In today’s technology era, there have come to be leaders who are very detail oriented, very doubtful and skeptical, but also loose as a goose and down to earth. This leader does not put on airs and likes being one of the crew. This is not the person who insists on everyone wearing formal dress to work and who accepts you in tattered bluejeans if you can do the job. I’ve known several who have a mini basketball hoop in the office for a quick escape from work tension. This leader can make people laugh and come off as ‘one of the good guys’. With an accepting manner, a great sense of humor, and an ability to give constructive criticism without making others feel lower than dirt, this is a popular leader.
This leader pauses a lot , sometimes stutters then speaks very quickly, makes gestures to illustrate, and will be self depreciating to make others feel at ease. What a boss! This leader is never described as ‘mean’ or ‘cruel’. I have even know many of them who have funny blow up illustrations to make their points to team leaders and pass out silly award cards. This is the boss who runs around the office with a Santa Claus hat at Christmas and many of the meetings they conduct are zany and funny while making very serious points. Here’s the bottom line. Employees like this leader. Employees will follow the leader when the Doubting Thomas points the way.
So what’s the problem, you say. This person is destined to zoom to the top from the get go, right? Oops. Did I forget to mention there are few little negatives to work out for this person? Well, come on. It’s never that easy. Underneath the doubtful leader is always wondering if he or she will be ‘found out’ to be not as capable or certain as others might think. They sense that there is a gap in their knowledge, something they have not considered, some detail which has been overlooked. Therefore, this person is full of self doubt but people do not sense this.
Detail, detail, and more detail is needed to make good decisions. Therefore every possibility must be explored, checked, rechecked, and then there is still skepticism. When you work for this leader, you will be asked question after question, tested as to how well you know your subject, and asked for just one more set of information before things move forward.
Another think to note about this leader is it’s best if there is a positive atmosphere around because if this boss gets negative, negativity tends to continue. If there is a screw up, if a detail is missed, if a project goes south because someone didn’t input the right information, this jokester can get nasty. No longer the friendly, soothing, encouraging person, this leader will tell you flat out how you screwed up, how you’d better not do it again, and how you really reflected badly on the team. But lucky for you, you aren’t working for the Boss who would fire you on the spot and boot you out the door.
This leader doesn’t show you he or she is under pressure but under the calm veneer, there is a lot of frustration and second guessing. You will know this is happening when this leader gets up, walks to the water cooler, gets a cup of coffee, whistles, then looks very serious. Then you know there will be a lot of procrastination about things getting moved along because this overthinker is bogged down and can’t make a decision.
That’s when you as the employee come to the aid of your leader. You roll your sleeves up and try to research every tiny bit of information which could add to the problem solving process. Be prepared to answer every question asked of you and don’t be vague and unsure. Be confident and sure of your facts (and this better be true) and ask if there is any more detail you can find. Also it won’t hurt to make a quick little quick joke or play on words to lighten things up a bit. Draw a smiley face and keep it on your desk. Do not ask more questions, encourage doubt, or say that things need to checked one more time. It is flirting with disaster because if you even mention a possibility of misgiving, you will have to run through the whole process again, not just once either. All in all, be brief, to the point, smile a lot, and do a good job and this leader will like and respect you.
Now what about you if you are an Overthinker Leader? You are a double doubter who always is thinking there is a bit of information missing to solve the puzzle. You tend to ask too many questions and then doubt what you hear. You get a little obsessive compulsive about things and focus too much on the ‘what ifs’. You go into too much detail often times and lose your audience. That’s when you have to bring your inner joker out and break the tension. Sometimes you are so accommodating of others that you add additional burdens on yourself and this gets you in trouble with your family who want you home when the work day is done. You work best when you work no more than 50 hours a week because you are so intense that you get more done than other people who would need 70 hours to do the same work. Remember, you are most effective and get people working their butts off for you when you are loose as a goose, less formal, and relaxed.
If you are an Overthinker Leader, you may have a hard time playing hardball with other leaders if their personalities are overwhelming and intimidating. You don’t like to fight and argue like some of the other intense Leaders. Reasoning is good, you say, but screaming gets you nowhere. On the other hand, you don’t want to let others get the idea that you are a pushover who will back down. Even though it’s against your nature, sometimes you have to play very hard ball and let people know you are a force to be reckoned with. If you want to stay the leader, remind everyone occasionally who is running the show.
Keep using your humor and easy way with people to get a lot done. Once you have gotten enough information (and you have to get to that point sooner than later), move forward and accept you have made a decision. Doubting and double doubting will only hurt you in your role as a leader. Remember, those who work for you want to be sure you have a real sense of direction. Your personality affect how people react to you so let them see you as a ‘decider’ who has the facts, Jack.
Here’s my question to you reading about the Overthinker Leader. Have I hit it on the head and do you work for a person like this? If you are an Overthinker Leader, e mail me about how you have used your personality to get big things done and keep all your followers on your side.