Leaders, ‘Thinkers vs Doers’...in People/Team management – Create a great balance.

Thinkers vs doers

We are all aware that sometimes unexpected challenges become a part of our life; both personally and professionally. These challenges often come when we least expect them. They are usually time bound and need to be acted upon immediately. Eventually we take some action after due thought with the help of our insight and our experiences of similar events. Our actions have results too and they in turn impact and influence our future life. Well that is the cycle of life. 
 

However, they may be many instances where we review our decisions of the past. Also, it is not uncommon that we wish we had done it differently, should there be another chance at it. The reason we took a particular decision then and regret it now. This could be due to many factors such as fear, pressure, uncertainty or lack of sense of direction etc.

Unfortunately, we cannot go back in the past and undo things as there is no ‘Reset’ button in life. However, what we can do is understand the thought process behind our decision making, the drivers that influence the process and thus our life.

Our decision making process is mostly influenced by the way we are and the way we react. These reactions can broadly classify us as ‘Thinkers’ or ‘Doers’. These qualities do not outweigh each other; however come with its pros and cons. A clear understanding of these traits will help us better understand the process of decision making. Following are the aspects explained in detail:

Thinkers: People who tend to analyse with a lot of attention to detail, read between the lines in a situation. 

Pros

·         Has an open mind.

·         Can come up with unique ideas and come up with ‘out of box’ solutions.

Cons

·         Fear is a big problem holding them down.

·         Owing to their attention to detail they are unable to focus on the bigger picture.

·         Don’t get to live up to their potential.

Doers: People who tend to take risks and attempts at challenging tasks, taking chances against all odds.

Pros

·         Is brave, tough and hard to intimidate.

·         Will pursue things and move forward no matter what.

Cons

·         Usually makes a decision using gut feel with little or no analysis to back up.

·         Will press until they face a permanent deadlock.

·         Tend to lose focus and sense of direction and thereby face difficulty in attaining their goal.

Now that we have a fair understanding of these traits, it is essential that we evaluate ourselves as to what we are ‘Thinkers’ or ‘Doers’? We need to identify our strengths and focus on our areas of development.

It is a no brainer that we need to have a good balance of both these qualities in order to succeed in the challenges that life throws at us from time to time. We need to have the mind of the thinker backed by the courage of a doer. Being a winner means to have great ideas and also a strong strategy to back it up.

A good balance between these two qualities is hence very essential to improve the quality of our decision making. 

Initially practicing mock decision making for sample situations or revisiting situations from past would help. Also, there is no harm in taking advise from someone who believe is strong at the required quality. It is always advisable to make an informed decision than take a hasty one.

Eventually once we practice and get good at this balance, it would be a good idea to teach this to our team members, family members, kids and encourage them to improve their quality of decision making. As it is easy for people to learn while relating to smaller things, rather than attempting complex issues without learning and regretting later.

Thanks a lot! I really appreciate your time reading this post. I hope you enjoy reading the posts and find it helpful. I request you to share the learning as much as possible so that many more benefit from it. I would be glad to know your inputs both For or Against. Please feel free to post, share or like if you find it useful.

 

Happy Learning! and Happy Sharing!