Welcome to the Wakefield Doctrine (the theory of clarks, scotts and rogers)
(I need to get this all down fast1, while the whole idea is still in my head.)
So I was preparing my 2nd coffee, thinking about the Doctrine and trying to find a thread or idea or premise or something to write a Post on this morning. I thought about:
- writing a July 4th Post (which, as we all know, as Thanksgiving is to rogers and Christmas is to clarks, is the scottian holiday2)
- writing a Post about travel and tourism, seeing how Christine just got back from Touring the Continent and Lizzi is planning a triumphant Tour of the Colonies and Joy recently was on a whirlwind Tour of New England (Tour Motto: “…why the hell are they talking so slow?!?! make them talk faster!! come on! you think we have all day?!?! Hell….Low!!! that ain’t so hard…jeez youse guys!”)
- writing a simple mid-week Post with a heavy promo of tomorrow’s Guest Post Thursday’s Guest Post, with a guest roger and all
- answering some of the Comment-questions left by Readers on Mon day
but, instead, the word ‘appetite’ got into my head.
Appetite, in the context of the Wakefield Doctrine, is kind of a shortcut term to reference the most very fundamental way all three personality types interact with their respective realities. In the case of this morning, I was thinking about scotts, specifically, but not really directly… here let me give you the actual situation that I was pondering: I have a vendor that is doing work for me on a couple of different properties. I need several things to be done right away, but the vendor is falling behind, schedulistically-speaking. So, this morning, I was anticipating my conversation with him later this morning, when I needed to find out why he is running behind and what he can do to get things done on time. (y’all know I’m a clark, right?3) in any event, when the conversation (in my head) got to his: “...hey! I’m trying as hard as I can, and you forgot to send me the age of the property” response, I felt stymied (in my efforts to pre-think the situation). Then I did what we all should do, (as Cyndi so rightly reminds us), I thought about the Doctrine and the three worldviews and how would a scott and a roger handle this situation. Naturally, my first thought was, scott, as they are the best job bosses.4
I realized that, while I could anticipate the resistance to my efforts to get him to hurry-the-hell-up, and I could even ‘know’ the best tack to take, I am not a scott. (This is where appetite comes in), you ever see a scott confront a hostile situation (or a joking situation or a romantic situation)? They are ‘in it to win it’ (eww! sorry for the trite, semi-stupid, used-by-rogers-pretending-they-are scottian, expression). The thing about interactions between people (negative or positive, doesn’t matter), is that there is ‘energy’ involved. Energy shared, energy offered, energy taken… a scott has an appetite for the energy of conflict. (The relationship of predator and prey is clearly as much an affair of energy as it is an exertion of the will of the dominant over the submissive.)
(damn! losing control of the topic…. I’ll be happy to answer questions following this presentation.)
…in any event, it occurred to me, (again), that not only do I need to learn the characteristic behavior of the three worldviews, but I must also recognize the appetites of clarks, scotts and rogers. Bearing in mind that the Doctrine maintains that, while we all have a predominant worldview, we never lose the potential/capacity to experience the world as do ‘the other two’. The appetite of ‘the other two’ is within us all and the development of our potential lies with these appetites.
…all while making coffee (instant coffee no less!) yes, and the benefit I got from this was this insight: ‘perhaps the reason I have, of late, been less inspired to write a Wakefield Doctrine post has to do with my clarklike appetite’!
…and that’s how it began.
1) grammar?!? we don need no steenkin’ grammar!
2) will write a Post about it Friday
3) no! I was totally thinking of any ‘new’ Readers
4) notice I did not use the word ‘manager’! If the word ‘manager’ means: effectively working with a group over a longer term, with shifting responsibilities and goals (and) support of individual team members even when the needs of the individuals appear to be in opposition to short-term goals… then scotts are not good managers…. they are great coaches (at least they were, back when it was considered the height of effect player management to: a) throw a folding chair (in the middle of the game) at a player, b) insist that frostbite is best treated by ‘running it off’ or c) Ownership/Faculty insist that the cheerleaders are issued lethal power tazers)
About clarkscottroger
huh?
no worries.
It’s not you.
It’s me.
oh, hey,
frist.
…speaking of ‘you not me’
lol
Hey (new) Readers!! the absurdly flexible and powerful Doctrine tool our friend zoe is wielding is based on the principle: ‘the Wakefield Doctrine is for you, not them’
(in the wonderful way of the Wakefield Doctrine, this can, in fact, be re-inflected to being ‘it’s them, not you’ (this being the advice to clarks being lashed-out at by rogers)
and a bunch of other uses…just ask!
…thank you zoe
Hey Man, I got dysfunctional down to an artform…
any time…
I got yer back.
lol yeah… the world don’t got clarks to kick around anymore*
*at least to the extent that they did previously, provided they read the Terms and Conditions of our (implied) Social Contract wherein we (clarks) seem to agree to being kicked, joked at, kick me signs stuck to our backs, thrown over for the attentions of a roger (a frickin roger! for cryin outloud) ignored, ridiculed and otherwise treated like a clark**
** what? is this thing on?
Frist!
Will share the Rogeriann Appetite soon.
Great post! I would be happy to help you with your grammar.
I make typos but I proper grammar is a part of my skill set from long ago. :)
You are right about the holidays!
I am very excited the 4th of July is coming up! Yay!
Yes, we like making things run well!
That combines conscious thinking and instinct at the same time.
jaeh
Michelle!!!! xox!!!
jean!
“I make typos but I proper grammar is a part of my skill set from long ago” – Hey, scott – you missed a bit ;)
Gameshow hosts – rogers and scotts. You never see a clark….do ya?
This is one scott you will never see enjoying conflict. I run and hide from conflict. However, I am terrific at being a leader of a project of some sort, because I am also a terrific delegator. Which WP insists is not a word. I come up with ideas. I get others to facilitate them. Win!
All that BEFORE you drank your coffee? Impressive! :)
My dad throws a huge 4th of July party with all the relatives. I love it! I even drive 6 hours to get there.
Can’t wait to hear how you got the guy to get the work done in a timely manner.
Wow! That’s happened before having caffeine? You just have to laugh!
(damn!) (thank you Lizzi for the prompt/reminder/or whatever) to include the ‘point’ of this mornings’ Post!
that business about all three have a characteristic appetite, is not the insight (at least not mine, this morning), rather it was that clarks have appetites too and perhaps there can be a state or condition during which our (own) drive to be ..something more, maybe this can have the effect of damping* or diminishing or repressing of our clarklike appetites! More significantly, this might be a factor in using the Doctrine to self-improve oneself!
(I repeat…) damn!
* the rogerian expression here would be to use the word: dampening… lol
What’s a clarklike appetite? Cuz I’m enjoying some coconut LaCroix and I never used to like those things…
I had a scott interaction the other day. It was that same 3rd grade teacher and she needed to talk to me about curriculum maps (which I noted) and I wanted to talk to her about formulating lessons AROUND her curriculum. She looks at me and says, “now THAT is a separate conversation and I need the curriculum maps ASAP.” And that’s all that happened. I sent her the maps, and she left the office. And I was like (to myself), but…we could HAVE HAD that second conversation right now! I didn’t say anything…didn’t feel like rousing the prey instinct. lol
lol and, in the final analysis, that is what will make the (deliberate) self-improving of ourslefs worth it all. A scott or a roger have advantages in that that is what they are, but not every situation is best approached from the scottian or rogerian or even, clarklike manner. I will stand by the goal of having my secondary and tertiary aspects developed to the point that I can ‘step into’ my secondary (or tertiary) at will and not be limited to only one set of strengths…
yeah, Denise also immediately recognized the significance of the concept of the nature of the clarklike appetite… how the hell have we not paid more attention before?! lol scotts appetite for the struggle, the hunt, the living life in the here and now; rogers: to connect, to become a part of the herd in a way that enhances the herd and therefore themselves …us, got to think about that one! lol to not be the Outsider I suspect we will be spending some time on this little puzzle
It was a “duh!” moment. Always talking about the scottian appetite…touching on the motivations (mechanations? lol) of rogers but the clarklike apetite? Yeah. Needs more discussion. Of course! Because now, I’m hungry for finding the “answer”!
Cyndi’s example of her encounter with a scott. Knowing the Doctrine made it easy to know to keep it short but implicit there is…again, how to engage a scott for our own (Cyndi’s) purpose and keep the scott “engaged”. It’s not just about the other person’s “appetite” but certainly developing our own.
Sorry if that sounds convoluted but I can’t be late for work!!!