Principles You Results

A goal without a plan is like having a ship without a navigational system—you know where you want to go, but don’t know how you’re going to get there. Planners gather and translate data and information from available sources to develop focused plans that improve the likelihood of achieving goals and objectives.

Typical Planners have the ability to gather and evaluate relevant information, facts, and data and organize it effectively. They work through information and data systematically to make sure it falls into proper order. They don’t necessarily mind being directed to goals and objectives that their plans work toward, rather than being the one responsible for putting them in place.

Other distinguishing characteristics include setting ambitious goals and tenaciously pursuing them until they’re accomplished. They think through things in a structured and methodical way. They are good at getting ahead of events so that they’re ready with a plan before it’s needed, minimizing risk and uncertainty. They apply logic and practicality so that plans have a high probability of success. They tend to be less inclined to spend too much effort seeking new, unconventional methods if tried and true ones can work.

While they take initiative and are likely strong executors themselves, the key to taking on more responsibility lies in managing others to implement plans for them. Some Planners may be less inclined towards people management, while others may be more. In any case, seeking out and learning to engage productively with others who are different than themselves—be it more emergent and less organized, or more people-oriented—will serve them well in the long run.

Strategies and plans are only as good as the people working to achieve them. Implementers are the people who get important jobs and tasks done. Never getting too far ahead of themselves, they have the ability to focus on the task right in front of them.

Typical Implementers are distinguished by their organized and orderly approach to the jobs, assignments, and projects they work on. No detail is too small or unimportant to escape their notice and tracking. They follow through and complete what they start and work more comfortably when their priorities are set for them. They create, maintain, and embrace following the rules and structures put in place around them. Rules and procedures are essential to maintaining a stable and predictable environment. Implementers structure and plan their time to be efficient and productive.

Other distinguishing characteristics include making decisions using a methodical and systematic approach that yields consistent and expected results. They don’t wait to get started on tasks, but take the bull by the horns and get moving on them. They don’t act impulsively or take unnecessary risks. Finally, they tend to resent it when people act irresponsibly and unreliably.

They tend to be less drawn to generating new and innovative ideas, but pride themselves on finding the most efficient methods for getting things done. Some Implementers may have a difficult time saying no to requests for assistance, and they can be overwhelmed with too many things to do. Unexpected change and chaos creates stress for them. They tend to like to be appreciated and recognized for their contributions and become discouraged when their loyalty and hard work go unnoticed and unrewarded.

Typical Growth Seekers have an endless fascination with personal growth, meaning they devote themselves to improvement and evolution. They possess a never-ending curiosity about the world and how they fit into it. They have a thirst for knowledge and a need to understand the world and the people in it, particularly in service of personal and professional growth. If it makes them more effective, it’s on their to-do list. They are open to any constructive advice, even if it’s tough to swallow. They are flexible and adaptive to new experiences and circumstances.

Other distinguishing characteristics include being composed, grounded, and balanced in their approach to managing stress and pressure. They love engaging new ideas and information and making sense of things for themselves. They can often be both determined and humble; they love to challenge themselves, but don’t stress too much over mistakes made. In fact, they know the ability to reflect well on their failures is key to their personal growth.

At times, their desire to reflect inwardly first before acting can slow down their response time. They may need a stronger push to force action and decisiveness. And while some Growth Seekers are natural leaders, many are comfortable being good followers. The key is understanding their nature and finding a path that’s right for them—which is ultimately where the Growth Seekers, with their capacity for introspection and adaptation, shine.

Inventors typically possess a creative and original thinking style, a high degree of comfort with the unknown, and an attraction to the mysterious world that they don’t fully understand yet. They’re comfortable living in a chaotic and disorganized environment, and prefer trying things out, seeing how they work, and changing things on the fly as firsthand experience dictates. They don’t care too much about what other people think about their tendency to shift focus because they’re generally comfortable being who they are and love the mental excitement that new ideas stimulate within them.

Other distinguishing characteristics include a preference for cutting their own path and doing their own thing. They adjust easily to changes in circumstances and prefer to work without much guidance or direction from others. They generally catch on quickly to complex and abstract concepts.

They dig deep into the inner workings of their latest projects and are willing to roll up their sleeves and experiment with new ideas and ways of doing things. Their tendency to lose interest in more practical or routine aspects of the process may translate into spending too much time exploring possibilities versus bringing decisions to closure, and/or a tendency to miss important deadlines and target dates for completion.

Typical Individualists make an art out of brushing aside tradition and conventions to do things their own way. They are always on the hunt for novel ways of doing things, defying the rules with a flare for the creative and sometimes for the dramatic. They are driven to express their individuality and don’t let anyone else define who they are or dictate what they do.

Individualists tend to feel deeply and tap into an emotional layer that can drive their decisions and actions. At the same time, it can also mean they can be temperamental and experience self-doubt. They can be particularly sensitive to criticism.

Individualists tend to seek and appreciate things that are new, beautiful, and different. They have a talent for seeing things in a unique and thought-provoking way, and can chafe at being micromanaged or controlled.

At their best, they are highly creative, inspired, and bring a new and different perspective to any situation. However, they can tend to be reactive, withdrawn, and anxious in difficult situations, and sometimes can act out and be rebellious just for the sake of it, which can get in the way of their success and relationships with people who don’t see things the same way as they do.