Welcome Organiser

. . . This is your story

PRESENT

You pay attention to what’s likely to happen and how you can make it go your way.

Your unique point of view is formed by your blend of the three foundational priorities of mind: Past (Certainty)Present (Probability), and Future (Possibility).

The result of this blending of priorities is your thinking style and it defines the value you bring to every aspect of your life. It is what motivates you and it shapes your personality. It is also at the root of most of our differences in the way we each think.

Your thinking is oriented towards getting things done, sticking with your plans and finishing what you’ve started. You manage your affairs with diligence and you conscientiously follow through on what you have agreed to be responsible for. You manage by maintaining order using tools to help you manage. Your ‘tools’ are lists, calendars, plans and sometimes you even keep a list of all of your lists. You keep things on track both at a personal level and when you’re involved with other people.

You will always be driven to improve Probabilities, making sure that you reach your goals and satisfy your ambitions by managing your time and resources. Use this ability as your foundation and align your efforts with what you do so well.

As an Organiser, you

  • seek stability and security; you are a steadying rudder in stormy seas
  • have a need for a clear sense of your place in the community
  • have a need for concrete well-defined goals and alternative plans in cases of upsets
  • have an allegiance to initiatives and causes that have concrete impact
  • have a practical approach to buying when it comes to products and services
  • have respect for the social structures that help govern our lives

Your Archetype badge

Maximize Your Strengths

Use organisational and structural techniques to keep control over what’s happening in your immediate environment.

  • Do everything you can to keep control over your surroundings and your life. You thrive on being able to follow a path you’ve laid out.
  • Do use rules and structure to help you get where you’re going, but make sure you’re not a slave to them. Rules and structure should be tools we use, not the other way around.

Growth Opportunities

Seek opportunities in the future and take them. Use the past as a source of information for greater understanding.

  • Don’t forget that we are heading toward the future and while we can plan for it, things can change. Make sure you have backup and alternative plans in place.
  • Don’t ignore the past if it has something important to tell you. Yes, we can plan and change a path we’ve taken in the past, but it’s sometimes useful to know what didn’t work so we know what to change.
IN FLOW

How you are in the world

Like a steady stream of water, you flow best when you know the path, the destination, and what to expect along the way. Repetition is a great way to help your flow. Surprises might pop up, but you’ll have a plan for dealing with them. And while you’d prefer for things to flow evenly and without hiccups, you’re flexible enough to know when you need to flow in a different path to keep that flow going.

Okay, you’re not always so easy going. You flow best when you’re in control and don’t need to deal with sudden shifts. The fly in the ointment of your little microcosm is when people act erratically, throwing your well-organised and well-structured plans out of whack by being different. You’re not a conformist because you want to surrender your individuality, you’re a conformist because you see the importance of a group-mentality to keep the flow and status-quo. The rules have to be followed. Not by a few of us, but by all of us. It’s the cosmic balance. Karma and dharma.

Your flow abounds with construction. You’re a builder. Like a house of cards you need to set the right foundation before you feel comfortable enough trying to construct those top tiers. But that’s just common sense, right? Wrapped up in this flow is the need for cooperation and teamwork. You recognise that each us has a role to play in the grand scheme of things and you’re ready to step back and let people play their part. If people aren’t pulling their weight, you see how the flow is disrupted. Maybe it’s time to take on some management skills to get in there and set them straight to keep the flow going.

WISDOM

What you bring to the world

It’s a wise person who can take on a task and complete it. For you, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Wisdom is about using the right tool for the right job. This is a very practical kind of wisdom. It’s a little bit experience, a little bit knowledge, and a whole lot of theory and application.

You gain wisdom through watching how things are done. Examples and sketched-out diagrams and all those how-to books that give you the goods without the guff. You share your wisdom by putting those observations to use. You’re a Mr./Ms. Fixit. You know how things work. You can pull them apart and put them back together again. Since one of your life goals is to keep things moving fluidly, you like to apply this wisdom in very real ways.

For you, wisdom is linked to responsibility. In fact, part of your wisdom is in realising that everything around you is somehow linked. Like the butterfly in Africa that flaps its wings and causes the storm in America, you have the wisdom to recognise the connection of everything, even in the face of chaos. As scientists start proving how everything in the universe is connected, they’re just confirming what you’ve known all along.

Don’t mistake logic and intelligence for wisdom. You might be a very smart person, but wisdom is also something you earn through experience and learning. You can’t take a test to quantify how wise you are – it’s seen by example. And example is how you like to show people your competency. As you take your path in life, be sure to stop sometimes and admire the view, smell the roses, collect little nuggets of wisdom you might miss if you’re just passing through.

PERCEPTION

How you see the world

Truth is the right answer. Truth is what can be proven. We’re not necessarily talking about the truth in books (just because someone had their ideas printed on a page doesn’t mean they’re right). We’re talking empirical truths. Were you good at math in school? If so, it’s because you understood the structure. You had a problem. A set of rules. You applied the rules to the problem and found the answer. That answer is your truth. You could prove it with the rules you had, and those rules could apply to similar problems and you’d get the same truth.

You’re a practitioner of logic, who believes in the rules and the truth they lead to. When you’re tackling a problem, you’re not one to inject personal opinion of guesses, nor are you the type to study what kind of solution people in the past came up with. You admire the problem and then tackle it with all the tools you’ve got, working in co-operation, seeking context and boundaries, and then finding a solution, an absolute truth. When your mind is set on finding this truth, you’ve got tunnel vision. Nothing stands in your way. You’re Captain Ahab hunting the whale. Determinedand strong.

So truth equates with solution in your value system, but you probably don’t think of the word “truth” as much as you think “right”. For every problem, there’s a right and wrong answer. For every choice, you see a right or wrong path. Do you ever bend the rules? No, probably not. See, Future thinking people believe in organic truths. What’s sauce for the goose isn’t always sauce for the gander in their world. And those Past thinking people are absolutely certain of a fact until they’ve got proof to refute it. You’re definitely the kind of person we’d come to with a problem that needed an empirical truth. Like math. Or technical questions. Or planning.

But how do you do when someone needs a truth that’s based on experience, judgment, personal belief, and the balance of probability? Before you say these cases don’t exist, think about a friend coming to you and asking what they should do about a relationship they’re in. Some of the time, they’re happy, other times they’re not. There aren’t firm rules to govern the truth in this situation. There is no set of rules you can apply to find the right answer. You’re going to have to come up with some wishy-washy truth that isn’t empirical.

IN RELATIONSHIP

The Organiser is the Planner and Doer

We all have relationships, they’re a natural and important part of most people’s lives. Why is it that even in our most intimate and important relationships we struggle, at times, to make things work, to understand each other, to see eye-to-eye? The simple fact is that we do not think the same way. We each bring our own point of view and use that to further what is important to us in the moment, whether it be in our private life, our work or with friends.

Knowing how we think—specifically our archetype—helps us to hear with more compassion. To listen and hear beyond a person’s words. To understand where they are coming from, what they need, and where they are trying to get to in conversation with us.

Find Out How Organisers Relate With Each Archetype

Choose your friend or partner’s archetype below to gain insights into your relationship.

Past: Truth-seeker

Pros
They can’t plan for squat – but you’ve got that covered. If they let you, you can organise a wonderful life together. But make sure you bow to their knowledge of how things worked in the past and might work now.

Cons
They will always play it safe, whether that works with your plan or not. They need proof before they’ll do anything! Keep that in mind when you’re trying to get them to do something your way.

Present: organiser

Pros
You both look for ways of organising and structuring to control your lives, which can be great if you want the same things.

Cons
To be blunt, you can both be control freaks. If that means you have separate plans, things might not go quite as you had planned.

Future: Visionary

Pros
Your practical planning and organisation can help their optimism about future opportunities become a reality and not a dream.

Cons
They don’t like plans. They like to be free to do what they like, which won’t fit well with your need for control. They’re also not always the most reliable people. Chances are you’ll get very annoyed when they don’t keep to appointments you’ve made together.

Past-Present: Curator

Pros
You both use a Present perspective to help organise and structure what you’re doing. Working together, you can come up with some great plans and carry them through.

Cons
They will always play it safe, whether that works with your plan or not. They need proof before they’ll do anything! Keep that in mind when you’re trying to get them to do something your way.

Past-Future: Researcher

Pros
It may seem you have little in common, but if you work together, you can complement each other’s special skills very well.

Cons
Your partner uses the fact-finding skills of a Past perspective to be really sure of what they’re doing. You’re more focused on taking control of what’s going on, and might feel slowed down by their need to play it safe.

Present-Past: Engineer

Pros
You both need to have control over your own lives and what’s going on around you.

Cons
You are determined to make a plan and keep to it, always focusing on what’s happening now, whereas your partner is more interested in building a history together.

Present-Future: Navigator

Pros
You share a need for having a plan and keeping order, so you understand each other in that regard.

Cons
They’ve got their eye on challenging new adventures, which might not fit with your plans.

Future-Past: Explorer

Pros
When you work together, you can really produce an amazing collaboration – your practicality and their blend of imagination and facts.

Cons
You like the order and structure that helps you through life. They want to have experiences and play it safe, but not necessarily by your rules.

Future-Present: Leader

Pros
You share a need for order and structure. Be smart and you can really make this bond work.

Cons
They’re primarily looking for adventure, you’re primarily looking for control. Working together will require you to accept each other’s different approaches.

Past-Present-Future: Connector

Pros
These people have their lives together. They can relate to all the different thinking styles, so they should be able to understand where you’re coming from.

Cons
Don’t mistake the fact that they need to use all three thinking styles. They won’t appreciate your need for control and organisation all the time, especially when they want to explore the future or resource the past.

IN COLLABORATION

Organisers Help Plan and Get Things Done

  • You keep your teammates focused on outcomes.
  • You ensure that goals are realistic and the group doesn’t take on more work than it can handle.
  • You hold people accountable and make sure they honor their dead- lines and commitments.

The secret to happiness and success is knowing where to look for the value in ourselves and others. When you’re aware of the value your colleagues bring—especially when it’s different from your own—you can partner with them to drive your mutual success.

The 10 Archetypes Collaboration Styles

Past: Truth-seeker

Truth-seekers help the group develop a deeper understanding of its mission.

Truth-seekers teach people how to reduce the risk of failure and measure progress realistically.

Truth-seekers’ skepticism and independence militate against “group-think” and blind conformity.

Present: Organiser

Organisers keep their teammates focused on outcomes.

Organisers ensure that goals are realistic and the group doesn’t take on more work than it can handle.

Organisers hold people accountable and make sure they honor their deadlines and commitments.

Future: Visionary

Visionaries champion innovation, focus on solutions, and help others begin to think outside-the-box.

Visionaries inspire others and remind them of the bigger picture.

Visionaries help the group adapt to new circumstances.

Past-Present: Curator

Information and organisation are both important to Curators.

Curators are likely to manage the group’s data, adding to it with their own thorough research.

Curators caution and practicality provide a solid foundation for decision making. They help the group avoid unnecessary risks.

Past-Future: Researcher

Researchers ensure that the group makes decisions with full knowledge of the risks and consequences.

Others come to rely on their experience and wisdom.

Researchers are good at detecting when rules and structures become too confining for the group.

Present-Past: Engineer

Engineers create efficient systems: organising information, people, and the flow of work.

A team player, Engineers help the group stay focused on its collective goals.

Engineers promote accountability, reliability, and trustworthiness, helping bring projects to completion.

Present-Future: Navigator

A Navigator’s attention to trends and changing markets is a valuable contribution to the group.

Navigators encourage others to act in a timely manner.

Navigators combine vision, action, and a knack for organising. People say that they are natural leaders.

Future-Past: Explorer

Explorers help the group set goals with a “grain of salt,” insisting that their vision be backed up with solid facts.

Explorers counsel against snap decisions.

Explorers find it easy to motivate others because they’re confident that their goals are viable.

Future-Present: Leader

Leaders make sure the group grabs new opportunities before it’s too late.

Leaders are more open to change than most Present thinkers, and understand the benefits of deviating from a plan.

Leaders are inspiring but pragmatic.

Past-Present-Future: Connector

With your unusual ability to engage all thinking styles, Connectors have a clear understanding of group process.

Connectors sense when members are focusing on only one thinking styles and a minority perspective is being pushed to the margins.

Connectors serve as a mediator, help resolve conflicts, and keep everyone focused on constructive interaction.

Want to read more about this Archetype?