s authority was historically embedded long before this research emerged. Look at naval uniforms, diplomatic dress codes and judicial robes across several cultures and eras.

“Blue has signaled trustworthy authority for centuries because it reads as steady rather than reactive,” Lewis notes. “A leader in blue isn’t trying to dominate the room. They’re anchoring it, usually in wisdom and experience. And in most leadership contexts, that distinction is everything.”

Digging deeper, she shares that blue communicates something about emotional regulation, elevating it as a color that represents leadership.

“Blue personalities think before they act and process before they speak, and the people around them feel that steadiness even when they can’t name it,” she says. “In a world that moves fast and reacts too quickly, a leader who reads as calm and clear is extraordinarily valuable.” 

Related: These 3 Favorite Colors Are Often Linked to Emotional Intelligence, According to a Color Analyst

3 Other Power Colors That Signal Executive Presence

Blue may signal natural leadership, but it may not scream “you.” Lewis notes that some other colors represent leadership, so you can try those on instead.

1. Magenta

“Magenta is the color of the leader who isn’t just running an organization—they’re redefining one,” Lewis states.

She describes magenta as “mission-driven and completely unapologetic.”

“In color psychology, magenta is the color of someone who moves through the world with a sense of mission and whose visual voice is as strong as their actual one,” she says. “For leaders genuinely trying to change an industry rather than maintain one, magenta is the most powerful color choice available.”

Related: Color Psychologist Says Your Favorite Color May Be Connected to Type A or Type B Personality Traits

2. Deep green

Deep green isn’t a plane at an airport: it doesn’t need someone to announce its arrival.

“Green leaders are the stabilizing force in any organization—deeply dependable, attuned to the people around them and trusted instinctively rather than through display,” Lewis says.

When she dresses executives and public figures for on-camera appearances, she often puts them in this hue.

“Deep green consistently builds audience trust and loyalty faster than almost any other color,” she explains. “It reads as someone whose authority is earned rather than performed, which is exactly the quality that makes people want to follow someone over the long term.”

Related: Color Psychologist Says if Your Favorite Color Is Green, You Likely Have These 7 Traits

3. Purple

Lewis hails purple as the “color of the visionary,” whose authority “comes from seeing further than anyone else in the room.”

“Historically reserved for those whose power transcended ordinary hierarchy, purple in a contemporary leadership context signals intellectual depth, unconventional thinking and genuine connection to something larger than the bottom line,” she states.

Today, the color analyst reports that leaders rocking purple intentionally signal that they’re operating on a different level.

“The people who recognize that signal tend to be exactly the kind of people worth having in your corner,” she adds.

The Best Leadership Colors for Different Workplace Situations

If you want to convey executive presence with clothing, wearing blue, magenta, purple and deep green is a good start.

Still, different colors may work in different situations. For instance, a brainstorming session is way different than announcing layoffs. Lewis shares the best colors to wear when dressing for leadership in any situation.

Related: Color Psychologist Says if Your Favorite Color Is Orange, You Likely Have These 7 Traits

3 Colors Leaders Should Avoid in the Boardroom

Dressing for leadership is also about knowing what colors to avoid. Lewis shared the types of colors power figures generally steer clear of and why.

1. Bright red

Bright red is one of those colors that you might think projects authority, but Lewis worries it screams something else.

“In a boardroom, [red] specifically can read as volatility rather than authority in high-stakes strategic settings,” she warns. “A leader who consistently signals urgency and intensity can make the people around them feel reactive rather than empowered. Red works in moments. Boardrooms require sustained credibility.”

2. Yellow

The sunniest shade is “neurologically activating in ways that work directly against the gravitas a boardroom requires,” Lewis reports.

“A leader who generates that response in the people they’re trying to influence is undermining their own authority before the meeting has started,” she says. “Yellow also connects to aposematism, the biological warning signal system, meaning its brightness can trigger alertness rather than receptivity in the room.”

3. Orange

Orange has its place, but Lewis says it’s best left for less formal settings than a boardroom.

“Orange is… warm, inviting and abundantly generous in its energy,” she states. “Those are exactly the qualities that make it counterproductive when authority needs to land quickly and clearly.”

She notes orange can make others feel like equals, but sometimes you need to convey that you’re pulling rank.

“In a brainstorming session or team-building context, it’s a genuine asset,” she shares. “In a board meeting where command needs to be unquestionable, it works against you.”

Up Next:

Related: Color Psychologist Says the Color of Your Shoes Impacts You More Than You Think—Here’s Why

Sources:

• Michelle Lewis is a color psychology expert, certified color analyst, author and the founder of ColorAnalysis.com and The Color Institute. She is also the author of Color Secrets: Learning The One Universal Language We Were Never Taught.
• Blue or Red? Exploring the Effect of Color on Cognitive Task Performances. Science.
• The Color Red Is Implicitly Associated With Social Status in the United Kingdom and China. Frontiers in Psychology.
• The Effects of Color on the Moods of College Students. SAGE Open.