Welcome to the Wakefield Doctrine (the theory of clarks, scotts and rogers)
So we (Cyndi and Denise and yours truly) were talking on the WDSLDR Call-in this Saturday. The topic was, superficially, about rogers, but in actuality, it was about clarks.
- …because, the Wakefield Doctrine is for you, not them
we came to the conclusion that, prior to entering a new situation, most clarks prefer to know more (about the situation) rather than less. Sometimes this is a reasonable ambition, other times it is not. When it is not, clarks tend to retreat into their heads, in an effort to ‘figure out’ their best approach to the situation. Of course, this tactic will result in our clark not actually participating in the actual events. With this non-attentiveness to the reality we are in, our status of being the Outsider is totally assured. So, as we discussed on Saturday, how do you properly prepare for events that lie in the future and are therefore not completely knowable? (We rolled down the windows and yelled and hooted at a car full of kids from school going in the opposite direction.*) We were using, as the example of this principle, the new work situation that Cyndi was facing at the start of the new year. Most telling was that it was ‘knowing the people’ that she was going to be expected to work with (and in some cases, direct and manage). While we (Denise and me) were no help with the particulars of her work environment, it did occur to us that:
- …with the Wakefield Doctrine, you (or me) or maybe just Cyndi, already knows everyone she is going to be working with, even if she has never met them before that first day… they will be clarks or there might be a scott there (probably not two, at least not in the same work environment) and a whole bunch of rogers. so, ‘fear of the unknown? not for this clark!’
We laughed, in part (or in whole), at the realization that, even after years of study, the Wakefield Doctrine still had new insights to offer!
Our conversation continued well past the normal cutoff time of the Saturday Night Drive (8:00 to 8:45 pm EDST). So, if you are in possession of a telephone next Saturday Night give us a call! It’s fun and informative and you will benefit!
- with the insights afforded by an understanding of the (principles) of the Wakefield Doctrine, you will never need find yourself saying, “How could they say such at thing? I really thought I knew them better than that!”
- …clarks think, scotts act and rogers feel
- rogers organize parties, scotts are the most sought after guests and clarks find themselves there, despite their best efforts to the contrary
You know that old aphorism …or chestnut or, ‘come here son, I have something about Life to tell you’, thing about ‘if you have a job that you need done, ask a…’? Well, the Wakefield Doctrine says:
- if you need it done right as soon as possible and you don’t care how neatly, or carefully (or correctly) done it is……… ask as scott
- if you need it done, don’t mind not getting credit for it being done and don’t care how long it takes to get done………. ask a roger
- if you need it done and you’d rather be doing something/anything else and you don’t care if it is completely done (better than you had hoped) or completely done…….ask a clark
* I think that was a scene from either ‘American Graffiti’ or it could have been ‘Dazed and Confused’
