Ted, the CEO of a small accounting firm tells his staff they can work remotely during COVID-19. While he’d prefer they be in the office, he realizes many of his people have small children and aging parents to care for. His empathy for them drives his decision. The team is happy. They all think Ted is a great boss.
Angie, the CEO of a small accounting firm tells her staff they must come into the office. While she knows many of them have pressing family issues, she is under pressure to keep new clients coming in and existing clients happy. Most of her clients prefer to come into the office using proper social distancing protocols and even though her staff is unhappy, Angie knows that life would be worse for her team if she had to go out of business. The team is unhappy. They think Angie should be more empathetic being that she’s a mom and elder-care giver.
So who is right? Who is the better boss?
Both of them of course! The difference is the frame of reference they each use to make decisions. The MBTI preferences of THINKING and FEELING.
Ted has a preference for FEELING which means he factors in emotions heavily as he decides. FEELERS tend to project themselves into others and decide based on what THEY would rather have.
Angie has a preference for THINKING which means she relies on data, numbers, and facts as she decides. THINKERS tend to be rational, and even in empathy, makes decision on what is right and fair, not necessarily what will be most popular.
Ted and Angie are both great bosses. Angie might not win a popularity contest between them but both have noble intentions. Ted wants to build morale. Angie wants her business to survive. Both are right and both are good. The gender issues seem to complicate this in most people’s minds because 2/3 of men usually identify as THINKING and 2/3 of women as FEELING. When gender stereotypes play in, it usually favors men. FEELING men are often seen as enlightened and open-minded while THINKING females might be referred to as cold and maybe even the “B” word.
But both are good.
So this week, think about your preference for making decisions. Which one are you? How is it working for you? What can you do to improve and communicate your decision-making process?