The skeptic manager or leader can many times be stubborn, demanding, disruptive, rebellious, and depending on the manager’s desired result and where a request emanates from, thinking managers can be disagreeable even antisocial.
They often times are seen to take charge, they are aggressive, occasionally combative. They are susceptible to feelings and can be self-absorbed.
Although skeptics have strong personalities they can exhibit sometimes frivolous traits. During your presentation for instance, a skeptic might intentionally decide to show disinterest or reduce your allotted appointment time, interrupt you for non-emergencies, and since you are trying to convince someone who does not believe in you, the opposition you encounter from them is slightly more personal than it is business.
Whereas thinkers are simply following recognizable patterns of logical solutions, the skeptic is biased to feelings. Hence it stands to reason that you will be accepted if you have or exhibit traits the skeptic can recognize in themselves.
In researching your presentation for a project, clients with similarities in product line, budget size, geographical location, can be if they have had any track record in successfully using your ideas. And when a skeptic has found contrary to their earlier stance after your discussion that they can gain from your Ideas do not gloat, provide considerable reasons why they may not have easily angered with you earlier and be certain you clearly state you will like them to provide you with a decision.
In some settings your decision maker is also your colleague who is on a horizontal line with you, so if you have to tell a skeptic that they are wrong, you run the risk of causing deliberate delays to a potentially positive response along with hostility.
Therefore, take notes with time and dates, if you have associates at a meeting or presentation, request in advance for corroboration of specific positions and maybe figures, be subtle. And just when you thought a skeptic was out to get your ideas derailed and buried, their response maybe surprisingly prompt.
