We’ve met the Playmakers, Taskmasters, and Peacekeepers. Let’s now meet the fourth and final of the four intellects: Thoughtstarters.
Thoughtstarters have the strategic talents of thinking and conceiving that keep us all more inquisitive and progressive. Visionary and analytical, they’re all about theory, big ideas and direction. They seem to be driven by a natural need for knowledge and reason, and they’re at their best when they’re up against a philosophical challenge.
To the Thoughtstarter, ideas are more important than action, logic more important than emotion. Expertise is what Thoughtstarters strive for most, as they have a core need to perfect their abilities, which center on strategy, vision, and ingenuity.
A Thoughtstarter’s thinking is purely rational, highlighted by philosophy, theories, and concepts; these are their lifeblood and the tools they use to influence others.
At the team level, look to the Thoughtstarters to stimulate new ways of thinking and approaching problems. Constant forward progress toward a grand vision drives them, and any talk of details and practicality only work to deflate their day.
Thoughtstarters have hungry minds, forever seeking knowledge at all levels, and for them, the day is not complete unless they’ve learned something new.
The Thoughtstarters’ broad themes of natural excellence derive from the logical, spatial and linguistic aptitudes, and run along the lines of:
Optimizing: Creating excellence and maximizing competence; achieving the highest levels of performance
Directing: Strategically establishing chains of command; structuring plans to provide direction
Strategizing: Comprehensively considering all contingencies and alternatives to chart the best course of action
Analyzing: Critical thinking; relying on cold logic and sound reasoning; identifying causes and influences
Envisioning: Painting compelling pictures of the future to inspire and guide action; long range planning
Inventing: Engineering and prototyping; devising working models of new solutions and methodologies
Theorizing: Hypothesizing, conceiving and testing new frameworks of thought; experimenting with ideas
Investigating: Perpetually increasing scholarly knowledge; continually questioning; researching; studying
Designing: Architecting and blueprinting ideas and concepts into structural models and working systems
Synthesizing: Combining and composing seemingly unrelated components in a clear, cohesive system
Keeping in mind that we all have some Thoughtstarter in us, are you a natural born Thoughtstarter?
Try this: print the list above. Put a checkmark on each talent area that comes easily to you. Then put a checkmark on each one that you truly enjoy. Put a third checkmark on each one at which you demonstrate excellence.
If the majority of themes have all three checkmarks, consider yourself a Thoughtstarter.
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