We now know how we energize ourselves and how we process information. Today we will focus on how you come to your conclusions. What are the circumstances that you find easier to make a decision in as compared to others? Here is a an example to get you thinking….
You are 2 years into your startup venture. Things have been bumpy along the way but the 4 original partners have pulled through. Three of the partners in the firm get along really well with each other. The fourth member lets call him Tom, has not been pulling his weight for the last 6-8 months and is actually pulling the team down. Here is the interesting part, Tom and you have been friends since you were kids. Tom is also going through a very tough time with his mother being terminally ill. This has made it very difficult for you or any of the other team members to say anything. Your companies first hire, Peter, has been picking up all of Tom’s work and has been doing an incredible job. He draws a much lower salary than Tom. Now here is the deal, things are a bit tight at the company and you need to let someone go. You are the final decision maker and the choice is between Tom or Peter. Who do you let go?
(Think of a similar situation you may have been. Did you make the same choice at that time as well?)
If you chose Tom you fall in the “thinker” category if you chose Peter you are in the “Feeler” category. It sounds incredibly simple but helps us reach a very important conclusion about ourselves. On one hand of the scale you have the thinker. They like to take information and use it in a very logical manner. They tend to make practical decisions which may lead people to perceive them to be cold or heartless. However using the above example it makes sense if you want to take your company further it would definitely seem to be the logical choice. This impersonal analysis of the situation is something the thinkers do very well.
The feelers on the other end of the scale have a totally different perception. When making a decision they first see all the likely repercussions. It is inherent of a feeler to not ruffle too many feather and to maintain a sense of harmony in a given situation. To a thinker this sort of an approach may seem to be weak or illogical given the evidence. They make decisions based heavily on their value systems. Going against that is not very simple to do.
Like both the other scales we have talked about this one also doesn’t need you to be in an either/or situation. Use the example above and go with the choice which is the most natural to you and one you are comfortable in making. In doing so you will reach another very important conclusion about yourself as an entrepreneur, where decision making is critical in your rise to the top. Knowing which situations you can reach conclusions easily and decisively in will boost your overall productivity. You must always keep a balance in your team of thinkers and feelers. Both are necessary to reach an objective resolution.