I Called an Exterminator to Prove I Had a Rash

The last call center job I had taught employees that customers tend to fit into four categories when they try to resolve a problem: Directors, Thinkers, Entertainers, and Feelers. Directors want fast, efficient solutions, Thinkers analyze facts, Entertainers like engaging discussions and joking around while solving issues, and Feelers value emotional safety when troubleshooting.

I am a Thinker. I liked analyzing facts and finding solutions. I like troubleshooting. For example, when I tried to learn to knit, I first checked out YouTube videos. When that didn’t work, I searched for local craft stores that offered classes. I found a local yarn store that taught knitting and learned how to knit that way.

Researching for answers was simple for me. However, I live in a household full of Feelers. Their emotions tend to be heightened during the troubleshooting process and can cloud judgment when trying to find a solution.

For example, one day I had awoken to 50-100 small red bumps on my hand. I wasn’t alarmed, though. I recognized it as an allergic reaction. I am allergic to metal. Usually, it discolors my skin after a long period of exposure. I was wearing a watch, and the metal on the back was exposed to my skin. I knew to put rash cream on my skin and just monitor it to make sure the bumps go down.

I didn’t think about telling anybody about it. The rashes sometimes happened when I wore the watch, so I knew how to resolve the issue. I went about my day. That was until my sister came into my room while I was working. I turned to her to see what she wanted. She stared at my hand and then walked right back out. I didn’t think anything of it and went back to work.

About 15 minutes later, I noticed my mom and sister had come back into the room and started going through the clothes in the closet. Ending the call I was on, I asked them what they were doing. My sister had seen the bumps on my hand, and she and my mom were convinced that bed bugs caused it, and since there were so many bumps, it must be an invasion.

I told them that it was a rash and it would go away soon. However, they were convinced that the bed bugs had invaded the room and that my clothes needed to be burned and my bed removed from the house. Tried to explain there were no bed bugs, but they continued on their quest to get rid of the clothes and the bed.

So how do you deal with Feelers whose emotions are guiding their judgment? In this particular case, I decided to get an expert on the subject. I had called off for the rest of the day at work, and I went on a quest to find an exterminator. Luckily, the web pointed me to someone available to come in the next hour.

The exterminator guy came and checked my room for bedbugs. As expected, he found nothing. My sister and mom were hesitant until the exterminator assured them that if there was a bed bug that caused that many bumps on my hand, the bugs would have been of a noticeable size and hopping around. That satisfied their urgency for action, and my clothes and bed were safe.

Troubleshooting can be tricky when a group of people sees a problem differently. That is why communication is so important. If one style of communication is not working, you have to experiment until you find the one that reaches the people that you are working with. It takes time, but it is worth the effort.