By now you may have a strong sense – or at least a hunch – of what is your preference for gathering information, the first step in the three-step decision-making process. Did the characteristics of the preference for gathering detailed, sensory information resonate most with you? Or did the characteristics of the preference for collecting intuitive information seem to fit best with your desire to go with your gut?

There are so many benefits that will come with aligning your decision-making behavior with your decision-making preference. A decision is only as good as the information on which it’s based: Knowing what kind of information is good for you will reduce the stress of decision-making and lead you to make the best decisions for you.

In sum, bringing your information-gathering behavior in sync with your preference for sensory or intuitive information is a step toward boosting your confidence. When you’re confident in your choices, you’ll be able to take that next step forward without a shred of doubt.

If you are still not sure about your information-gathering preference, don’t worry; just take your time. Discovering personality preferences is a unique process for every individual. There is no race to understand them, and there is no time limit. When you’re ready, just take a look back through this month’s blogs while continuing to pay close attention to the decisions you make, big and small. This Web site is meant to be more than a daily dose of life coaching; it should be a resource for you to discover your preferences and what they mean in your life – on your own terms.

What do you think?

Coach Paul
www.lifechangingcoaching.com

“And if your home is just another place where you’re a stranger, and far away is just somewhere you’ve never been. I hope that you’ll remember, I am your friend.” – Rich Mullins

Effective communication with people who don’t share your preference type will often require a good deal of patience and understanding. But beyond patience, there are concrete things you can do or keep in mind when interacting with friends, family, coworkers and others who have a different information-gathering preference than you have.

Sensors…

• Don’t demand that intuiters always provide you with all the details for every decision they make. They may have processed these details subconsciously – and that’s okay for them. Intuiters don’t need to be conscious of every fact and figure to make a good decision.
• Don’t immediately dismiss an intuiter’s idea as impractical; the details of the idea can be worked out and made a reality.
• Learn to trust an intuiter’s sixth sense – even if you don’t understand it. Their intuition can be as valuable as hard research.

Intuiters…

• When a decision lies in a sensor’s hands, do provide them with the tangible information they need to make a sound decision.
• Don’t write off the importance of past or present information; history can offer lessons for today.
• Value a sensor’s ability to make your ideas a reality, and ask them to offer you concrete feedback on your ideas and theories – you’ll likely benefit in the process.

These little details may seem like small gestures, but they will do much to improve your relationships. Take into account the preferences of others, and learn to respect them. By making occasional adjustments to your behavior – intentional personality masking in action – you will be able to smooth your communication with others. That, in turn, will do much to eliminate stresses on you and your relationships.

Think of someone who has the opposite preference as you, and with whom communication has recently been difficult. Can you put some of these ideas to work on that relationship this week?

What do you think?

Coach Paul
www.lifechangingcoaching.com

“And if your home is just another place where you’re a stranger, and far away is just somewhere you’ve never been. I hope that you’ll remember, I am your friend.” – Rich Mullins

For some of us, discovering our true personality preferences requires unmasking preferences that over the years we unconsciously buried beneath out-of-sync behaviors, beliefs and belongings. The reasons why we unconsciously mask our preferences can vary: Our parents taught us certain behaviors, friends influenced certain beliefs or a romantic partner encouraged a certain way of being. As a result, we adopted behaviors, beliefs and belongings that weren’t supportive of our true nature – and we did so unintentionally and to our own detriment. But there is another type of personality masking that can help us move forward rather than hold us back: intentional personality masking.

Intentionally masking your personality involves assuming behaviors associated with the opposite preference type. You may want to intentionally mask your information-gathering preference…

• when you want to achieve a specific goal
• when you want to be considerate of another person’s needs
• when you want to grow as a person

What does intentional masking look like in action? Take the example of my client, Julia, who has a preference for gathering intuitive information. At work, Julia managed a sales team. Although sales were strong, she began to run into problems with her boss. When he asked how things were going, Julia would often respond with a simple “good” or “great.” Recently he began to grill her for more information, which made Julia feel stressed and insecure about her work. She recounted these problems to me in one of our sessions.

It was clear to me that her boss likely had the opposite information-gathering preference for sensory information. Granted, it wasn’t in Julia’s nature to provide all the facts and figures to back up her claims about how great things were going with her team. But nor was it impossible for her to do so. I suggested Julia gather the kind of sensory information her boss needed. Before he pressed her again for information, I suggested she put together a report with key data points that would demonstrate her team’s recent successes. She did, and her boss applauded her efforts and her team’s progress. He now had the kind of information he needed to make sound decisions for the organization.

By temporarily adopting sensory behaviors, Julia was able to communicate better with her boss and improve their professional relationship – important steps for her career.

No, you shouldn’t commit to a relationship in which you have to mask your preference all the time. That would be exhausting and ultimately unsustainable. But there are certainly times in which temporarily masking your preference in consideration of others’ needs will both help strengthen your relationships and move you closer to your goals. Can you think of other situations in which intentional masking could further your goals?

What do you think?

Coach Paul
www.lifechangingcoaching.com

“And if your home is just another place where you’re a stranger, and far away is just somewhere you’ve never been. I hope that you’ll remember, I am your friend.” – Rich Mullins