Issue 5: "Isn’t the moon big tonight!!"
Imagine a beautiful star lit summer evening. A full moon hangs in a clear sky. As the warm breeze gently blows and the crickets sing, a couple in love sit on a bench quietly gazing up into the sky all around them.
“Isn’t the moon big tonight!!” says the man. “It’s as if it has come closer just to give us a glorious view... you could almost reach up and touch it!”
After a brief pause the woman says, “Well, actually it’s no bigger than it always is. It’s not closer either. There are a couple quite interesting theories as to why people think it is, but no one knows. It’s a mystery that has puzzled great thinkers for centuries.”
“Oh... right” says the man.
And they say romance is dead! Well, true love never runs smooth and so this is the topic we will discuss in this edition of Colour-Bites; the little understood dynamic of Carl Jung’s irrational function of sensing and intuition, which explains:
- how we perceive and make sense of our world
- how we use and process the information we take in
- often how we go about problem solving
For some people the way they perceive the world is pretty grounded and they tend to be interested in actualities and the present. They may appear to others as very clear and practical. What they consciously take in through their senses is what is real and trustworthy.
People who have a preference for what Jung called sensing find systems and order in work and life come naturally to them and they instinctively ask questions like “So how does that work?”, “ What do you mean exactly”, “Could you give me an real example” and “How will that affect (this other) area?”
“Sensation perceives things are they are and not otherwise.” (Jolande Jacobi, 1962)
All 4 colours (read more here) can have a preference for sensing. However when combined with strong introversion (High Green and Blue together) sensing is strongest.
For others the way they perceive the world is much more about possibilities and they tend to be more interested in the future. They may appear to others as innovative as they often listen more easily to their 6th sense and trust in these subconscious ‘hunches’ and flashes of insight and inspiration.
People who have a preference for what Jung called intuition (N) find that often in work and life they dislike routine and instinctively ask, “So what?”, ” What does this mean”, “What’s next?” , and “ How will things change?”
“Intuition perceives… through its capacity for unconscious inner perception of inherent potentialities of things” (Jacobi, 1962)
All 4 colours can have a preference for intuition. However when combined with strong extroversion (High Red and Yellow together) intuition is strongest.
You can see this difference in styles on TV with two of the UK's favourite celebrity chefs.
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For Delia...
...for Jamie |
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These different approaches cause misunderstanding and splits between people and teams. Judgements about others' thinking and behaviour are often made.
At work especially in meetings, problem solving, reviews and strategy design intuitives want to look at the big picture, find new solutions and move forward creatively and freely, while sensates see a diagnostic and step by step process as the way to go.
In these situations, often seen by the opposite those with a preference for sensation are seen as; nit picking, boring, stuck in the mud, slow and unimaginative.
And those with a preference for intuition (N) as; woolly, far-fetched, inaccurate, head in the clouds, all over the place and dangerous.
More positively we can list the characteristics as follows:
Sensation: Specific, practical, down to earth, persistent, keenly observant… they see the specific dimensions that get to the heart of things!
Inituition: Imaginative, insightful, inspirational, innovative, inventive (all the ins!)… they make the out of the box call or perspective that creates something new and exciting!
While it may sound like our couple’s evening could be doomed, what we have here could be a great case of complementary opposites attracting. These different ways of looking at things could be what makes people who differ in style become a great team.
So our advice is to understand, value and use the strengths of the different approaches, be aware of your own and others’ preferences and do your best to meet the needs of both types at work.
If your colleagues and/or situation need more Sensation
- Talk about the present
- Put things in context
- Show people examples, let them touch and experience things wherever you can
- Show the different stages
If your colleagues and/or situation need more Intuition
- Give the big picture
- Run with ideas
- Avoid saying ‘yes, but…’
- See opportunities, not problems
In conclusion; always seek to understand and not judge.
Take responsibility for your own reaction to situations and behaviour and try to affect it positively! if you want to find out about your preference please contact us.
And are we saying that Jamie and Delia would make a good couple? Well...maybe ;-)
“It all depends on how we look at things, and not how they are in themselves.”
Carl G Jung
"I got different strokes for different folks"
Cassius Clay, 1966
Best regards
Marcus
Director
“Every advance, every achievement of mankind, has been connected with an advance in self awareness.”
C. G. Jung, Psychological Reflections
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