My mum and I have a classification system for people.
There are Bread Rippers.
And there are Bread Slicers.
It’s not scientifically validated.
It has absolutely no supporting research.
And I wouldn’t recommend including it in your organisation’s recruitment framework.
But we’ve been using it for years, and we find it remarkably useful.
Mostly because we both really like bread. 😂
Allow me to explain#
Imagine someone puts a beautiful, fresh loaf of bread on the table.
A Bread Ripper looks at it and thinks:
Excellent. Bread!
They tear off a piece, pass the loaf around, and everyone gets stuck in.
A Bread Slicer looks at the same loaf and thinks:
Excellent. Bread!
They get the breadboard, find a suitable knife, slice it neatly, and arrange it for everyone.
Possibly on matching plates.
With matching mugs.
Mum and I are definitely Bread Rippers.
We’re not particularly concerned about whether the bread is presented beautifully.
We just want to eat the bread.
And share it, obviously.
We’re not monsters. 😂
It’s not really about bread#
Although, to be fair, it is a little bit about bread.
It’s about how people approach getting things done.
Bread Rippers tend to jump in, work with what they’ve got, and make progress without needing everything perfectly arranged first.
Bread Slicers prefer a little more preparation. They like things considered, organised and done in the right order.
Neither approach is inherently better.
And neither is necessarily right for every situation.
Which brings me to project management.
Because apparently I can’t even talk about bread without finding a project analogy.
The project has been approved. Now what?#
Imagine we’ve just been given a new project.
The Bread Ripper is thinking:
Right. We know what needs to happen. We’ve got enough to get started. Let’s go!
The Bread Slicer is thinking:
Right. Before we begin, let’s confirm the scope, responsibilities, dependencies, approvals, and documentation.
And here’s the thing.
They might both be exactly right.
If we’re dealing with an urgent problem and have enough information to act safely, spending another three days making everything look lovely probably isn’t helping.
But if we’re about to begin something complex, expensive, or difficult to reverse, taking time to establish the right controls could save us an enormous amount of trouble later.
The trick is knowing how much preparation the situation actually needs.
And sometimes the best project team is the one where someone says, “Let’s get moving,” and someone else says, “Absolutely, but first we need to check this.”
Even if one of them is quietly wondering why we’re still talking about the bread. 😂
Activating our Bread Slicer brains#
Now, here’s the important bit.
Mum and I don’t actually believe people are permanently one type or the other.
Most of us can approach things differently depending on what the situation needs.
We just have natural preferences.
And ours happen to involve ripping bread.
Sometimes we’ll be talking about someone or something and realise:
Oh. This is going to require Bread Slicer mode.
Which means we’ll need to slow down, be more methodical, explain things in a particular order, or pay closer attention to presentation.
And sometimes there is a little eye-rolling.
Not at the person!
At ourselves.
Because activating our Bread Slicer brains requires a bit more effort than simply doing what comes naturally.
But we do it.
Because the way I naturally approach something isn’t necessarily the way it needs to be approached.
A Bread Ripper might help a Bread Slicer get started before every possible detail has been resolved.
A Bread Slicer might help a Bread Ripper notice something important before it becomes a problem.
Neither needs to become the other person.
We just need to recognise what the situation requires.
And occasionally pick up the bread knife.
Pass the bread#
So there you have it.
Years of informal research conducted by two women who really like bread.
No peer-reviewed studies.
No psychometric testing.
Absolutely no intention of turning this into a corporate personality assessment.
Just a funny little framework that reminds us our natural preferences aren’t always the best tool for every situation.
Sometimes you need a beautifully sliced loaf.
Sometimes everyone is hungry, and someone just needs to rip the bloody bread.
😂
Originally published on LinkedIn.