Mercury and Mars: aspect cards

Your mind is fast and sharp. You decide quickly, speak plainly, and enjoy debate and any contest of ideas. You solve problems by acting as soon as you see an answer. Words can work like a blade, whether you mean them to or not. The things to watch are speaking before thinking and impatience with slower people. A short pause before replying keeps your sharpness useful without leaving marks.

• You cut through confusion and make decisions quickly.
• You say what others avoid, with energy and clarity.

• A sharp reply can land before you notice you have sent it.
• Slower thinkers may feel rushed or dismissed.

In a meeting someone explains a plan slowly, and you finish their sentence with "so basically it won't work." The room goes quiet. You may be right about the plan, but the person now defends it harder. Next time count to three and ask, "What happens if we try this part first?" You make the same point and they join you.

Count to three before replying, and say it as a question.

Thinking and doing walk together. You plan and then act, speak briefly and with confidence, and you can motivate others to move. In meetings and negotiations you usually know which point to raise and when. Work that needs quick judgement, such as handling a problem on the spot, reading a situation or technical work, suits you. The caution is confidence that stops you hearing new information, so one more question before you conclude keeps you accurate.

• You turn a decision into action without long delay.
• You put your point clearly and briefly.

• Certainty may stop you hearing a late but important fact.
• Speed can leave quieter people behind in a discussion.

A project is stuck and you suggest a plan that everyone accepts within ten minutes. Two days in, a teammate mentions a supplier detail that changes things, but you have already told the client the date. Before announcing a plan next time, ask the room, "What could make this fail?" It takes two minutes and you keep your speed.

Ask what could go wrong before you announce a decision.

Your thinking is often crowded out by a hot temper. You like arguing to win, say sarcastic things when irritated, or decide too fast and then have to correct it. Disagreements at work can start from how you say things rather than what you say. On the plus side, you are willing to say the truth others hold back. Arguing to understand rather than to win turns that edge into something people respect.

• You are brave enough to say the thing others avoid.
• You think quickly under pressure.

• A debate can turn into a contest you need to win.
• Sarcasm can slip out when you are irritated.

A coworker questions your report in front of the group. You answer with a sarcastic line, everyone laughs awkwardly, and you replay it all afternoon. Next time, write your irritation in a note first, then say, "I'd like to understand what you're seeing in the figures." The conversation becomes about the report, not about who wins.

Argue to understand the other person's point, not to win it.