Judging & Perceiving

How do you like to live your life?

Tick those that apply:

A- I like structure, schedules, order, and control
B- I like spontaneity, adaptation and responsiveness

A- I prefer a step by step, planned approach to my work
B- I prefer a flexible approach to my work

A- I often finish projects before the deadline
B- I often finish projects very close to the deadline, or afterwards

A- I like to work towards my targets in an orderly manner
B- I prefer to have the freedom and flexibility to explore ideas as I move towards my targets

A- I like to plan my holidays well
B- I may have a plan for my holidays, but often don’t stick to it

A- I don’t enjoy last minute pressure
B- I don’t mind, or even thrive on, last minute pressure

A- I am decisive and deliberate
B- Making decisions and sticking to them makes me anxious

A- I like to plan my work and work my plan
B- I prefer a “wait and see” attitude

A- I am uncomfortable with change and ambiguity
B- I embrace change

A- I often make decisions as soon as possible
B- I tend to defer judgments, and sometimes find it hard to come up with a decision

A- I like roles to be clear and definite at work
B- I become frustrated by strict working roles, rules and routines

People with a Judging preference answer mostly A’s, while those with a Perceiving preference answer mostly B’s.

What does it mean?

The terminology for this function can be confusing: “Judging” and “Perceiving”. People with a Judging preference are not necessarily judgemental. What it means instead is people who like to draw conclusions (judgments) on any subject. People with a Perceiving preference have a tendency to perceive – to keep collecting new information, rather than to draw conclusions.

Judging versus Perceiving preferences is the most significant source of tension at work.

“Judgers” tend to drive “Perceivers” up the wall with their need for closure, structure and decision making. While Perceivers get on their nerves with their tendency to work up to the deadline and still being in “information gathering” stage; then finish things up in a burst of energy.
If you are still unsure, go through the boxes below, and see which one applies to you most. Don’t just focus on what you do at work – this can be misleading. Rather think of what you’d do on a holiday, where you don’t have the pressure to act in a certain way.

J – “Just do something”

Closing, completing, deciding
Schedule, organize, plan
Dislike time pressure
Trust experience

P – “Let’s Wait and see”

Open to options, continue taking info
Spontaneous, adaptable
Energised by last min pressure
Trust inspiration

What’s your preference? What do you find frustrating about people with a different preference? What can you learn from them? How does it affect your work?

A fresh chapter starts here

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