Every person is unique with a different set of experiences, skills and ambitions.
Research shows there are four core personality types each with four sub-types. While a person’s experiences, skills and ambitions change over time, personality is remarkably stable.
Learning about your personality will help you understand your needs and preferences.
This will enable you to make choices which enhance your level of career satisfaction.
Pragmatics make up about 10% of the global population. There are four types of Pragmatics: Designers, Mobilizers, Innovators, and Operators. Pragmatics love using logic to build solutions that stand the test of time.
Pragmatic types share a number of characteristics. They are independent and achievement oriented. Pragmatics love to come up with new solutions to problems. They are ingenious and creative, yet highly practical. While they excel at generating ideas, Pragmatics thrive on finding solutions that work in the real world.
In their professional lives, Pragmatics excel at figuring out how things work and creating systems and processes to support new ways of doing things. They love solving problems to achieve hard to hit goals. Pragmatics are often highly effective strategists and subject matter experts due to their ability to integrate diverse ideas and experiences.
Operators make up about 2% of the population.
Operators have a rare and some would say contradictory set of attributes. They are big picture thinkers and detail oriented. They question everything but are decisive. They are ambitious but prefer to stay in the background. They are interested in a wide range of topics but focus on accomplishing their goals.
Operators are highly capable and analytical. They pride themselves on mastery in their chosen field. They build knowledge across a broad range of topics and enjoy sharing their expertise with others. However, others can struggle to keep up with their analysis and may feel outpaced those by them.
As pragmatists, they see current reality and all its flaws. They readily identify solutions and ways to improve inefficient systems and processes. Operators are happy to overturn tradition and established systems to improving efficiency. They don’t like to be constrained by rules.
Although not cold, they tend to place less value on social interaction than fact and analysis. They care little for emotions or office politics choosing to explore the world of data and ideas. Others can sometimes view them as insensitive to their thoughts, plans and wishes.
Operators are strategic and future focused. They can predict the consequences of a particular decision or course of action. Operators are good at mapping out plans and contingencies to mitigate obstacles. Independent, pragmatic and goal oriented they often achieve positions of significant responsibility.
Operators are imaginative, quick and independent thinkers. They see situations from many perspectives. Operators are confident in their ability to solve challenges by using their knowledge. They often identify solutions that others cannot see.
Operators ground decisions in logic and analysis. This gives them confidence in the validity of their ideas and decisions. Operators share their opinions honestly and rationally.
Operators are independent and confident decision makers. They are unlikely to be swayed by those in authority or existing rules and conventions. An Operator will be comfortable presenting alternative perspectives which challenge the view of the majority.
Operators are achievement orientated and ambitious. They commit their effort and energy behind goals that they believe in. Operators are hard-working and dedicated. Socially reserved, many Operators prefer to work behind the scenes rather than in the spotlight.
Operators are drivers of change. They are open to new facts, ideas and perspectives. They have little respect for tradition and hierarchy. Operators readily adopt alternative ways of working and social relationships.
Operators have a strategic outlook and creative mindset. They are hungry for knowledge. An Operators’ ability to assimilate new information easily enables them to develop expertise in many fields.Fle
Operators have a strong belief in their own capabilities and decisions. It can be hard to convince them that they are wrong. Operators can be dismissive of others' opinions, even if they are in a more senior role. This can mean that their ideas and solutions may not gain the traction they deserve.
Operators tend to discount emotional or social factors in making decisions. These factors can seem less important to them than other data. To those who weigh emotional factors more heavily Operators can appear cold or ruthless.
Operators use logic and analysis to undermine the position of people who don’t agree with them. They can appear to ignore the emotion or sentiment another person is trying to convey. While they may win the argument, an Operator can lose out on the relationship.
Operators query processes, rules, customs, and structures they feel are irrational. They are the ultimate utilitarians. This can lead some Operators to be perceived as awkward, disrespectful or uncooperative.
Pragmatic Operators love work that allows them to address complex issues. They thrive in roles which give them the scope to create sophisticated strategies and operating plans. They have a low tolerance for hierarchy, bureaucracy and onerous processes and policies.
Operators find jobs which give them little scope for creativity or problem solving to be confining. They don’t like to comply with the status quo for its own sake. Instead, they question rules and prefer to find better ways of doing things. Operators like the intellectual challenge of creating visions and plans. In ideal circumstances, they prefer to leave detailed execution to others. Operators may need to take care that they are not viewed as uncooperative or failing to pull their weight.
Work gives you meaning and purpose and life is empty without it.
Operators prefer to work on their own, or with a small group of people who share their intellectual approach. They find working on projects requiring extensive collaboration, opinion gathering, or coordination frustrating. In such circumstances, Operators are likely to feel that that they are being held back by those whose contributions or opinions they do not value.
Operators can be difficult to work with as they don’t like to toe the line or undertake work just to please others. They can be dismissive of those who waste time on social interactions or who have a lower commitment to quality. Operators will challenge those who don’t convey clear logic or rationale for their actions and decisions. Colleagues and managers have to earn their respect.
Pragmatic Operators are independent. They may struggle to express their own emotions or to deal empathetically with the emotions of others. They can be dismissive of people who they feel have a lower level of intellect or analytical capabilities than their own.
Because they are highly competitive, Operators can be viewed as manipulative and working to maneuver for their advantage. This can impact their reputation and ability to work as part of a team. Effective Operators recognize this and actively work to foster effective relationships by encouraging collaboration, listening to the views of others, and using diplomacy and tact.
Operators prefer to be left to their own devices and, in return, they give a great deal of freedom to their colleagues and friends. Although they are happy to share their knowledge and expertise, they are unlikely to volunteer to help other people.
Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much.
Operators are factual and direct in their communication style. They can sometimes upset people by seeming to be blunt. They also are quick to identify inconsistencies, or flaws, in what people say.
Operators may also fail to recognize the emotion behind the message or to give it enough weight. These factors can lead others to view them as inconsiderate or arrogant. Effective Operators use style flexing techniques to alter their communication style to more closely align with the person with whom they are sharing information and foster trust and inclusion.
Operators tend to interact in a transactional way with others and place little value on small talk. While they can be inquisitive, they tend not to share personal details to build connections with others. This can lead others to view them as distant or unapproachable. Using techniques to listen effectively, disclose personal information, or put people at ease can improve an Operator’s approachability and facilitate stronger relationships.
Pragmatic Operators can be surprisingly effective leaders. They have high credibility based on their expertise, candor, results focus and calmness under pressure. They are insightful, continually seek improvements and strive for results. Operators build strong teams because they value competence and contribution over factors such as loyalty.
Operators tend not to be status conscious. They like to give people the same independence they enjoy themselves. Operators also create flat team structures where people have the autonomy to manage their own workload. This management style doesn’t work for everyone. Some people prefer more direction or more regular feedback on their performance. Effective Operator leaders use tools to delegate and manage performance based on the style of each team member.
Operators prefer to hold small meetings with tightly defined agendas. They tend not to involve people unless it is necessary for the efficient execution of the task or project. This can lead some team members to feel left out or not important. Ultimately, this can impact satisfaction and make getting things done harder. Some Operators deal with this by asking team members to help define how and when to involve them. Others use techniques to facilitate group decision making in meetings to manage input.
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.
Operators have a low tolerance for inefficiency and poor workmanship. They find it easy to present corrective feedback in specific and rational terms. However, team members can be demotivated by their blunt delivery. Effective Operator leaders learn to show empathy and caring when they deliver feedback. They also use effective questioning and listening skills to check in when sharing feedback to ensure others feel heard.
Operators thrive in uncertain and volatile environments. They are capable of responding fast to an ever-changing landscape. They build inventive and innovative solutions. Operators are also skilled at creating project and contingency plans to manage execution.
Because of their own change agility, they may be less effective at identifying the emotional impact of change on their team. They may fail to appreciate people’s need for stability and respect for the status quo. Different people handle change in different ways. Using techniques to help their team with transitions can help some Operator leaders improve their team’s ability to respond to change. Helping their team members handle uncertainty and stress well will also mitigate burnout.
Operators are hard-working and expect the same level of commitment from their team. They move so swiftly that they sometimes miss opportunities to express appreciation to team members. As a result, some people view them as hard task masters. Taking the time to learn what motivates people can help Operators tap into others’ needs. Applying simple recognition strategies can help them increase team effort and engagement.
Pragmatic Operators are strategic thinkers who can easily see patterns in complex systems. They have the skills to develop creative solutions to fix problems and identify more efficient ways of working. As a result, they are suited to a wide range of careers in many fields. Operators thrive in professional environments where subject-matter expertise and big-picture thinking are valued.
Operators prefer to work behind the scenes, analyzing issues and creating strategies and plans for others to execute. They enjoy jobs which give them the scope to learn and to increase their skills. Operators crave challenge and will become frustrated if they are asked to comply with existing processes. They may struggle early in their career, a point where many roles are routine. They can increase their satisfaction by viewing roles like these in the context of their broader career goals.
Although have a great capacity for leadership they can sometimes find leadership roles stressful or stifling. Climbing through the roles in a corporate hierarchy is likely to be much less appealing than building expertise in their chosen field.
I attribute my success to this - I never gave or took any excuse.
Operators tend to value freedom over security. They can excel in almost any type of organization. They will be happiest in environments that give them the autonomy to define the strategy and tactics required to accomplish their mission. Operators enjoy driving change through other people. Companies that reward competence and the achievement of results will resonate strongly with them.
Operators set high standards of performance to which they hold themselves and others accountable. They have little patience for incompetence or inefficiency. Organizations that are highly bureaucratic, or that tend to reward everyone equally will frustrate Operators. Similarly, while they need a degree of structure to do their best work, organizations that operate with narrowly defined job descriptions, prize compliance instead of results, or that base levels of authority on hierarchy rather than competence will not be satisfying to them.
Operators will find success in roles in project management, systems engineering or law. They can also consider strategic roles in marketing, IT, economics and management consulting. In reality, they can achieve success in any field that inspires them. Their ingenuity, dedication and ability to handle complexity will help Operators be successful in any field.
Too often, we leave our growth to random chance. That can be frustrating because we can’t always grow as fast as we want (or need) to! While experience can be a great teacher, there is no substitute for learning proven strategies to maximize our potential.
Pragmatic Operators have tremendous capabilities. They also share some common challenges. Possible areas for growth for Operators include:
Build stronger relationships with the people who matter most
Enlist support from key stakeholders and accelerate change
Strengthen your ability to deliver results through others
Guide people with diverse points of view to desired outcomes
Provide others with insight in a way which helps improve their performance
Increase effectivess by embracing and involving others with diverse perspectives
Understand people accurately, appreciate alternate viewpoints and encourage honest, two-way communication
Respond openly and positively to suggestions, requests, and ideas
Enhance productivity and relationships through respect and appreciation
Adapt your interpersonal approach to build rapport and influence others
Work effectively with others to deliver collective results
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