A guy that I used to work for and now work with.

He calls himself an "ideologue" and loves to talk about politics, world/local events, policies, and the why's, are's, and should-be's of things like that. In fact, he just plain loves talking. He's got a great big, booming voice that fills spaces and carries quite far. He likes to laugh, too.

Unlike some people with opinions as strong as his own, he's actually pretty diplomatic and tries to be friendly with people who disagree with him. He says he wants other people's thoughts, and he doesn't want to grind people into the ground when he talks with them. A common phrase when talking with someone with an opposing viewpoint is often something like "But, don't you think...?" or "Oh, come on! *laugh* You don't really think _____, do you?" He usually doesn't get much harsher than that, at least when talking directly with someone.

He says one of the things he wants to do is encourage people to get involved in political processes. "You're either a participant in the political process or a victim of it."

Working with/for him is both enjoyable and sometimes a little frustrating. The main frustrating part is that it's sometimes like pulling teeth to get him to give me what I need to get my job done (e.g. resources, information, opinions). Well, maybe not like pulling teeth. Not quite as painful and a little more humorous. More like trying to catch a greased pig.

He's always very busy. He seems to love stuffing his schedule. He's always got lots to do, which means it's a fight to get him to concentrate long enough to do what I want him to do. I pretty much have to follow him around until I can get his attention centered. I'm still learning the most efficient way to deal with him once I've got his focussed attention (which is actually one reason I'm wondering about his type). He does seem to recognize, though, that following through on requests is a weakness of his. He likes to joke with me about things I've asked him to do years ago that he still hasn't done. ( ) He does want to get me what I need, it just seems I have to sort of force him into it sometimes, corner him almost. He'd much rather be talking about the goals of his projects than what actually needs to be done to accomplish them.

I really do like him, though, and some of my favorite parts of working with/for him is that I trust his value system, I agree with what he's trying to accomplish, and I like how he treats people.

When he wants clarification on an issue, he asks good, probing questions. I admire how he thinks and the soundness of his logic. And he gives clear, detailed, thorough instructions when he asks me to do something and I'm not sure how to do it (like retrieving a certain file, in his truck, in the basement, with all sorts of obstacles betwixt here and there).

Let's see, what else... Did I mention he likes to talk? Speech-making is definitely one of his strengths. He likes to sing, too. Being in the spotlight, performing, is something he's comfortable with.

He's easygoing with people. Doesn't seem to take offense easily. He's a loyal employer.

Changes in schedule don't bother him overly much, except when there's some sort of major conflict. Actually, I think he kind of likes it when someone else helps him take charge of his schedule.

In the past, he's seemed to enjoy having a relatively large team of people in his office, doing lots of stuff for him so he can be freer to be busier (if that makes any sense).

He's an entrepreneur and has been involved in lots of things, mostly having to do with farming and politics.

So, wha'd y'all think? And why? Do you need anymore information?