Another type of individual, one whose natural style is to generate ideas and inspire big-picture thinking, often rises to the top of organizations, or these people find themselves heading their own company or division. But such positions of responsibility also require a discipline and attention to details that they find not only unappealing but also extremely stressful. Their distaste for such specifics often leads to their avoiding dealing with them. In the long run these rising stars can burn themselves out. By understanding Typewatching, they might learn to delegate more freely or otherwise find some way of coping with something they know is not their forte.

These are admittedly brief scenarios, albeit everyday ones, and are only a taste of the rich variety of daily problems that Typewatching can address. But before we can offer more specific applications, it's first necessary to explain the basic principles behind Typewatching.

How Typewatching Works

Do you prefer people who are the same as you or people who are different? If you're like most people, you are initially attracted to people who are different, but over time you find that those differences don't wear well. In fact, whether with a boss, employee, or customer, after the initial attraction has subsided, you may find yourself quite intolerant of the differences. If you are in a position to do so, you might even demand that these differences simply be eliminated: "Shape up or ship out." If you are not in a position to make such demands, you may simply become distant and alienated.

It is interesting that we think we prefer differences yet in reality few of us make much allowance for them. Though we may say, and truly believe, "different strokes for different folks," we are nonetheless resistant to those who choose to "do their own thing." In an organizational setting, such nonconformity may be viewed as disloyal at best, dangerous or destructive at worst. But with Typewatching you will gain enough insight to understand the attractiveness of some of those differences and will develop the patience to allow them to exist for the benefit of the individuals-as well as the entire organization.

The whole process starts with understanding yourself. Typewatching allows you to identify your personal preferences and how you are similar to and different from those with whom you work. You can identify where those similarities and differences make for harmony and where they cause discord.

With that in mind, let's take a look at how your preferences are formed and what they mean for your life. Such self-insight is the key to Typewatching.

The Birth of a Type

According to typological theory, each of us is born with a predisposition for certain personality preferences. There are four pairs of preference alternatives:

• Extraverted (E) or Introverted (I)
• Sensing (S) or Intuitive (N)
• Thinking (T) or Feeling (F)
• Judging (J) or Perceiving (P)

Keep in mind that these eight labels reflect preferences. By way of analogy, think of left- versus right-handedness. If you are right-handed, it doesn't mean that you never use your left hand. It simply means you prefer the right. And you may prefer it strongly, in which case you make relatively little use of your left hand, or you may prefer it barely at all, in which case you border on being ambidextrous. The same is true for the preferences listed above. You may prefer one characteristic a great deal and another only slightly. As we further examine the preferences, describing the two sides of each pair, you may find that you identify with both. Within each pair, however, there is one that you prefer-that you rely upon and to which you more naturally gravitate.

Pages: 1   2   3   4  

Copyright © 2002 by Otto Kroeger and Janet M. Thuesen and Hile Rutledge.

Tags: Success, Career & Money, Psychology & Psychiatry, Personality