If you have a Conceptual as a manager, this can be great fun and a nightmare at the same time; Fun because of their enthusiasm and energy; Nightmare because the Conceptual can have the habit of continuously changing their mind.
I met a participant on one of our training sessions, who said she took no notice of what her boss said until it was in writing. The conceptual manager says a lot but when it is put in writing it can mean they are more committed.
What to do with a Conceptual manager? We can be quite firm with them, whilst remembering to still be friendly. They know what they are like and we can allude to this without being too direct. So something like, ‘Are we sure this is the right path to take because I only have this afternoon to complete the task before I leave for the conference?’
If that’s too strong, maybe try, ‘Looks like a good idea, can we just talk it through to make sure I’ve understood correctly.’ And it talking it through they may well see a better alternative.
Conceptuals can be brilliant and inspirational, but not all of their ideas are great and we need to be assertive enough with our boss to moderate their creativity.