Close Enough or

Precisely Right?

Does the struggle between concept oriented people and detailed oriented people disrupt your team?

The bells from the ice cream truck jangled loudly through the neighborhood. My kids plus the neighbor boy all had their hands out for money to buy an ice cream treat. I gave them each a dollar and they ran off in glee to catch the truck.

The next day when the truck drove through the neighborhood, I decided to teach the kids two lessons:

(1) Get more for your money
(2) Delay your personal gratification

I told them I would give them each $5.00 and take them to the store where they would be able to purchase more ice cream for their money than they could get from the ice cream man. Even though their gratification for an ice cream cone would be delayed, they were energized. Their excited chatter was interrupted by the 5-year-old saying:  “Actually, it’s an ice cream lady, not an ice cream man.”

I suppressed a chuckle. Ice cream lady or man? Who cares? I was referring to a person who drives an ice cream truck and from my childhood the phrase “the ice cream man” is deeply embedded in the recesses of my memory. Man, woman -- it didn't really matter to me because I am concept oriented. But to my five year old, there was a distinct difference.

Concept oriented versus detail oriented - do you experience these differences in your team conversations? Are some of your team members strict constructionists? Do they have to have every detail absolutely exact? Or are you the one pinning your coworker to the wall to get the most accurate words possible?

There is a place for both on your team. Generally, concept oriented people excel in visioning and brainstorming while detailed-oriented people articulate the facts and give precision to the vision.

Chances are you irritate each other and since I am the concept oriented person, I’ll admit that detailed oriented people frequently correct me especially when my concepts are throwbacks from previous decades. I have learned to take a few deep breath to keep my calm and mutter under my breath, "I was close enough!"

For example: "Grab the cassettes" vs. "Grab the iPod" is sure to elicit a correction as would "Where is that VHS?" instead of "Where is that DVD?" Another slip of the tongue that will elicit a correction is "Grab your thongs" (you know the little slippers you wear to the beach that fit between your toes) vs. "Grab your flip flops." The meaning of thong has definitely changed during the past decade and you don't wear a 21st century thong on your foot!

The lesson for me has been to resist getting frustrated and work on rewiring my brain. I try harder to be exact in my words.

If you are on the receiving end of corrections for your “off the top-of-your head” comments, try these strategies:

1.Give detailed-oriented people the benefit of a doubt. They can’t read the pictures in your brain so they 'correct' you as a way to clarify your statement so they can be crystal clear on your meaning.

2.Learn to slow the rate at which you speak to give your mind the time needed to find the most exact word for this situation.

3.Try pausing and organizing your thoughts before blurting out a response.

As I have interviewed individuals who make snappy responses to find out why the quick answer, I found that some want to be seen as responsive, others decisive, and still others as competent. They sometimes miss the point that a well-thought-out answer is worth a few seconds of silence before responding.

If you are the precisely right person and you actually know what your concept oriented friend meant, I recommend that you refrain from correcting your teammate and go with the flow unless absolute accuracy is demanded by the situation.

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      Patience is passion tamed.
       ~ Lyman Abbott