When it comes to the ways we go about making decisions and carrying out tasks and responsibilities, people can be divided into two distinct types: structured and pressure prompted.
Structured types tend to make decisions rather quickly, schedule events and projects on their calendars, and create daily and/or weekly to-do lists. Pressure prompted people, on the other hand, might make to-do lists but are far less likely to actually follow them. Rather than scheduling too many activities on their calendars, pressure prompted types prefer to be more flexible with their time and take a more relaxed view of life.
Structured people crave closure while pressure prompted folks want to keep their options open and continue to gather additional information. While structured types will generally work fairly consistently towards a goal, pressure prompted individuals prefer to wait until the last minute—thus their name. This last minute pressure is generally unnerving for structured types, but it provides a burst of energy and clarity of vision to those who work best when they’re under the gun.
Both types have their pluses and minuses. The following are some strengths and weaknesses associated with each type:
Structured
- Task oriented and resists procrastination.
- Able to organize data and follow through.
- Makes plans and keeps on track..
- Will make decisions and act on them.
- May become impatient with information gathering.
- May make decisions prematurely.
- May prejudge issues and limit opportunities.
- May appear too rigid and inflexible.
Pressure Promted
- Takes a creative & innovative approach to life.
- Can stay open to all aspects of a problem or task.
- Remains flexible and adaptable.
- Spontaneously takes advantage of opportunities.
- May spend too much time gathering information.
- May delay coming to a decision and lose out.
- May appear unfocused without goals and plans.
- May appear too flexible and fragmented.
So the next time you have a big decision to make, it might be helpful to ask a friend whose style is opposite of yours. She could provide insight, additional feedback and a entirely different way to weigh your options.
