Liz Strauss at Successful Blog

Thinking, writing, business ideas … You’re only a stranger once.

June 8, 2006

Knowing How People Think — As a Business Tool

ME Liz Strauss wrote this at 1:28 pm

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Hardly anyone is right brain or left brain only. Some of us lean heavily one way or the other.The side favored by most people is the left-brain. It’s also the side that schools spend time developing. Most of us, however, use both sides of our brain when we need them.

Here are some interesting facts about the brains of men and women.

Different not better is the key here.

Knowing about Thinking

We all have brains. It’s easy to assume that all brains workthe same like legs and arms do, but that’s just not so. Still we tend to think that people who think the way we do are smart . . . and those who don’t, well, they’re not.

Ever been called difficult when you were trying just to understand what people are talking about? Yeah, I have too. That’s what it feels like when you’re in a room of folks who don’t process the same as you do, and they don’t know that brains can work differently. It’s not fun. Is it?

Thinking is an important business tool. Knowing about thinking is even more important.

Knowing how my mind works is useful. Knowing that others don’t think as I do is more useful than that. It’s true. Some folks see things first. Some have to talk them through. Some need to think before they talk about ideas. Some need to build a model and look at it to describe what they’re thinking. Knowing that opens me up to a wealth of new perspectives and skills.

Extroverts think introverts aren’t smart because they don’t talk right away.
Introverts think extroverts aren’t smart because they don’t think before they talk.

Once we find out that other folks process differently — they get so much nicer. They magically stop being difficult, quit trying to thwart us at every turn. That opens up miles of room for discussion where cramped corners of controversy and conflict once stood.

Understanding that everyone processes in their own way is good personal branding. It’s the calling card of a leader and a great manager. More than that it’s a sign of a decent human being.

Imagine what might happen if that variety of thinking skills got channeled in one direction, and the humanity that allowed them to coexist actually caught on.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Thanks to:
Male-Female Brain Differences
Do women make better managers?

Related articles:
Right Brain Creative? Business Needs You





Filed under Analysis, Branding, Business Life, Productivity, Successful Blog |




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7 Comments to “Knowing How People Think — As a Business Tool”

  1. June 8th, 2006 at 7:18 pm
    Mayvelous said

    A nice reading for me Liz. Thx.
    The statement about Extrovert and Introverts, can you really determined yourself as one? You may be Extrovert to someone and introvert to a person more outgoing than yourself.
    So may be depending on the subject matter, situation and opposite interaction, you might become either extrovert and introvert. Am not sure, that’s what I think of myself.
    As for the part of “Do women make better manager?” I’m not sure. But one thing I’m sure is, I would rather work for a male manager than for a female.
    Women tend to be very picky and detail which is good in many things and also somewhat annoying in some situations. May be the guys might have different view one this.

  2. June 8th, 2006 at 7:26 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Mayvelous,
    Great to see you!
    They say that you have a preference for introverted or extroverted behavior and that it comes out when you’re under stress. Introverts seek to go think at times of stress. Extroverts seek people to talk to.
    Ithink that I am an introvert who has been trained to act like an extrovert — that’s why I get it wrong often enough.:)

    On the women bosses thing . . . I’m sad to say I’m with you on that. I have been since college.I tried several times with women bosses and still ended up in the same place. A study once came out like this.
    Four group were asked to rate their bosses from 1 to10. Three groups rated their boses evenly. One group did not. Here are the groups and the ratings.

    men working for men — 1 throught 10
    men working for women — 1 throught 10
    women working for men — 1 throught 10
    women working for women — 1, 2 or 9, 10

    Most interesting, don’t you think?

  3. June 16th, 2006 at 7:33 pm
    Successful Blog - Knowing How People Think As a Business Tool - Business Tool said

    [...] Successful Blog - Knowing How People Think As a Business Tool Thinking is an important business tool. Knowing about thinking is even more important. Knowing how my mind works is useful. Knowing that others don t think … [...]

  4. June 18th, 2006 at 1:58 pm
    Exec focuses on blogs as business tool | WTN - Business Tool Links said

    [...] Successful Blog - Knowing How People Think As a Business Tool Thinking is an important business tool. Knowing about thinking is even more important. Knowing how my mind works is useful. Knowing that others don t think … [...]

  5. July 18th, 2006 at 7:07 pm
    Successful Blog - A Silly Left Right Brain Test said

    [...] Related Articles Knowing How People Think — As a Business Tool Right Brain Creative? Business Needs You [...]

  6. September 15th, 2006 at 8:28 pm
    Successful Blog - 5 + 1 Habits that Make Good Things Happen for You said

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  7. February 12th, 2008 at 6:21 pm
    Terje said

    http://christianparty.net/brainsize.htm

    Eveybody knows that men are smarter than women :)

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