Judgers and Perceivers

This is the final part of our blog celebrating our differences and today we are talking about Judgers and Perceivers. This dimension affects in the way we approach so much of life. Even in the way Jacolien and I have written this blog our differences have been very obvious.  

Judging and Perceiving relate to the way we approach organising our time. As always we want to start by saying  all personality preferences are a gift. Sharing this was the goal of this series and we do hope it will be what stays with you.

So to explore the final dimension……

What does it mean to be a Judger?

Judgers are people who are focussed on the end goal. They want to get things decided. They are the completer finishers. The way they approach life is structured and scheduled and they like to know what they will be doing ahead of time. 

What does it mean to be a Perceiver?

Perceivers tend to focus their attention on information gathering and generating options. They are flexible and spontaneous. The way they approach life is open to change and they like to know that they have options about what they will be doing next. 

What is it that we celebrate about Judgers?

I, ( Sharon ) am a Perceiver and extremely grateful for all what the Judgers in my life have to offer.  Because Judgers are not focussed around continually gathering new information and perspectives they are often helpful in a complex situation where there is a plethora of perspectives and details . They are able to cut out extraneous information and see a direct route through the issue. They bring simplicity when there is a potential for complexity.

Judgers are also able to quickly work out how to delegate tasks to a team and can create a time line for a project with timed goals along the way. Whilst I can do this as a  Perceivers ( with a Sensing preference … See our intuitive sensing blog ), I observe my Judger friends naturally and seemingly effortlessly organise what needs to be done when and by who. 

Judgers are also very good at managing time and seem to have an innate clock that means they know how long things will take and are usually ahead of schedule. 

They love to plan so when you have the same goals as a Judger it can be really helpful that they will want to come up with a plan to make your shared goals come to fruition whether that be a holiday, a party or a work project.

We've asked also Mark, Jacolien's spouse, and one of the things he has learned from Jacolien's Judging preference is to plan things in his private life. It was expected that he would plan in a professional context but now he is able to make more timely decisions at home.

What is it that we celebrate about Perceivers?

I, Jacolien, have learned to appreciate Perceivers which is particularly good as Mark who I have been married to for almost 25 years is a Perceiver! He brings breadth and can come up with things that I would not have thought of. Because they are focussed on information and ideas and so they are great to sit down with at the beginning of a project to start planning with lots of ideas and data.

Because Perceivers are flexible they tend to be relaxed and I have learned that I can be more relaxed even about deadlines. However, when a perceiver shares my goal and is serious about  a deadline we both know needs to be met, they will often pull things together quickly at the end and make sure we meet it even if last minute problems occur. They are great to have on team when a deadline is looming.

The fact that they wait to make a final decision sometimes means that really important information comes to light in time to influence what we achieve. As they are focussed on enjoying the moment Perceivers can bring a spontaneity and fun to everyday tasks. Their flexibility means often they are approachable and will put their agenda aside to connect with others or attend to an immediately pressing task.

Well speaking for myself (Jacolien), being married to Mark who as I’ve said is a Perceiver has meant I’ve come to realise that changing a plan is not the end of the world and sometimes is necessary and a good thing. In terms of my character living with and loving a Perceiver has developed my patience!

Questions for reflection:

• Do you think you are a Perceiver or an Judger? What can you celebrate about that?

• Who do you know who is your opposite? How can you appreciate what they bring? How will you communicate that appreciation to them?

So this is the end of our blog series on celebrating differences. We hope you have enjoyed it and are enjoying discovering the differences. 

What do you may find helpful for us to look at in future blogs? Just let us know and leave a comment here or on our Facebook page.

Thanks!