Ditto on the idea that there isn't much point in arguing over which group "has it worse". Not being mathematically or artistically gifted myself (in fact, artistically
competent would be a stretch
), I can't speak that directly to the difficulties of the mathematically or artistically gifted. When I responded, I didn't mean to imply that the differences are "more" or "less" problematic in a global sense--only that I think that those are among the differences that create challenges for the verbally gifted. And I use the term verbally gifted simply because it was used in the blog, not because I necessarily am sure that it is the term. It was the description of the skills/experiences, not the label, that felt familiar to me.
I think that the intersection between the analytical/big picture strengths and the verbal strengths is the need for less time to process new information before responding to it. In other words, strong analytical skills are certainly not the monopoly of the "verbally gifted", but being able to hear, synthesize and respond verbally in a very short time frame, MAY be. It may also be what trips the negative reactions, since the person who presented the initial information may not have the same skill and therefore feels put on the spot or attacked when questioned. I don't know...just a guess based on some experiences I've had.
Clay, thanks for the nice thoughts
I mostly really like my job. I've had jobs that were more administrative, and while I like the brainstorming/problem solving aspects of it, I really dislike other parts of it. I'm definitely a boots on the ground kind of person. I want to try it and implement it myself, rather than be in charge of other people trying it and implementing it, if you know what I mean. And, as I said, I have had some good supervisors. When I'm stuck with a supervisor who feels threatened by rigorous discussions of an idea, I try to work around it. Mostly I've just found ways to orient my attention and energy into the parts of the job that are less impacted by peoples' egos. And, while it was a bit of a painful journey, I have reached a place where I no longer believe every little thing a person tells me, so when I do jump in with both feet, I'm better able to live with the outcomes--It was a good day when I finally realized that: "...and I'm not the only one who thinks so..." is really just another version of "...I have a friend who has this problem..."
Offering to listen to the concerns of the supposed "others" started leading to a lot of backpedaling. Just wish I'd figured that out sooner--it would have saved me a lot of angst along the way!
