Patience and Personality by Debra H. Goldstein
I am not a patient person.
It isn’t that I want it yesterday. I am willing to work for things, to wait until a flower blooms to cut it, or however long it takes to make sure something is done right. But, I am not a patient person.
I must force myself not to finish people’s sentences for them – especially my husband, who is a true Southerner – but I always blame that on being a transplanted Yankee. It drives me crazy when someone gives me every detail of the leaves left on one tree without cutting to the chaste: it is the only tree not diseased because it isn’t a Dutch Elm or a pine tree or whatever else is being attacked by some vicious disease.
Years ago, I was in a leadership group that ran a test on the thirty members in the class. Based upon our answers, we were determined to belong to one of four groups. One group was best described as party animals. They liked to have fun achieving their goal – if they managed to get it done. The second group were the followers. The few people in this group executed any directive they received but needed to come back to one of the other groups if something went awry. The third group were collaborative leaders who made decisions only every detail was explained, and every opinion heard. The fourth group, which was almost as small as the followers, were the bottom liners. They digested material put in front of them, asked specific questions that they expected clear answers to, and made a decision.
Yup, I fell into the fourth group. Except for deciding where I go with people to eat (I am collaborative or even a follower on that topic), I analytically approach almost everything else. That doesn’t seem to bother people in the first two groups, but it certainly frustrates and confuses those in the third group. Of course, their style frustrates and confuses me, too. What about you? What group are you in and what do you think about the other two groups?
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