Finding Balance in A Complex World -
A New Look at the J-P Dichotomy
"At A Glance" Details
- Self-guided training.
- Format: CD-ROM, Plays in Internet Browser – with Audio and Presentation Slides
- Duration: Approximately 45-minutes.
Description
At the core of type theory are perception (data gathering) and judgment (decision making). Balancing these powerful and essential mental functions is a core element of self-management. Too much judgment leads to rigidity and prejudice while too much perception leads to inaction and procrastination. Success in any endeavor demands these forces be balanced.
When described and used effectively, the J-P dichotomy offers tremendous insight into how to both achieve and maintain this balance. In this 45-minute-long, self-directed class on CD, Hile Rutledge (Chief Executive Officer of OKA) leads you through the challenges of balance: how to understand it, how to diagnose imbalance and the actions that can bring about greater balance. Whether balance is your end goal or you are looking to pull balance as a leadership development tool to use on others, this self-directed study will pull a valuable tool onto your tool belt.
One (1) CE conferred toward MBTI Master Practitioner designation through engagement with this class.
A Client Case Study: Using Balance
This CD provides some case studies of individuals out of typological balance. After going through the program, an ESTJ client wrote to us with an interest in applying to her own type. Here’s what she asked, and how we answered.
Question:
As an ESTJ and a very clear one at that (especially on the T and J), I know that I can become unbalanced, especially in the workplace, but also at home. Given the discussion on the CD, it sounds to me like what I need to do when I become too J is ease up on the decision making and give more time to my data gathering/perceiving. How does that manifest itself for the ESTJ?
If I look at the example on the CD of Grace, it's almost like I would need to focus more on my interactions with people. I guess I'm getting confused; I usually associate the people-stuff with the F part of the equation. (I've tried to tap into and grow that inferior function: a key difference between leading and managing!).
Thanks for any guidance you can offer. I enjoyed the CD and continue to be fascinated by MBTI and am convinced it rules us all!
OKA's Hile Rutledge Responds:
So glad you like the CD - This is one of my favorite topics!
For your type (ESTJ), your dominant function is extraverted Thinking and your auxiliary function is introverted Sensing. Balance in any type is when the dominant and auxiliary are in communication with one another—when you flow back and forth between the two.
Imbalance, therefore, in an ESTJ can look one of two ways:
- You get hooked too much by your internal Sensing function, which keeps you quiet and disconnected from others and the world around you. In an ESTJ this can look and sound like analysis paralysis (you are open to data, reading, looking for and considering facts and options) but the more introverted you are and the less you engage with the outside world and others, the further you get from closure and decision. An ESTJ who is withdrawn, quiet, scattered and indecisive is a snapshot of an ESTJ out of balance.
- You get hooked too much by your external Thinking function, which talks, directs, decides, plans, scheduled and controls without taking much (or enough) time to reflect, go inside and gather new and more information. Another way an ESTJ falls out of balance is to extravert too much, which leads to someone overly rigid and opinionated—driving too hard and often for closure and control on too little data.
The corrective action for option A above is to engage more with the world around you—talk, meet and communicate. The corrective action for B above is to reflect more—be quiet, journal, reflect and disengage from the people and world around you.
Client Reaction:
I thought that I'd be more likely to be the B example: too much deciding, organizing, moving, etc. But upon reflection (pun intended!), I can think of two examples in the past 3 months at work that I think fall into the first category. Without boring you with the details, there have been two examples of times a boss asked me to do something. One was pretty well defined but large and complex; the other was smaller but much less defined and a bit of an unusual request (and for a very senior boss).
For each, I got started right away with small, obvious steps but didn't bring the requests to closure. I think it's because I was unsure how to do it. Rather than ask for more guidance or for their thoughts, I tried to accomplish the tasks on my own. When it wasn't clear what to do or--perhaps more importantly how to do it--I just kept putting it off or thinking about the steps I had already taken, rather than say to someone "What do you think about X?" I was thinking about this earlier in the week, and realized that the next step was asking for input, so that's what I'll do on Monday. Thanks for helping me realize how and why I got that way!
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