Question

A “waffler” and how to handle that characteristic. Is this person’s characteristics associated with right, left, or neither brain dominance and why? •What would you do to guide the person to improve in their decision making process?

Answer 1

A waffler is a person who suffers from indecision. As a result he changes his mind frequently . These kind of people are difficult to deal with especially in a situation which requires teamwork as he jeopardises activities and slows down the project . Even if such an individual is in a client facing role his indecision can cause a company to lose a client. The right and left brain has to work in tandem for a person to make a decision . In case of a waffler , the brain does not work in tandem, so he is unable to take a decision quickly.

Such a person especially in a corporate scenario needs to be dealt with a lot of patience . The first thing to do is to make the person feel accepted and a part of the team. A waffler is likely to make less mistakes if he trusts his boss and colleagues. If he is accepted in the team he is less likely to make a mistake. The reporting manager needs to create a strong professional bond with the person and ask him about hobbies ,interests and so on . This will help in building the trust .

The reporting manager needs to communicate duties and expectations very clearly to the waffler to ensure that they are on the same page . It is even better to document the same and provide a copy to the person so that it serves as a reminder. Also he should be encouraged to seek help for even the simplest of queries without ridicule.

In a team playing activity the indecisiveness of the waffler may upset or irritate other team members .In such a case the role in the team that the waffler needs to play has  to be explained to him very clearly at the beginning of the project . Also the consequences of his wrong actions need to be categorically communicated to him .

To conclude a waffler needs to be treated with a lot of sensitivity and handheld to ensure they are successful .Usually wafflers are people pleasers and avoid conflict situations and tend to stick with an organisation for a longer period.