Two Kinds of People

Why do some people fixate on details that seem irrelevant to you? Why do others jump quickly to patterns and possibilities? And why can a decision that seems perfectly logical to one person feel completely wrong to someone else? In this solo episode, Brian uses the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to explore two particularly useful personality distinctions: Sensing vs. Intuition and Thinking vs. Feeling. These preferences describe how people tend to take in information and how they tend to make decisions. Understanding these differences can increase self-awareness, reduce frustration in relationships, and make coaches more effective by helping them recognize when they are unconsciously expecting clients to process information and decisions the same way they do. Key Ideas & Takeaways There really are different ways of processing the world. Brian opens with a conversation with his longtime friend Travis about a thorn in his thumb. Travis wanted to know exactly what kind of plant the thorn came from; Brian could not understand why that detail mattered. The exchange illustrates how differently two people can naturally gather information. Sensing and Intuition describe how we prefer to take in information. Sensing tends to focus on facts, details, experience, and concrete evidence. Intuition tends to focus on patterns, possibilities, connections, meaning, and what could be. Neither approach is better. Each notices things the other can easily miss. Our own preference can feel like common sense. Because we have spent a lifetime processing information in a particular way, it can be difficult to understand why another person doesn't see what seems obvious to us. Thinking and Feeling describe how we prefer to make decisions. Thinking tends to emphasize logic, consistency, and what makes the most sense. Feeling tends to emphasize values, people, relationships, and the human impact of a decision. Feeling is not the same thing as being emotional, and Thinking does not mean being uncaring. Different decision-making styles strengthen communities. Logic matters, but so do shared values and the impact decisions have on people. Healthy families, teams, churches, and organizations benefit from both perspectives. Coaches need awareness of their own preferences. Coaching frequently involves helping people gather information and make decisions. A coach who assumes the client should process those things the same way the coach does can unintentionally limit the conversation. The opposite preference can generate powerful coaching questions. A coach might invite a strongly Sensing client to consider patterns or possibilities, or ask a strongly Thinking client to consider how a decision fits the values of the people affected. The goal isn't to change the client's preference but to expand what they are able to consider. Assessments should create awareness, not pigeonhole people. Myers-Briggs describes preferences rather than limitations. Knowing a preference can help explain differences without turning personality type into an excuse or rigid label. Brian closes by introducing CAM 509: Coaching and Assessments, beginning September 22, 2026, an eight-week course exploring assessments and how coaches can use them effectively. Memorable Quotes & Ideas "I think the easiest recognition of this is when I'm around somebody who I don't understand." "You are really going to assume that everybody takes in information and makes decisions like you do—and that they should." "I see patterns before I see specifics." "Feeling isn't about being emotional." "I process differently would be a better way of saying that." "As I'm coaching, I want to try to set aside my own biases and preferences toward how I take in information and how I make decisions." "There are options out there that you have not considered."