The Four Tendencies - Agile Recommends Becoming a Questioner

I'm going to take a break from blogging about one of my 60 until 60 goals, to blog about..  well..  my obsession with goals. According to Gretchen Rubin's "Four Tendencies" framework, I'm an "Upholder."

I've been a long-time fan of Gretchen Rubin's, especially her work on happiness. She's written several best sellers and co-hosts with her sister a super-popular podcast, Happier, that I listen to regularly, usually while I'm walking my self-imposed 10,000+ steps around my neighborhood.

I haven't missed a day in 2019 of walking at least 10,000 steps. If it's the end of the day, and I have less than 10,000 steps logged on my FitBit, I will pace back and forth in my bedroom if need be, until I get those precious 10,000 steps, setting off the celebratory 'virtual fireworks' from my FitBit. 

This is the type of quirky "goal crazy" person I've always been. I'm relentless about meeting my goals even when no one but me cares.  I mean, really... what's special about 10,000 steps (other than that's when the "fireworks" go off)? Does it really matter if I get 9000 one day? (In fact, I've had a few friends send me links to articles that tell me there's nothing magic about 10,000 steps, probably trying to 'cure' me of this weird obsessive behavior of mine.)

When Gretchen Rubin came out with her "Four Tendencies" framework, I discovered that this ultra-goal oriented behavior was associated with the "Upholder" personality.

A quick recap of the Four Tendencies from the site are:

Upholder: “I do what others expect of me—and what I expect from myself.” 

Questioner: “I do what I think is best, according to my judgment. If it doesn’t make sense, I won’t do it.” 

Obliger: “I do what I have to do. I don’t want to let others down, but I may let myself down.” 

Rebel: “I do what I want, in my own way. If you try to make me do something—even if I try to make myself do something—I’m less likely to do it.”

(Here's the quiz, if you'd like to discover what your tendency is.)

The Upholder personality has served me well throughout my life. I feel proud of all I've accomplished and that people can rely on me. When I say I'm going to do something, I do it. 

I've been labeled as "Type A" which I'm guessing is common of people with "Upholder" personalities, but I don't really like that label. In the world of Agile Leadership, there's literature that specifically says that Type A personality types do not make strong Agile Leaders because of their rigidity and rule-following ways. 

I once set a goal for myself to "be more of a Type B", but I didn't really define how I'd meet that goal. Not defining, achieving, or caring seemed very Type B to me, so.. maybe, in fact, I did achieve it! Yay! Uh oh... That's my Type A coming out again..  Such a conundrum.

In any case, I much prefer the "Upholder" label to the "Type A" label. 

As an Agile coach, I teach people to be Questioners, and have learned to become more of a Questioner myself.  Questioners won't blindly follow a checklist without understanding the reasoning behind why they're doing what they're doing.  

The Agile mindset promotes asking 'why' and then constantly be looking for ways to improve. Can the same objective be achieved in a better way?  As our world changes and we learn additional information, we need to be open to change and not so tied to our original solutions.

So, I need to ask myself 'Why do I walk 10,000 steps a day?" 

• It's good for my back and my health to walk.
• I want to be in a habit of daily walking.
• I enjoy the gamification with the FitBit and don't want to lose my "streak"
• It helps me meet my 2019 miles in 2019 "Run the Year" goal
• I feel good about exploring new places, hiking, and looking for new ways to "get my steps in"
• I'm able to listen to Podcasts, audiobooks, Pimsleur Spanish, or have walks with friends - all things I enjoy doing.
• I get outside every day

All these have been positive things that I enjoy. If one day I don't get in the full 10,000 steps, I'll be a little disappointed because my quirky Upholder self wants to say I did something "every day for a year." 

But the Questioner will recognize that the important thing is to get the health and wellness benefits, rather than focusing on getting at least 10,000 steps a day, so I'll tell the Upholder self to chill out and be a little more Type B.  And then I'll get a jolt of satisfaction that even though I missed a day of 10,000 steps I'm at least meeting my "be more of a Type B" goal!