Matchers and Mismatchers

Matchers and Mismatchers

By Steve Pavlina

Sometime during the 90s, I listened to an audio program that explained(ikˈsplān) the differences between matchers and mismatchers.

Matchers are “yes, and” people who see the upsides of an idea more prominently(ˈprämənəntlē) than the downsides. If you share a new idea with them, they’ll see how the idea could work and may offer suggestions for what else you could do to make it even better.

Mismatchers are “wait, but” people who see the downsides of an idea more prominently than the upsides. If you share a new idea with them, they see what could go wrong and may point out the risks and drawbacks.

I’m a matcher. I find it easy to feel optimistic(ˌäptəˈmistik) and enthusiastic(inˌTH(y)o͞ozēˈastik, enˌTH(y)o͞ozēˈastik) about a new idea, often thinking about what could go right before I think about what could go wrong.

I’d say that my Mom is a mismatcher. When I’d share my youthful ideas with her, she’d often express skepticism(ˈskeptəˌsizəm) and might point to some of the risks. I think that’s because she herself was raised(rāzd) by parents who lived through the Great Depression(dəˈpreSH(ə)n) and learned the dangers of excessive(ikˈsesiv) optimism(ˈäptəˌmizəm).

Incubating(ˈiNG-,ˈinkyəˌbāt) Ideas

Another lesson I learned from that same audio program was that it’s wise to involve matchers in the early phases(fāz) of developing an idea. A group of matchers working together will raise the level of excitement(ikˈsītmənt) and enthusiasm(enˈTHo͞ozēˌazəm). They’ll help to develop the overall vision(ˈviZHən). They’ll see the best possible outcomes.

If, however, you bring one or more mismatchers into the early development phase, it’s like throwing a wet(wet) blanket(ˈblaNGkət) on the whole affair(əˈfe(ə)r). They’ll(T͟Hāl) suck all of the joy and fun out of the process that matchers love, and they’ll think they’re doing everyone a favor by voicing(vois) risks and concerns early. Many otherwise viable(ˈvīəbəl) ideas die early deaths this way. If you have one mismatcher in a room full of matchers, the mismatcher will be the one that everyone else wants to strangle(ˈstraNGgəl). The matchers will likely regard the mismatcher as obstructing(äb-,əbˈstrəkt) progress and unnecessarily slowing things down.

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https://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2019/10/matchers-and-mismatchers/