Team Leadership Culture
  • Myers-Briggs
  • Trust Me
  • Team
  • Leadership
  • Culture
  • Short Book Reviews
Top Posts
Am I a Luddite?
Mind Like a Steel Trap
Leading Change
Consensus Building
People Will Remember You
Yes, yes, yes, yes!
Transister Radio
Loss
Kell onni on
Change
  • About
  • Services
  • Resources
    • Trust Me
    • Short Book Reviews
  • GPS4Leaders
  • Contact

Team Leadership Culture

  • Myers-Briggs
  • Trust Me
  • Team
  • Leadership
  • Culture
  • Short Book Reviews
Tag:

MBTI In-Depth

BlogMyers-BriggsMyers-Briggs In-Depth

Myers-Briggs In-Depth: Decision Making

by Ron Potter May 25, 2015

MeyersBriggsIn-DepthDon’t be an Arm Chair Psychologist

One of the things I always caution my clients with is “You don’t need to remember what your Myers-Briggs Type is and you certainly should not try to remember what type everyone else is.”  For one, you’ll be wrong and secondly and more importantly, that’s not what you should be remembering.  What you should be remembering is what type of team or decision making process should I be conducting so that every type is fully engaged?  Full engagement from everyone involved will help the team become the best at decision making.

Decision Making Function

The two “middle” functions of Perceiving (Sensing vs iNtuition) and Deciding (Thinking vs Feeling) are considered the decision making functions.  Each of us cycles through these two functions on a continual basis from the time we get up to the time we go to bed.  When I first looked out the window this morning (in April) I perceived that it was snowing!  Therefore, when I went out the door for my morning walk I did not decide to wear my spring jacket.  This cycling process continues on all day through minor decisions and major decisions.  What do we perceive about the decision we face, how do we then decide?

Balance, Balance, Balance

I hope that phrase, Balance, Balance, Balance, has been seared into your brain through this series on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI).  This is the key to good decision making both personal and team decisions.

On the personal basis continue to grow in your ability to think outside your personal preference areas.  Often having a partner who has a natural preference set different from yours can be a great way of accomplishing this goal.

On the team side it can often be accomplished by simple discipline of staying focused on one preference at a time.  For instance, if you and your team are faced with a difficult or important decision to make, break down the issue into the four decision making functions:

Sensing: Ask the team to stay totally focused on the Sensing issues for the moment and ask questions like:

  • Do we know all the facts and what are they?
  • Do we have a clear understanding of the situation? Are we looking too narrowly?
  • What has been done already or what has been done in the past?
  • What is each part of the team doing at the moment? Are the efforts coordinated?
  • What if someone from a different industry came in, what would they see?

Intuition: Once you’ve exhausted the Sensing questions, move on to a more iNtuitive view:

  • Are there possibilities that we haven’t explored?
  • What are some other ways of solving these types of problems?
  • We know all the facts but what is the story or the implications?
  • Is this similar to a problem that other industries face?

Thinking: Once we’ve exposed all the facts and our intuitive reactions to them, begin to look at logical questions:

  • What pros and cons do we face with this issue: Shareholders, Customers, Employees?
  • What would be the logical consequences of each possibility?
  • Do we know the cost and/or revenue expected from each possibility?
  • What are the consequences of not acting at all (that is indeed a decision)?

Feeling: Finally but not least (this is often the more powerful of the four functions) begin to ask the feeling questions:

  • How does each of us feel about what we’ll gain or lose with each option?
  • What values do we need to pay attention to with each option?
  • How will people concerned (Shareholders, Customers, Employees, ourselves) react to each outcome?
  • Who is committed and capable of carrying out the solution?

And don’t forget to stop and reflect (Introversion) at each step along the way with our open discussions (Extraverted) about each issue.

And, use your Perception to make sure there’s an openness to all aspects of the problem while at the same time setting reasonable time tables (Judging) for advancing through the process.

Myers-Briggs In-Depth is a blog series in which I dive into each MBTI function with more detail, providing some practical applications for creating better dynamics and better decision making. Click here to read the entire series.
Interested in an overview of each of the four Myers-Briggs functions? Click here to read the Using MBTI to Great Advantage series.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterEmail
BlogMyers-BriggsMyers-Briggs In-Depth

Myers-Briggs In-Depth: Judging vs Perceiving

by Ron Potter May 11, 2015

MeyersBriggsIn-DepthWork or Play

I have set up the following two signs in a team meeting:

  • I have to get my work done before I can play.
  • I can play anytime

I then ask the team to position themselves along the spectrum between those two signs.  Once positioned it almost always correlates between their Judging vs Perceiving preference on this scale.  The J’s have a much clearer definition (and more differentiating) of what’s work and what’s play.  The P’s have a less clear and differentiating definition of what’s work and what’s play and certainly don’t believe that play has to wait until the work is done.

Business World Imbalance

Although not to the degree that we saw in the Thinking vs Feeling imbalance, my data base includes about two thirds with a preference for the Judging side and about one third on the Perceiving side.  Often this is a trained function.  The Judging function includes words like:

  • Plan the work and work the plan
  • Get things decided, settled, and finished
  • Dislike surprises
  • Decide quickly and expect others to follow through

While our Perceiving preference includes words like:

  • Enjoys flexibility
  • Take time to search for options
  • Like adapting to last minutes changes
  • Expect others to adapt to changes in direction

Much of the business world prides itself with the Judging approach to the world and even those who may fall more naturally on the Perceiving side have been trained and disciplined in the Judging functions.

How do you like your Vacation Structured?

One of the best ways for me to get at the true personal preference on this scale is to ask people what their ideal vacation looks like.  The more natural Judging types (like myself) want the schedule and events settled and planned in advance.  I want my airline tickets in place, hotel reservations confirmed, specific days and times for sightseeing, playing golf, relaxing, having “spontaneous” fun.  Did you notice that?  Scheduled spontaneous fun!?!  Yup, that’s us J’s.

Our Perceiving friends and family members on the other hand would tell us, don’t bother me with any of that detail, let’s just get up see what happens.  Maybe we’ll do nothing, maybe we’ll decide to do something, we’ll figure out what sounds like fun in the moment.  In the personal world you can easily see the different types.  Not so easily in the business world.

Hidden Preference

However, one thing that doesn’t change in the business world is the deeply ingrained beliefs about the purpose of meetings.  Our Judging types like to do their “judging” or deciding in public, in their extraverted world of meetings.  In other words, why do Judging types come to meetings? To DECIDE!  However, our Perceiving types like to do their “perceiving” or learning and exploring in public.  Why do Perceiving types come to meetings?  To LEARN and EXPLORE!

Lesson Learned

So the lesson to be learned her is that if you don’t put the purpose of the meeting clearly at the top of the agenda, the Judging types will enter the meeting assuming the purpose is to decide something.  The Perceiving types will assume we’re here to explore and learn which will lead to a decision at some later date.

Always Identify Purpose

Now, if you actually explain the purpose of the meeting up front, the Judging types don’t mind coming to a meeting where a decision is not expected but every effort is going to be put into learning and exploring.  And the Perceiving types are thrilled to come to a meeting where a decision is expected.  Just don’t leave either group guessing as to the purpose of the meeting.  One side or the other will be incredibly frustrated with the outcome when they don’t have a stated purpose.

 

Myers-Briggs In-Depth is a blog series in which I dive into each MBTI function with more detail, providing some practical applications for creating better dynamics and better decision making. Click here to read the entire series.
Interested in an overview of each of the four Myers-Briggs functions? Click here to read the Using MBTI to Great Advantage series.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterEmail
BlogMyers-BriggsMyers-Briggs In-Depth

Myers-Briggs In-Depth: Deciding: Thinking vs Feeling – Part II

by Ron Potter April 27, 2015

MeyersBriggsIn-DepthDeep Misconceptions

I mentioned in my last blog on this preference of Thinking and Feeling (our Deciding function) that most (business) people react negatively to this “Feeling” function and will associate with the Thinking side rather than the “touchy feely” side.  This causes an imbalance in Corporate Leadership teams of roughly 85% identify themselves with a Thinking Preference and about 15% with a Feeling Preference.

T and F Buddies

Years ago we had a pair of hunting and fishing buddies on the team, Ted (with a Thinking Preference) and Fred (with a Feeling Preference).  As we introduced this preference and Fred came out on the Feeling end of the spectrum Ted had an incredibly animated reaction.  “What do you mean Fred is on the Feeling side of this scale?  No way!  We’ve been hunting and fishing buddies for years.  We think the same about almost any topic.  We almost finish each other’s sentences.  No way is Fred on the Feeling side of this scale!”  Interestingly, Fred seemed to just remain quiet through the episode with a slight smile on his face.

How do you Buy a Car?

At one point, as Ted continued to grumble at the inaccuracy of the instrument, the question was asked, how do you go about purchasing a car?  Ted launched into a detailed explanation of how he does all of his internet research; knowing every detail about the car he wants, how consumers rate the car, what’s the residual value after a few years of ownership, what price people have been paying in his region and a whole host of other logical data sets for purchasing the car.  He only then approaches the dealer to make the best possible purchase.  When the same question was asked of Fred he said something like “I have a dealer that I have worked with for 15 years and trust him to call me when he thinks I should replace my car and tell me which car would be best for me, offers me a deal and I take it.”  The sound of Ted’s jaw hitting the floor made everyone jump.

Which Deciding Function is Better?

Even as you’re reading this I’m probably getting different answers.  In the personal case of Ted and Fred, the answer is both.  For Ted, his research and logical decision helps him make the “best” decision for him.  For Fred, he was totally comfortable that a valuable relationship had been developed and could be trusted resulting in the best decision for him.

Favorite Equation

In a team situation, as always, the best answer is Balance, Balance, Balance.  One of my favorite equations is:

Effective Decisions = Quality of Decision X Acceptance of Decision (E.D. = QXA)

We can have the highest quality and accurate decision made but if people don’t accept the decision, no positive outcomes are achieved.  We can have the most highly accepted decision that everyone is cheering over and if it’s not accurate or the best decision for the circumstances, it also becomes a failure.  Good or effective decisions require both quality and acceptance.  Thinking types focus on quality while Feeling types focus on acceptance.  We need both.  Balance, Balance, Balance!

Have you learned to balance your own preference type?  Do you have someone around you that helps you with this balancing act?  How about your teams?  Have you learned to balance, balance, balance?  Share some stories with us.

Myers-Briggs In-Depth is a blog series in which I dive into each MBTI function with more detail, providing some practical applications for creating better dynamics and better decision making. Click here to read the entire series.
Interested in an overview of each of the four Myers-Briggs functions? Click here to read the Using MBTI to Great Advantage series.

3 comments
0 FacebookTwitterEmail
BlogMyers-BriggsMyers-Briggs In-Depth

Myers-Briggs In-Depth: Deciding: Thinking vs Feeling – Part I

by Ron Potter April 13, 2015

MeyersBriggsIn-DepthDeep Misconceptions

We learned in the Energizing Function that preconceived ideas of what constitutes an Extravert and an Introvert often lead to misunderstandings.  It gets even worse in this function because of the title “Feeling.”

Most (business) people react negatively to this “Feeling” function and will associate with the Thinking side rather than the “touchy feely” side.  While this is a complete misconception, it drives a very strong bias to the Thinking side.  In my data base of corporate leaders that I’ve gathered over the last 25 years, roughly 85% identify themselves with a Thinking Preference and about 15% with a Feeling Preference.  This is far outside the parameters of the other functions.

Why the bias?

The main reason is that the people leading corporations pride themselves with making purely logical decisions.  Or more accurately, leaders fool themselves into believing they make purely logical decisions.  We know through observation and are increasingly aware through brain science that we actually make more of our decisions on the feeling side and then justify them by logic.  I think that’s the point here.

It Felt Like the Right Thing to Do at the Time

Justified.  Besides being the title of one of my favorite TV programs over the last several years, we are often faced with this issue in the corporate world.  As we review results we are often asked how and why a certain decision was made.  If we can recall the “logical” steps that we went through to make the long ago decision, we have a chance of justifying the decision.  If our only response is “It felt like the right decision at the time” it becomes difficult to defend our choices.  More corporate leaders identify themselves with a Thinking Preference (85%) because of the assumed superiority of Thinking, logical based decisions.

How Do You Feel about that?

I’ve used one technique through the years that dispels this imbalance very quickly.  While grappling with a topic during a team discussion I’ll ask “What do you think about this solution?”  This question will generate many logical based answers.  A little while later I’ll ask “How do you feel about this solution?”  For the truly Thinking preferenced people, it seldom generates any new response beyond their initial logic based response.  But for those members who actually reside closer to the middle or even on the Feeling side of this preference, it generates a much more robust, deeply felt answer.  And what’s amazing to me is that these responses almost always initiate a deeper discussion that many times leads to a different answer than was first proposed.  Also, the Thinking crowd actually begins to engage in their Feeling side which begins to create balance.  Remember, Balance, Balance, Balance is the key to great decision making with Myers-Briggs.

Myers-Briggs In-Depth is a blog series in which I dive into each MBTI function with more detail, providing some practical applications for creating better dynamics and better decision making. Click here to read the entire series.
Interested in an overview of each of the four Myers-Briggs functions? Click here to read the Using MBTI to Great Advantage series.

1 comment
0 FacebookTwitterEmail
BlogMyers-BriggsMyers-Briggs In-Depth

Myers-Briggs In-Depth: Attending and Perceiving: Sensing vs iNtuition – Part II

by Ron Potter March 30, 2015

Hidden Danger in the Perceiving Function

I mentioned in the previous post on Myers-Briggs that most successful business people have figured out that they need to balance this function.  This balancing act most often takes the form of a trusted partner, colleague or consultant.

Great appreciation on a peer basis

I find that my Sensing leaders love to get together with their more natural iNtuitive colleagues.  The say things to me like:

“I just love the way Margaret breaks me out of my “down in the weeds” focus.  She gets me thinking about big-picture, long-term implications of my decisions and how we need to think about making these decisions.”

Similarly, my more natural iNutiive clients will often praise their more Sensing colleagues.

“Steve really gets me out of the clouds and grounds me in what’s going on right now and pointing out the issues that if we don’t fix soon will prevent us from achieving our long-term vision.”

Danger in employee evaluations

However, that appreciation seems to be limited to the peer-to-peer relationships.  Often that same appreciation is not offered to subordinates.

I will always ask the iNtuitive types on a team which preference (sensing or iNtuition) they would prefer to have working for them.  Their answer is always an overwhelming “Sensing!”  Why? Because they know that while they would prefer to stay at the 40,000 foot level, watching what is going on around them and looking to the future, they need people working for them that are clearly paying attention to the day-to-day ups and downs of the business.

But what’s interesting is that when I ask the Sensing types which preference would they prefer to have working for them, their answer is also an overwhelming “Sensing!”  Why? Because if they’re preference is to pay attention to the details and you’re working for them, you had be at least as good if not better at paying attention to the detail.

Here’s the problem

Even though the iNtuitive types appreciate the skills and attention to detail that the Sensing types provide, they may also be thinking “That person is great but I’m not sure they could take over my job because they don’t think broad enough.”

And while a Sensing type may have a creative, innovative iNtuitive type working for them, iNtuitives are often known for making “error of fact”.  That “failure” really bothers the Sensing type and therefore are more likely to give poor performance reports.

We tend to fall back on our natural preference more when we’re evaluating people who work for us than the honor and appreciation of other types when we’re dealing them on a peer basis.

Honor and appreciate all types in all cases and people will begin viewing you as a very honorable and appreciative leader.


Myers-Briggs In-Depth is a blog series in which I dive into each MBTI function with more detail, providing some practical applications for creating better dynamics and better decision making. Click here to read the entire series.
Interested in an overview of each of the four Myers-Briggs functions? Click here to read the Using MBTI to Great Advantage series.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterEmail
BlogMyers-BriggsMyers-Briggs In-Depth

Myers-Briggs In-Depth: Attending and Perceiving: Sensing vs iNtuition – Part I

by Ron Potter March 16, 2015

How are Things Going Here?

Several years ago when I was working with an automotive supplier I experienced one of the clearest examples of this function in action when I was sent to work with the Plant Managers of two different manufacturing plants.

 

What do you Pay Attention to?

This function was for years identified as your Attending function. “What do you pay attention to?” In recent years Myers-Briggs have gone back to Carl Jung’s (who’s work the MBTI is based on) original title of Perceiving. “How do you perceive the world around you?”

A Simple Question

When I first met each plant manager I asked each of them a simple question “How are things going here at this plant?”

These two plants were almost identical in several ways:

  • They served the same customer base
  • They generally produced the same products
  • They had about the same number of employees
  • They were just in different geographic locations

The first plant manager gave me a very precise answer:

“Things are going great. By 10:30 this morning we had 1,370 units out the door. Currently we are about 5% ahead of schedule for the day which means we’ll have the time in the morning to sit down and discuss the waste problem that we’re experiencing that’s just killing us financially.”

After spending a couple of days at the first plant I arrived at the second plant and upon meeting the Plant Manager for the first time asked exactly the same question: “How are things going here at this plant?” And I once again received a very clear answer:

“Things are going great. I think the truck industry is headed in this new direction. I’ve ordered some equipment from Germany. We should be able to get it fabricated, shipped and installed in about nine months. With some reasonable time for training I believe we’ll be ready to go and will be totally aligned with this new direction.”

What did you notice about these two responses from successful plant managers at two almost identical successful plants?

After noting that they both started their response that “Things are going great”, notice the differences.

Plant Manager One:

  • 10:30
  • 1,372
  • 5%
  • Today – tomorrow

Plant Manager Two

  • New direction
  • 9 to 12 months
  • Aligned with industry direction

What do you think happened when I asked PM 2 how many units were produced today? He said “Fred, how many units did we get out today?”

Now, here’s the real question for you: Which approach is better?

Both! I believe that if you’ve chosen to be in the business world in particular, you must balance this function or you’ll lose the business!

In this real case example, a year from now PM1 would be producing the highest quality, lowest cost product that nobody wanted to buy. And in a year from now, PM2 would likely be in dire straits because the same scrap and waste impact that was at the top of PM1’s radar was not very high on PM2’s radar.

Make it Deliberate

My experience has been that most successful business people have figured this one out even if they didn’t know about the natural preferences. What enhances this function is not leaving it to rely on natural preferences (you may not have a naturally balanced team) but to turn it into a very formal process. During your team meetings, be deliberate by asking the Sensing questions (what are the facts, what actually has happened, where are we today?) but then be very deliberate about asking the iNtuitive questions (what’s the implication in the data, where are we headed, what changes on the horizon may impact us?)

Caution

While this one seems to naturally balance, there is a hidden danger that I’ve seen time after time. Check out the next blog on the MBTI Perceiving function.


 

Myers-Briggs In-Depth is a blog series in which I dive into each MBTI function with more detail, providing some practical applications for creating better dynamics and better decision making. Click here to read the entire series.
Interested in an overview of each of the four Myers-Briggs functions? Click here to read the Using MBTI to Great Advantage series.

1 comment
0 FacebookTwitterEmail
BlogMyers-BriggsMyers-Briggs In-Depth

Myers-Briggs In-Depth: Energizing: Extraversion vs Introversion – Part II

by Ron Potter March 2, 2015

MeyersBriggsIn-DepthIn part I of our discussion of Extraversion and Introversion I discussed the misunderstandings that can occur between the two. Today, I’ll unpack that further.

Meeting Phases – Balancing Extraversion and Introversion

All meetings in one form or another are made up of three stages:

  • Brainstorming Divergent Phase – Gathering of information, ideas, beliefs and assumptions. Wide open throw out any idea or concept, get it on the chart and we’ll see what sticks.
  • Prioritizing Convergent Phase – Here we begin to look for patterns, narrow down the focus, combine items, and see if there are some themes that will focus our further work.
  • Deciding Phase – Bring it to a conclusion. There’s a lot to understand about decision types and processes. When we get to this phase we’ll talk about balancing each of the four functions, not just the Energizing function.

Meetings may be constructed of all three phases in sequence or any given meeting may be dedicated to any one or two phases with the entire process playing out over several meetings. The point is to be very clear about which phase you’re in and balancing functions in each phase.

Photo Credit: Porsche Brosseau, Creative Commons

Brainstorming

The next time you start a brainstorming session (information gather divergent phase), notice the dynamics at work. If you start with a true blank slate (you’ve pulled up the flip chart and are standing there with pen in hand) you’ll notice that the first people to contribute ideas tend to be the Introverted crowd. Isn’t that interesting? If you’ve done your duty and put out an agenda with the topic to be discussed, the Introverts come to the meeting with some pre-thought ideas.

Agenda Timing

Ask an Introverted thinker when they like to receive an agenda.

  • The first answer is “well in advance.”
  • The second answer is “at least a day.”

Ask an Extraverted thinking when they look at an agenda.

  • The answer given most often is “On the way into the meeting.”

Extraverts just want to know what we’re going to talk about. Introverted thinkers want to think about what they’ll say.

Ebbs and Flows

As the brainstorming session gets underway the first few contributions to the list come from the Introverted thinkers but pretty soon enough ideas are getting recorded that trigger the Extraverted thinkers and now they begin to throw ideas out with such a pace that the Introverts have now gone quiet.

But two things must happen to keep things balanced:

  1. The Extraverts will eventually run out of ideas and now is the time to ask (and wait for) more ideas. It’s usually the Introverts that now have a chance to contribute further to the list.
  2. The Extraverts will begin to see patterns in the list and will want to and actually begin to move on to the prioritizing stage of the process.

You must stop this from happening and keep the focus on the generation of ideas for the brainstorming list.

Key to the Balancing Process

Now, here’s the key to the whole process, once all ideas have been gathered, ask the team to stop talking, pick up a pen and write down the three best ideas that they believe just came out of the brainstorming phase of the process.

If you could hear inside their heads you would hear the Introverted thinkers saying something like: “Finally, I’ve got a minute to think through this because I believe there were some brilliant ideas tossed out there. Let’s see, number one is obvious, number two is also very clear, there is actually a three and a four that can’t be missed but I think we can make that one a 2a.”

The Introverts just got more engaged in the process.

Meanwhile, notice the Extraverted thinkers writing down their three best ideas “quietly”. The conversation in their head would probably sound something like this:

“Let’s see, three best ideas? Well, the number one is quite obvious. Number two? Number two? Number two….. Where’s the coffee?” Pretty soon, the Extraverts are over at the coffee pot together.

Why? So they can talk. “Hey, what was your number two? Oh, yea, what a great idea. In fact if we combine that with item D, I think it could be an even better number two.”

The extraverts need to talk to keep their energy up to be able to answer the question, “What were the three best ideas to come out of the brainstorming?”

Ease into the Prioritizing Phase

Now, as you ease back into the meeting

  • get the Introverts head out of their lists and
  • get the Extraverts back from the coffee pot

you begin to ease back into an extraverted environment.

Go around the room and ask each person what their number one idea was. People are starting to talk again but it’s very structured and very controlled which allows the Introverts to further reflect and think about their list.

And the Extraverts are starting to hear other people’s ideas and you may even see them taking notes for when it gets to be their turn. And now, you’re off to the races. The Extraverts have gotten active again and the conversation is nonstop. Good. Both functions have had an opportunity to energize and get their thoughts on the board.

Now, just be careful to create the same “balancing act” between this prioritization portion of the meeting and the deciding portion of the meeting. The Extraverts will begin to talk about making a decision before the Introverts have had an opportunity to sort out the discussion on prioritization. Make sure there is another moment when you stop the conversation, let people gather their thoughts and get them recorded and contemplated before you move on to the decision making Phase.

Share with us some of your experiences from both side of this equation. What do you wish the other preference type would understand about how you get energized?

1 comment
0 FacebookTwitterEmail
"I'm in here. You're out there. Let's keep it that way a while longer"
BlogMyers-BriggsMyers-Briggs In-Depth

Myers-Briggs In-Depth: Energizing: Introversion vs Extraversion – Part I

by Ron Potter February 16, 2015

MeyersBriggsIn-Depth

This function is responsible for more misunderstandings and confusion than any of the others. At least that’s my observation.  This is why I always spend more time on understanding this function when I’m working with teams.

There are some very natural dynamics in place here that often sabotage our ability to balance this function in team meetings. Team meetings are, by definition, extraverted affairs.

“Why did we call you all together for this team meeting? To talk!”

So right off the bat, team meetings are designed for and often run by extraverts. Even if the team meeting leader or facilitator happens to have a preference for introversion, the extraverted crowd often takes over the dynamics of the meeting without even realizing it or intending to do so.

Let me start with the introverts (which we seldom do in team meetings). I often ask one question of my introverts in team meetings “How often have you left a meeting and as soon as you walk out that door right there (pointing to an exit door) do you think to yourself,

  • I wish I had thought of that.
  • Oh, now I know what Sue was getting at.
  • I wish I could have gotten a word in edgewise because I’ve really given some thought to this issue.

In one form or another every introverted thinker says “All the time.” “Every meeting.” “Often.”

Missing Half the Brain Power

Isn’t that interesting that we called a meeting, brought all of the high powered and high priced brains into the room together to solve a problem or come up with an innovative approach and yet because of the dynamics of the meeting process we let half that brain power walk out of the room without ever hearing their ideas or taking advantage of their well thought ideas. What a loss!

Introverted Energy

Why does this happen? Remember that this is our Energizing function. Our extraverts gain energy from the conversation while our introverted partners get energized by reflective thought and a moment of quiet. Because our team meetings are naturally extroverted environments, our extraverts come in with the goal to get the conversation started and keep it going (adding energy all the way) from:

  • the brainstorming (information gathering divergent stage) right though
  • the prioritizing (consolidation of ideas into a few good options convergent stage) right up to and through
  • the decision making phase.

Meanwhile, unless our Introverted thinkers have a moment to reflect and gather their thoughts and re-energize between these three phases, they:

  • lose energy
  • drift away
  • give up on getting their thoughts injected and will even dig in their heels and try to halt or delay the decision making phase if they
  • haven’t had sufficient time to get on top of their thoughts through all of the conversation.

Bringing Balance

So how do we get on top of this function and bring the balance required to get the best out of both types of functions? The easiest and most profound approach is to define and separate the phases of a meeting. All meetings in one form or another have three phases:

  1. Brainstorming, idea gathering, learning and understanding divergent phase
  2. Prioritizing – consolidation of ideas, narrowing down potential options convergent phase
  3. Deciding

Image Source: Quinn Dombrowski, Creative Commons

Let’s Keep Talking

As we stated earlier the extraverted types would prefer that we keep talking right though all three phases non-stop because that feeds their energizing needs. However, by simply separating the phases of the meeting with a brief pause for reflection and thought between each stage we allow our introverted partners to get re-energized through the process.

In coming blogs we’ll discuss many of the techniques that will help balance the functions between extraverted and introverted as well as the other functions on the Myers-Briggs chart.

Extroverted or Introverted?

Do you know if you’re extraverted or introverted? It’s not just about talking or enjoying yourself at parties. It’s about your energy. What gets your juices flowing? How do you grapple with difficult issues or problems or decisions that must be made? Do you need to engage in conversation or after the conversations do you need to withdraw and reflect, think, contemplate what was discussed?

Share with us some of your experiences from both side of this equation. What do you wish the other preference type would understand about how you get energized?


Myers-Briggs In-Depth is a blog series in which I dive into each MBTI function with more detail, providing some practical applications for creating better dynamics and better decision making. Click here to read the entire series.
Interested in an overview of each of the four Myers-Briggs functions? Click here to read the Using MBTI to Great Advantage series.

1 comment
0 FacebookTwitterEmail

Newsletter

Categories

  • Myers-Briggs
  • Trust Me
  • Team
  • Leadership
  • Culture
  • Short Book Reviews
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
  • RSS
  • About This Site
  • About
    • Clients
  • Services
  • Resources
    • Trust Me
    • Short Book Reviews
  • Contact

About this Site | © 2023 Team Leadership Culture | platform by Apricot Services


Back To Top
 

Loading Comments...