Understanding Your Personality and Mindset - Lesson 8

Dr. Chuck Coker
Understanding Your Personality and Mindset
pc312-08
Working With Objective Mindset Individuals
Lesson Transcript

[00:00:00] Let's start digging into the mindsets. And the first group that we're going to focus on is the objective mindset. And the objective mindsets, if you'll remember from our introduction, is how we approach tasks and get things done. And we all have an approach to that because we all have things that needs to get done. But each of us are going to approach the little bit differently based on those mindsets.

[00:00:34] So let's look at number one. They are driven by learning. Their goal is to acquire as much knowledge, understanding and mastery in their subject areas as possible. You're probably also going to find them in Trivial Pursuit games. They love having that information or sitting by the television watching Jeopardy! Because they love being an expert. They love having knowledge simply for the fact of having knowledge. However, most of them think that if I learn this now, I'll be able to use it at some point in their lifetime. They love research, analysis and systematizing things because that helps them make sense out of what's going on. They will dig in to systems, bringing many different pieces and components together that actually interconnect, and that's how their brain works and that's how they see knowledge being used in the future. They focus on effectiveness. Now, that's going to be different when we look at our next mindset. So I want you to remember effectiveness is getting something done properly. So their action is to share information, quote statistics and use reference materials. They are going to do that non-emotionally. And they're so motivated to do it that way they may seem very cool and very arrogant because they can quote statistics. They need to know something. Therefore, they're going to ask a lot of questions.

[00:02:32] They're going to want to know how did things work. But it's not always academic. They may want to find out how to screw boards into a deck. They may want to know how to tie a fly for fly fishing. They may want to know how much color to put on a woman's hair to make it a different color. And they will research, and they will read, and they will do whatever is necessary to get that done.

[00:03:13] So here's a little tip. Just listen to them because they're going to say things like, you know, I was reading the other day or let me get back to you on that. What they're really saying is, I don't know, but I will find out. And also give me a minute, we'll get it together. Because they don't want to put themselves in a place of stress. Why? Because a mindset has both strengths and weaknesses. And they want to know that there is nothing new for them to learn or discover about a post, about a specific subject. You see to them things can become mundane or repetitive. That's why their brain is always searching. 

[00:04:16] So what do they do? When they get bored, they probably go to Google, type in something and find that it has 1,433,619 different aspects. And let me tell you something about them. You and I may look at the first three or four things, but they go to the first three or four pages and look through there to identify if there's anything out of whack because they don't want to be fooled. That's why they withdraw to think and even may appear antisocial. Let me give you an example. How many of you have walked in on a spouse or friend and they're deeply engrossed in something and they say, I'll get to you in a minute. I'll get to you in a minute. They're not really anti-social, so don't get emotional with them. They're just trying to get done and they're trying to get it done right. 

[00:05:23] So this group of people can often collide with other people. How do they do that? Well, the other objective mindset is the utilitarian. And the utilitarian is going to say you're too slow to methodical. Just give me something to work with. After all, 90% effective is good enough for 2 hours work. If you spend 10 hours and get to 92%, it's not going to make that much difference. However, on the other hand, those subjective people that are impacted by situations and circumstances are going to appear too detailed about situations and circumstances. And this person doesn't want to worry about all of the things going on around it. They just want the data. When we get to the belief people there may be a collision also if these people do not appear like they're caring about doing things the way that is proper. So those collisions are going to occur. But here's the good thing, and I want to emphasize this, because it's very important. People with the same mindset will get along almost regardless of a person's behavior, because if they are in mental alignment, if their nurture is the same, they're going in the same direction and that's where they want to be. And they will make an exception for somebody that's a little bit slower, a little bit faster, talks a little bit more, talks a little bit less because they're headed towards the same objective. 

[00:07:26] So how do we use these people in our church or our ministry? Well, the first thing you want to remember is that they want to preserve the quality of the ministry. It's not about quantity, it's about quality. So they're going to focus on things like apologetics and teaching and theological accuracy. And they're going to want to make sure that the administration and organization of the church is run properly. 

[00:08:01] So if they're going to be in your ministry surrounding, how do you communicate with them? Here's the key. Show them what they need to know. Knowledge is critical for these people. Point them to resources that will affirm their thoughts or help broaden the information that they need to know. But most of all make logical and rational statements. Don't give them conjecture because it will have an impact on their opinion of you. Point them to the research. Don't tell them. So they are going to find a place in the church, to where they may actually question the pastor or teacher and ask questions about doctrine. They'll wait until that pastor's free, finished shaking his hands and doing those things. But they want to have an answer. What kind of tasks should they be doing? Well, they can provide the bulletin, help with the finance committee and even ensure proper head counts during the church service. But they want to be able to make sure that there is order.

[00:09:36] So pull out your profile now and look at your score. Because if your scores between 60 and 70, you are very strongly objective and you thrive on learning often and will actually avoid people and distractions in order for you to focus. If your score is between 49 and 59, your objective mind is one that relishes times of learning to help improve your competence. If it's 42 to 48, you tend to enjoy the learning process and use it as a tool to achieve your objectives. With 31 to 41, you're going to want to conform to structure, systems and procedures where there are little niches of interest. If it's 16 to 30, you may not work well with highly structured systems and procedures, and you're definitely not concerned about the specifics unless it's very close to your heart. If it's 1 to 15, you're very adverse to highly structured systems and procedures that often overlook specifics or knowledge that's required. Now look at your results and circle the area where your score is so that you'll have a better understanding of where your focus is and how important this is to you. 

[00:11:22] Next, I want to cover some concepts about the theoretical mind that are extremely important. Let's talk about, first of all, power. Knowledge is power to a high theoretical person. What about passion? They love to solve problems, systematize, differentiate and use that intellectual process. When do they exceed their limits? When practicality is neglected or truth placed above personal safety. Now, how do stress one of these people out? When you take away their ability to learn and discover. What about getting a point across to them? Through problem solving processes and the discovery of truth.

[00:12:26] Now, where will you find them in your ministry? You'll find them doing research, teaching, marketing, law, science, computer science. Any area that requires that attention to detail. They're driving forces to use their brainpower, that cognitive ability to understand, discover and systematize truth. You see, their goal is the discovery of knowledge, understanding and mastery. So what I want you to understand at this point is the fact that if you have a lower theoretical score, that's okay. You are probably just a bit more instinctive rather than running to the first book store or Google to look for answers. So that's okay. God made some of us more instinctive than other people. And that's all right.

[00:13:37] Let's look at the resources that a theoretical brings to the table because they have a passion for grasping how God works in and through the processes of life. They're constantly searching for revelation and knowledge because they want to focus on established truth and wisdom from the Scripture and from the Holy Spirit. However, like everybody, they have liabilities because they're slow to change with little progressive thought. One of the mantras that you might hear from them is if it ain't broke, don't fix it. They prefer to dwell on the established doctrines and principles that they learned either while they were growing up or what they have ascribed to most recently. They will not want to deviate from established rules or what is tradition.

[00:14:45] Now, let's think about how did they actually want to serve. They want to show and ensure that the focus is maintained and the quality of a ministry remains intact. And they'll do that through apologetics and journal accuracy. So they will focus administratively and organizationally in your ministry. But the spiritual needs are there, too, because the higher the theoretical the less, they will be able to understand the freedom of kingdom life. In other words, they're going to have a hard time grasping all things are permissible but not all things are beneficial in first Corinthians six and ten. So they need to focus on the group and the people, not just the details. 

[00:15:56] So what are the key points we want to remember about the high theoretical? They love acquiring knowledge through reading, research, analytics and becoming a master of the book of Acts or whatever they want to in their private time. You'll catch them reading often. They're very systematic, very logical thinkers who like to connect the dots and put pieces together. As far as a rewarding ministry is concerned, they love teaching apologetics and focusing on getting things done administratively. So when you communicate with them, make sure that you are logically illustrating a problem. In other words, what they need to know and what the potential resources are to help them solve the problem.