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“It’s common to characterize people as ‘thinkers’ or ‘feelers’.”

A thought by John Townsend from his book, Leading From Your Gut (p. 50). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

I’ve heard that and I’m sure you have too but is it right?

John says, “Thinkers are known for their logical and data-driven take on the world. Feelers are likely to be seen as emotionally and relationally intelligent. Although these characterizations can certainly be true and helpful in some ways, identifying yourself as exclusively one or the other isn’t an asset when it comes to leadership. In fact, it’s actually a deficit. Neurologically, human beings are not designed to be thinkers or feelers, but thinkers and feelers. While everyone has a preference and tends to lean more toward one or the other, leaders who identify themselves and behave as either thinkers or feelers aren’t operating at their full capacity.”

He goes on, “The reality is that your heart has a brain, and your mind has a gut. Whatever your preference may be, you don’t have the option to ignore the other one, or—and this is a leadership disease—to delegate it to someone else. The best leaders integrate their thinking: they develop and rely on both their heart and their mind.”

John also says, “Good leaders place a high value on thinking clearly and well. Most spend a great deal of time thinking, in all sorts of contexts. Sometimes it is alone in a room, reflecting. Sometimes it is in a decision-making meeting with colleagues. Sometimes it is an instant, under-the-gun process. But thinking is critical.

“Thinking is an internal activity. When you consider whether or not one of your direct reports is in the right place for her talents, you are thinking. When you shift resources to a different area in the marketplace, that is thinking as well. When you consider what study materials to use with your small group in the next quarter, that is thinking. Just as with your values, your thoughts are part of what it takes to be a leader who looks inside and finds many things that are needed in order to achieve the best results.”

He then says, “… thinking—the reasoning part of your life and leadership—is critical and central to your work. That is why leading with intuition also includes reason. You learn about your mind by using your mind. The apparatus you are working with is also what you are observing. The apparatus you are observing is also the apparatus you are observing it with! I say this not as a matter of trivia but because I want you to be aware that your thoughts aren’t always the right thoughts because your mind is fallible. I see too many leaders who never question their thoughts or their mental tendencies and quirks, and their leadership suffers. So be aware that your mind can make mistakes—not just in the decisions it makes but in the way it actually makes those decisions. The more you know about your thinking patterns, the better equipped you are to lead well.”

And that is what we want, we want to be equipped to lead well, don’t we? 

Yes, yes!

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