Feelers and Thinkers at Work
Myers Briggs or MBTI and how you make decisions at work
Feelers like to work in harmony where feelings are considered and hard work thanked. Thinkers focus on practicality and cool, analytical problem solving.
The third letter in the Myers Briggs Type Indicator is either an F for Feeler or a T for Thinker.
Feeler Defined
If you are an F or Feeler, you’ll base your decision making around your values and emotional clues. Feelers trust their gut and care about how actions make them feel or others feel. Feelers are easy to spot due to their warm and friendly nature often labelled as people persons.
Thinker Defined
If you are a T or Thinker, you’ll base your decision making around practical, objective criteria. Thinkers appear cold and reserved often seen as the anti-social at a conference or meeting as thinkers are more interested in finding practical solutions to problems as that is why they came in the first place. Thinkers like to be labelled realists.
FEELERS AND THINKERS WORKING TOGETHER
Feeling Valued and Appreciated
Feelers need to know that they are appreciated with warm demonstrations of gratitude. Thank you notes (introvert’s preference), thank you announcements to staff (extrovert’s preference), pats on the back, word of encouragement and the like let Feelers know they are appreciated. Thinkers need tangible rewards to feel valued and the rewards need to be based on metrics of achievement. Thinkers adore performance statistics. Thinkers need a raise or a promotion with a physical impact (i.e. title change (especially on a plaque on the wall), corner office, leader of a team). If feelers are not appreciated, they will work harder, try to figure out why and do what they can to remedy the situation, put in overtime, look for a role model to emulate and try everything they can think of to try to win the praise of their superiors. If thinkers are unappreciated, they quit.
Accepting Criticism
Feelers take things personally and so if they or their work is criticised, they take it as a personal insult. Thinkers rarely take criticism personally as they see it as a problem that needs a practical solution (which they have probably already recognized).
Problem Solving
Thinkers want solutions to be fair and take flaws of process and arguments into consideration. Thinkers enjoy debating the pros and cons of a situation. Feelers will consider the emotional impact of decisions and can argue passionately for alternative solutions that will create balance and harmony.
Delivering Bad News
Feelers will deliver bad news with tact and grace. Feelers are terrific at figuring out a way to deliver bad news that will not hurt the recipient by focusing on the positives of the situation. Thinkers say it like it is – good or bad. You can rely on thinkers to tell you the brutal truth.
Working Environment
Feelers prefer a calm, harmonious environment. Office politics and other interruptions to the peace will cause them great stress. Thinkers are too busy focusing on getting the work done that as long as their environment is conducive to productivity, they are happy.
If you have comments or suggestions on this article, please start a discussion
If you liked this article, try:
Sensors and Intuitives at Work
Extroverts and Introverts at Work
Myers Briggs and Career Training
Copyright © 2007 Joni Rose and Suite 101. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized use will constitute an infringement of copyright.
