Handling Blue Personalities in Urgent Situations
Erikson describes Blue personalities as careful workers who may become more deliberate under pressure. His advice is to explain the deadline, agree on priorities, and give concrete reasons for changing pace.
THE IDEA
Rome Wasn't Built in a Day!
Haste is only for sloppy people. We can tell Blues to hurry up, but it goes in one ear and out the other. Speed isn't an end in itself. Oftentimes, Blues slow down even more when they're feeling stress, since in a high-stakes situation you really don't have time to make mistakes. Better to be careful to avoid time-consuming fixes.
This may be true, but sometimes things are urgent, particularly in our fast-paced society—hurry to work, hurry at work, hurry home from the same job. Hurry in school, in traffic, in the supermarket—everywhere, everything is urgent. I don't encourage any form of behavior that may lead to stress-related illnesses. But sometimes you have to speed up in order to stay in the race. Outwardly, the Blue is quite unmoved. He works at his own pace without worrying that those around him may burn out from their more hectic pace. They actually have themselves to blame.
Conclusion: Calmly and methodically tell the Blue that next week he'll need to work at a faster pace. Explain exactly why this is so important. Establish that you have only forty-eight hours left to complete the project. This time is precious and must be used correctly. Point to the big picture. Give him valid reasons he should go against his instincts.
You can readily prove your point by highlighting the long-term plan: "We must stay on track or we'll miss our next deadline." If, for example, you're talking about renovating your house, it might be helpful to negotiate in advance when everything will be ready. If the in-laws are arriving in four weeks, then the house must be done by then no matter what. Calculate how many hours can be devoted to the renovations. Decide which activities should be given priority. Make sure the Blue sticks to his schedule and keeps moving forward once he's completed each task. Otherwise, the risk is that he will spend five hours polishing the finer details—time that he doesn't have.
If you have all the time in the world, well, that's another matter.
When to use it
Renovating a home under a strict deadline (e.g., before guests arrive)
Completing a critical work project with a tight schedule
Motivating a thorough but slow team member during a product launch
Managing time-sensitive tasks with a methodical personality in an educational setting
FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE
In practice
Renovating the house before the in-laws arrive
With in-laws arriving in four weeks, agree on which renovation tasks must be finished before the visit. Estimate the available time, prioritize the work, and decide how much detail each task warrants.
Meeting a project deadline
When a project has only 48 hours left, calmly explain the urgency to the Blue, point to the big picture and long-term plan (e.g., 'We must stay on track or we'll miss our next deadline'), and give valid reasons for speeding up.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Put it to work.
How can you effectively communicate urgency to a methodical personality like a Blue without causing counterproductive stress?
What specific reasons or long-term consequences would motivate a Blue to work faster in a high-stakes situation?
Reflect on a recent situation where you needed to rush someone who works slowly and carefully. How might the approach described here have helped?
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
Source texts
- Surrounded By Idiots (Thomas Erikson)