Problem solving
is different on Mars and Venus. Men tend to misunderstand women's relationship-oriented
problem solving style because they judge them according to the Martian ethos
of: doing it on your own. So if Beth is working on an assignment. She come
into to her boss Jim's office. She describes to Jim the problems with the
project and asks Jim what he thinks she should do. Jim offers her his answer.
Beth agrees that it is a good answer and leaves. Jim thinks that he provided
the answer very easily. Why couldn't Beth come up with on her own? Perhaps
she is not as smart or effective as he thought she was.
What Jim needs
to know is that Beth already knew the answer. On Venus it is important to
share and discuss problems and then ask what the other person thinks. On
Venus it is important to help the other person feel included. So Beth does
just that.
Jim needs to
keep this Venusian culture in mind when evaluating Beth. Also he can do
the following things to clarify the situation
1) When Beth
asks him for his opinion/solution, Jim should say, "Before I comment,
I want to hear your ideas or solutions."
2) Jim can also
let Beth know that he knows she wants to be inclusive and collaborative
with him. The best way that she can do that is to make sure that she present
her ideas and solutions to him so he knows what she can do on her own so
he can properly give her credit.
