Welcome Researcher

. . . This is your story

PASTFUTURE

You seek what is known to understand what is possible.

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 evaluating ideas to judge their merit; you’re curious by nature and driven by facts. You want to know the truth about how things work—how the system works. You are always looking beyond the obvious answers to look true understanding, you seek out the meaningful and discard the rest. You investigate people’s claims and their ideas with curiosity, making quick, intuitive assessments of what is right and what is probably not.

You will always be driven by Certainty and Possibility, a good understanding of what is possible gives you a deep sense of security. Use your curiosity to find out why? as your foundation and align your efforts with what you do so well.

As a Researcher, you have

  • A desire to find meaning in all that you invest yourself in
  • A need to find evidence that supports yours and other people’s ideas
  • A curiosity and eagerness to engage in new things tempered by skepticism
  • A need to reduce risks when investing yourself in untested ideas
  • Attraction to people whom have proven themselves reliable over time
  • Optimism tempered with realism which provides others with confidence in your decisions

Your Archetype badge

Maximize Your Strengths

Use information and knowledge as the key to playing it safe when seeking future opportunities.

  • Do take whatever steps you need to feel confident that you’re not making a mistake.
  • Do follow your dreams, backing up your inspiration with the kind of facts and information that give you solid ground to stand on.

Growth Opportunities

Learn how to efficiently organize and control your immediate space.

  • Don’t let people pressure you into acting too quickly—only you know when the time is right.
  • Don’t let other people’s systems tie you down. Learn how to build your own system so you can decide where to go next.
IN FLOW

How you are in the world

When you’re sure of where you are and what you’re doing, you flow so well that you’re ready to try all sorts of new things and have exciting adventures. You’re constantly moving forward, and since you like to take the new opportunities that pop up in life, you’ve often got an eye on what’s coming up ahead. How quickly will you rush into this exciting unknown? Well, that depends on how comfortable you are with the direction you’re taking. Safety first, right? And when you’re sure of where you’re headed, you move swiftly, with determination and purpose.

You know instinctively when to stop. There’s a point (in fact, many) in any journey when you have to pause and look back before stepping forward. This hesitation isn’t because you’re afraid. It’s about understanding. It’s about having confidence that you’re making the right decision. If you make a mistake, you can probably fix it, but why make a mistake that can be avoided in the first place? You prefer to flow in stops and starts, taking more time than others would, but getting to where you’re going with full confidence in you decisions.

You’re often your own guide, independent when it comes to your flow. You have your inspiration and you’ve got the skills to seek out the knowledge you need to move on that inspiration. Sure, that knowledge comes from second hand sources, but it’s your instinct for what’s right or wrong, true or false, that helps you keep that keen edge of moving fast and smart as you flow.

Rules and organisation work against your natural flow. You’ll find your groove when your heart sends you on a journey and your head navigates the best course. Having to flow according to rules that you don’t agree with, or having to organise according to someone else’s criteria can bring this journey to a grinding halt. Once you know where you need to go, you don’t want anything holding you back. But maybe it’s time to consider how using more organisation and structure can be another tool to help you reach the destinations you’re moving towards.

WISDOM

What you bring to the world

Your wisdom comes from knowledge and experience. Perhaps it starts with the gold-edged pages of a leather- bound book, with line-after-line of recorded wisdom from past minds. You value these experiences others have had, the wisdom they have accumulated and passed on. You have the gift of finding the gold nuggets in the overwhelming amount of recorded past.

But that’s not the final word. You’ll also take your own valuable experiences into account. What you feel/felt, what you think/thought, what you believe/believed, what happens/happened to you. You’ve made your mistakes and grown from them, for there’s nothing like putting our own foot in it to really bring the lesson home. Being told the flame is hot and shouldn’t be touched doesn’t begin to define the sensory experience of touching it.

Book smarts and street smarts. By combining these you’ve got a wisdom that’s learned and intellectual but also organic and flexible. When called upon, you judiciously refer to past knowledge to make a fair, objective assessment of a situation. You’re King Solomon, using your wits and cumulative knowledge to counsel wisely. This is the kind of wisdom that treats everyone equally. In a disagreement, you’re the type of impartial judge we’d look to for guidance.

And then there are those times when you know it’s wiser to put the books aside and go with gut instincts. You’ve got a wealth of personal history to draw on. This subjective wisdom works well in those times when only you understand what’s happening. A personal problem. Advice to a friend. These are the times we’d like to hear the wisdom of what you feel, drawn from your own experience, rather than the written wisdom of someone from centuries ago.

PERCEPTION

How you see the world

“And the truth shall set you free .. ” But what kind of truth are we talking about? Are we talking about the irrefutable truths printed in books, because you often rely on these when you need to feel sure of yourself. Or are we talking about those flexible life-lesson truths where interpretation makes something valid. You’ve also been known to rely on these when the time’s right. Objective versus subjective. Which one of these is your truth?

The answer is probably both. You are a seeker of higher truths, a philosopher, and you have a sharp mind that searches for absolute truths. You hang many of your decisions on past truths. Why? A fact is a fact and you don’t need you heart to interpret something factual. It’s there, in black and white, and you can rely on it.

It can be used as a tool. Prod it, bang on it, throw it against a wall and it will retain its shape. Something that strong is a great building block for your beliefs. When you have something that inarguable, you feel safe using it.

But you know from experience that sometimes these impervious truths have cracks in them. Something is a fact only until someone proves that it’s not. And since you’ve got a street-wise wisdom, you’re a little more skeptical of absolutes. You’ve seen the grey area too often. You’ve lived it. You know there are times when an instinctive interpretation of events is truer than book-bound facts. That doesn’t mean you can’t resource the facts to help you find your truth, just as you use your instinct to help you weed out the dubious facts. It just means that you have a more flexible view of what’s true.

The truth is that you know there are times when one truth is not enough. You’ve learned from past experience to judge a situation. If you use the right truth, you become a very wise, judicious, fair, understanding, benevolent and honest person. The truth does help set you free.

IN RELATIONSHIP

The Researcher generates new ideas based on what is known

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 Researchers Relate With Each Archetype

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

Past: Truth-seeker

Pros
You both understand the need for looking at the details, upholding traditions, being sure of what you’re doing.

Cons
You are looking for fun, adventure, and excitement while they’re looking for something solid and safe. Who’s holding back whom?

Present: organiser

Pros
Working as a team, you can compliment each other and achieve anything.

Cons
Getting to that point is some journey. You might not understand their constant need to organize and be in control, just as they don’t get your need to research before starting new projects.

Future: Visionary

Pros
You share an understanding of the dynamics of a Future thinking style. You both love new ideas and experiences.

Cons
They are ready to just go for it, while you only want to take steps when you feel sure. You may think they’re pushy; they may think you’re slowing them down.

Past-Present: Curator

Pros
You share the need for understanding the past.

Cons
You are looking for something new and exciting while playing it safe. They’re into playing it safe and trying to organize their lives around this safety. They may argue that you’re never happy with the way things are, you may think they’re in a rut.

Past-Future: Researcher

Pros
Birds of a feather flock together. When you’re keyed into the same tune, you might just flow perfectly together.

Cons
You both tackle life in the same way, but that doesn’t mean you take the same path, and if you disagree on something important, you might both be too stubborn to give in.

Present-Past: Engineer

Pros
You both include the past in your perspective. You can agree that whatever you do needs some time before you’re sure it’s the right thing.

Cons
They first want to structure, organize, and control everything in their lives. You’re out for new experiences, adventures and ideas.

Present-Future: Navigator

Pros
You share an understanding of the Future thinking style. Both of you are looking for new experiences.

Cons
They come at the Future thinking style by first going through the control and organizational needs of a Present perspective. They might not understand your Past perspective need to understand things in depth.

Future-Past: Explorer

Pros
You will share your need for new adventure and understand each other’s need for quiet space.

Cons
You are initially looking for safety before you have an experience, whereas they’ll go for the experience first. It might seem like a small difference, but could mean a lot in everyday life.

Future-Present: Leader

Pros
You both share the joy of new experiences and ideas.

Cons
You want to research and understand the new things in your life; they want to organize and control them. Shields may lock when it comes time to decide what to do next.

Past-Present-Future: Connector

Pros
This could be harmonious. Integrated people understand where you’re coming from, even if they don’t agree with it.

Cons
You may find them too indecisive and diplomatic. Do they always have to be so understanding? You’re always ready to take a stand for what you believe in and you’d hope for the same from your partner.

IN COLLABORATION

Researchers Guide Innovation Through Reasoned Creativity

  • You ensure that the group makes decisions with full knowledge of the risks and consequences.
  • Others come to rely on your experience and wisdom.
  • You are good at detecting when rules and structures become too confining for the group.

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: Organizer

Organizers keep their teammates focused on outcomes.

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

Organizers 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 organization 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: organizing 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 organizing. 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 their 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?