“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” – William Shakespeare, As You Like It
We often see identity as an immutable object, a thing that we possess, and a force that we are possessed by. But as we go through life, the roles that we fill – dutiful child, rebellious teen, doting parent – are more than just clothes that we can put on and take off at will, but facets of who we always were, facets that lay hidden only until we needed them to surface. And, much like actors, we may seek out certain parts, but all too often, the parts we end up playing are given to us as much by circumstance as by our own decisions, so that the Introvert is thrust into the spotlight while the Extravert is left moving scenery backstage.
When we discuss personality types and careers, we tend to look at what occupation each type is best suited for, as a guide for those who are still unsure of where they want to go in life, and as way for those who feel dissatisfied with their vocational path to better understand where they went astray. However, as wonderful as it may be for those whose personality type and working environment feel perfectly in sync, this situation is a luxury that is not afforded everyone. Whether passion, or obligation, or simple necessity drives us to be something that is in conflict with our very essence, the fact remains that the ideal occupation for our personality type can sometimes be a goal that we see but cannot touch, or even a dream as yet undreamt.
When we find ourselves cast in a role where we must play against type, many of us just do the best we can to muddle through, butchering our lines and stumbling over our marks until we find a more fitting position. Others, though, may find ways of compensating, using their typical strengths in atypical ways to succeed in spite of themselves. Like the muscle-bound action hero who uses his athletic gifts to pull off hilarious pratfalls or the perpetually mugging comedian who lets his mask slip just long enough to reveal the sad clown or chilling criminal genius underneath, playing against type can sometimes pay unexpected dividends.
In this article, we will explore what happens when we are forced, by choice or by circumstance, to play against type in our own lives. Personality type is such an intrinsic part of who we are that it can often feel as though it must dictate all that we do. However, though it can be difficult to struggle with our very natures, it is far from impossible, as these examples should demonstrate.
Analysts
Before making it to the top, most must spend a great deal of time scrambling on the bottom, a fact of life that may rankle Analysts more than any other Role. Assured of their own brilliance, Analysts may feel that their time would be better spent curing cancer or planning a manned mission to Mars rather than stocking shelves or fetching coffee. And while Analyst personalities may have an obsessive work ethic when their intellect is challenged by a sufficiently interesting problem, an Analyst who is understimulated and unappreciated at work will swiftly become an unproductive and uncooperative worker.
Even Analysts who are advancing in their field of choice may run into difficulties, particularly when it comes to working with other people, whether co-workers or clients. Although the cool rationality of Analysts can make them adept at solving complex technical problems, they may be a bit lacking in interpersonal skills. Teamwork can be particularly challenging for Analysts, who may assume that their ideas are self-evidently superior, such that many may prefer working alone if they have no authority to demand compliance from subordinates. In addition, the blunt directness of Analysts, which they may value as honesty, may be interpreted by others as an absence of tact at best, outright rudeness at worst, making them unsuited for positions that require communications to be delivered as much with grace as with accuracy.
Nevertheless, the problems that spark an Analyst’s imagination rarely occur in a vacuum. An immunologist’s day-to-day thoughts may be occupied by cell division, a computer programmer’s by lines of code, and a math professor’s by theorems and proofs, but in every case, these quotidian considerations have implications of dramatic import: life-saving vaccines, world-changing apps, and groundbreaking research. And though many Analysts in these professions may prefer to stick to their beakers, keyboards, or books, a desire for wider dissemination typically obviates their ability to work in total isolation.
If Analysts who work in the scientific and technical fields that their personality type is often drawn toward may find that “soft” skills are more important than they had originally considered, so too is it the case that Analysts who find themselves – whether willingly or “in exile” – on a less obviously fitting career path may discover that they can bring their talents to bear in unexpected ways. The same heterodox, albeit ruthlessly logical, thinking that allows Analysts to unlock new pathways in science and technology may also give them the potential to revolutionize other industry. Though they may have to fight harder to have their unconventional ideas accepted, Analysts are nothing if not determined, once they have a goal in mind.
Architects
As the name implies, Architects desire to be the grand designer and prime mover, a position that is rarely offered on an “entry-level” basis. To make matters worse, though Architects, especially Assertive ones, may have supreme confidence in their own abilities, effectively communicating their competence can be difficult, due to their quiet, insular temperaments. Finding a job that gives them both the authority to make sweeping changes and the autonomy to exercise their creativity in peace often takes many years, time that people with the Architect personality type may feel that they do not have to waste. Unsurprisingly, Architects may find more success in building something from scratch rather than waiting for others to acknowledge their brilliance.
However loathe as Architects might be to admit it, it would be a mistake to dismiss the time spent in low-level occupations as merely “wasted.” Architects may have the sense that they are destined for bigger things, but the bird’s eye view to which they aspire can only be made more insightful by being an ant for a while, toiling away in anonymity. Often, it is only in observing the cracks in the foundation of a structure that an Architect is inspired to build a stronger one, a lesson that has ramifications that extend far beyond architecture.
The Architect who works in the rank-and-file of retail sales may feel creatively stifled, forced to play out endless iterations of the customer service dynamic, a script with just enough variation to drain them as Introverts, yet with too little variety to truly challenge them intellectually. But even if their talents go unappreciated and their dreams appear to be on hold, observant Architects – who are masters of gleaning meaningful patterns from raw data – may be the first to understand why one item flies off the shelves while another gathers dust, or why particular customers fail to return and what might entice them back.
Famous Architect actor turned politician Arnold Schwarzenegger provides an excellent example of how this personality type can leverage even the humblest of circumstances to their advantage. As a young immigrant to the U.S., Schwarzenegger worked as a bricklayer in Los Angeles while pursuing his first dream of becoming a world-class bodybuilder, only to find that even undercutting the competition on price was not enough to support his fledgling business. It was only after he and his partner (a fellow bodybuilder) rebranded as “specialty European bricklayers” that the profits began to roll in, a lesson in effective marketing that Schwarzenegger would repeatedly turn to his advantage, both in Hollywood and in the political arena.
Logicians
Left unfettered, a Logician has the potential to move mountains with their mind. Unfortunately, Logician personalities seldom have the rhetorical gifts to persuade others of the benefits of allowing them their autonomy, and since their ideas are often so bold, so big, and so unorthodox, few who have authority over them have the foresight to give them free rein. Reserved yet restless, Logicians are liable to spend years languishing in positions that only tangentially make use of their talents, if at all. Logicians often face a difficult choice: to accept more challenging, more distinguished opportunities that nonetheless sap their energy without providing commensurate intellectual dividends, or to settle for untaxing, menial positions that at least let them pursue their own interests on their own time?
Those Logicians who work a low-impact “day job” while pursuing their passions on the side must be careful to not allow their humble circumstances to subsume their intelligence, or to shatter their self-esteem. Instead, they must continually remind themselves that one’s occupation is not synonymous with one’s identity, even if many choose to see it as such. Similarly, Logicians who work in more challenging – yet still unsuitable – roles must not let their inevitable professional disappointments and the censure of their superiors shake their confidence. After all, the Logician who wilts in one soil may very well flourish when transplanted elsewhere.
Human resources would seem to be a particularly untenable environment for someone with a Logician personality type, owing to their obvious discomfort with people and daydreamer tendencies. However, though Logicians may have few opportunities to truly show off their capabilities, they may have little trouble becoming a veritable policy encyclopedia, and their disinterested approach may even be a boon to those who wish to discuss sensitive issues with them, knowing that they are unlikely to be the office gossip.
Prototypical Logician and iconic physicist Albert Einstein, dedicated to a life of the mind from an early age, graduated from university with the goal of moving as quickly as possible into the role of professor, a position that in hindsight seems to have been invented specifically for him. However, as a young scholar, he spent two fruitless years seeking out a teaching post before giving up and taking a job as a patent examiner, a well-paid but undemanding occupation. Though the patent office gave him no real room for innovation, no challenges for his nimble mind, it did provide a sinecure from which he could develop his wilder theories without outside interference.
Commanders
A Commander with no one to lead is a non sequitur, making the early careers of the vast majority of Commanders a bitter struggle, laden with disappointment. Unlike Sentinels who aspire to leadership, Commanders have little patience for “paying their dues,” preferring that others immediately acknowledge their expertise instead, and unlike Diplomats, they tend to favor a no-holds-barred political style that is typically much more effective when they have authority already than when they are striving to attain it. Gradually, Commanders may win people over who can respect – or simply overlook – their demanding, emotionless style of management, but in the meantime, Commanders often must find a way to come to terms with a more subordinate role.
Where more Introverted Analyst personalities have a “lone wolf” mentality, Commanders understand the importance of the pack – with the sole caveat, of course, that they be seen as alpha. And while this domineering, unsentimental approach can be abrasive, those who work alongside Commanders long enough may come to realize that their thirst for leadership comes less from a need for self-aggrandizement and more from a certainty that theirs is the only method that will achieve the results they desire. Commanders who are able to demonstrate an intimate familiarity with the challenges that others on their team and in their field face – as well as a clear plan for how to overcome them – may be able to persuade their erstwhile comrades to share their vision.
As an example, working as an administrative assistant may not be the dream job of anyone with the Commander personality type, but it can be a valuable stepping stone – even if the Commander more often feels as though they are being stepped on by bosses whom seem to have achieved their rank more through glad-handing or back-stabbing than through simple merit. On occasion, executive incompetence may lead to the elevation of an administrative assistant who everyone knew was the “power behind the throne,” but even when such an event fails to transpire, a savvy Commander can learn much from taking note of both the mistakes of their superiors and the grievances of those below and parallel to them in the corporate hierarchy.
Commander and tech entrepreneur Steve Jobs may have begun his career in computers as a hardware technician for Atari – a position generally linked to more Introverted personalities – but it was his talents for marshaling talent, more than his electronics genius, that propelled him to success. Where others in the industry focused on power, Jobs saw that without attention paid to accessibility and appeal, computers would forever remain a niche product. Jobs himself may have been a novice programmer, but he understood the fundamentals well enough to allocate the proper resources to the technical experts while never allowing the end user experience to be forgotten.
Debaters
The natural antagonism of Debaters may make them compelling conversationalists, but it often does them no favors as employees, where they are typically expected to follow orders, not question them. Although Debater personalities can excel in professions that reward those who cannot help but ferret out every conceivable flaw in an argument – such as the law or systems analysis – these occupations are the exception far more than the rule. And even then, Debaters may find that their compulsion to pick apart not only the competition, but their closest allies, can rob them of promising opportunities that would have otherwise been theirs for the taking.
On the other hand, Debaters tend to have an existential imperative to find things to oppose, and in retrospect, supposed career “disappointments” may be just the raw material that they need to craft their own counterbalancing vision. In fact, success – ironically enough – may be the biggest hindrance for a Debater, who may flounder when given nothing to struggle against.
Because it can be difficult for people with the Debater personality type to find a position that both challenges them and allows them to challenge others with relative impunity, they may find refuge in safer occupations, such as accounting, even if such a staid environment runs counter to their rebellious spirit. No matter how conventional a field might be, though, Debaters have a knack for uncovering the oddities that so easily go overlooked by most. A bored Debater, poring over a company’s ledgers, may gladly follow up on tiny discrepancies that others might dismiss, on the off chance that these discrepancies might yield some excitement.
Legendary comedian and Debater exemplar George Carlin incisively picked apart the strangeness of a host of topics, including language itself, but like all stand-up comics, his success was never assured. Though the tightly regimented nature of military life may not have agreed with him – as evidenced by his three court-martials and numerous other punishments during his stint in the U.S. Air Force – his intimate familiarity with enforced conformity no doubt informed his later on-stage critiques.
Diplomats
If the focus for Analysts is on problems, for Diplomats, it is on people. In everything they do, Diplomat personalities look for ways to express the humanity in themselves, and to embrace the humanity in others, which can make them passionately dedicated to certain causes, but may also lead to difficulties in more competitive or impersonal environments. Unfortunately, the standardized, regimented nature of many occupations – whether working in the private sector for a multinational corporation or in the public sphere as a government employee – can make personal expression extraneous, if not an outright liability. Moreover, Diplomats who wish to pursue only “win-win” scenarios may find themselves at odds with the more cutthroat aspects of capitalism.
Diplomats who seek a job that is both personally fulfilling and financially viable very often have a hard road ahead, whether they choose to compromise their ideals for stability or live in self-inflicted poverty rather than sacrifice their aspirations. Some Diplomats, in fact, may never achieve the perfect synthesis of profession and passion, eventually opting simply for a “day job” that supports their lifestyle yet does not constitute a key part of their identity. Of course, friction between Diplomats who “leave work at work” and those types who carry it home with them – both figuratively and literally – can occur, if the latter feel that Diplomats are substituting congeniality for competence.
However, even those Diplomats who are fortunate enough to find a job that jibes well with their beliefs may soon discover that their weaknesses have not entirely abandoned them. For example, a charitable organization may have ample need for charismatic, compassionate communicators, but without the logistical aptitude to harness and channel its limited resources, even the most modest aims are liable to remain forever out of reach. In some cases, industrious Sentinels or opportunity-hungry Explorers can make up for the practicality that Diplomats can lack, but Diplomats whose optimism blinds them entirely to the merits of pragmatism may not see the value that other personality types bring to the table.
By the same token, Diplomats who stick around long enough in an ill-fitting position may one day see that their struggles have yielded benefits, not only for them, but for everyone else who yearned for more amenable conditions, however unconsciously. More crusading Diplomats may be at the forefront of efforts to put a halt to hostile work environments or shoddy enforcement of safety regulations, but even smaller suggestions – free donuts on Monday, casual dress on Friday – can add up to a more pleasant, more human work experience.
Advocates
A quiet personality with a distinctly unquiet view of the world, Advocates have little tolerance for injustice or inequality, feeling compelled to crusade against these evils wherever they arise. Unfortunately, most Advocates who enter the workforce are likely to encounter ample situations to stir their ire, and once the exploitation of co-workers or the swindling of customers comes into focus, few Advocates find it easy to embrace notions of silent protest or incremental change. Patience and compromise in the face of wrongdoing can feel uncomfortably close to concession and appeasement, so rather than risk the latter, people with the Advocate personality type may press an issue, consequences – and career – be damned.
As admirable as their fearlessness may be, one could argue that Advocates who are able to exercise restraint may be more successful in the long run, not simply financially, but for the sake of furthering their activist goals as well, which may increasingly intertwine with – even supersede – their career goals as time goes on. Occasionally, Advocates may find a way to make their passion for crusading into a full-time occupation, but even then, they may still wrestle with the question of whether systemic change is better accomplished within or without the system itself, regardless of which side they come to tilt towards.
Positions in middle management may be particularly unpleasant for Advocates to occupy, even if he eloquence, ambition, and air of responsibility that Advocates easily project may make them appear to be promising candidates for such roles. Tantalizing them with the guise of authority while delivering none of the power, such roles may quickly make Advocates grow frustrated at the need to enforce the directives of higher-level executives without being able to effectively challenge these management decisions based on the first-hand feedback received from those who are most affected by them. However, though it might be a bitter pill to swallow, the intimate knowledge of how bureaucracies operate may give Advocates a greater appreciation of the significance of any undertaking that must work in opposition to them – and perhaps, even the tools needed to more effectively do battle.
Former U.S. president, global humanitarian, and Advocate Jimmy Carter epitomizes the soft-spoken yet resolute nature of this personality type’s activist sensibilities. Before going into politics – a field that equally epitomizes the fraught dichotomies between idealism and cynicism – Carter worked as a naval engineer in the early days of nuclear energy, a job that would later shape his views on atomic power. Namely, Carter has cited his experience leading the maintenance crew in charge of cleaning up an experimental reactor undergoing a partial meltdown as being instrumental in his decision to make nuclear disarmament a priority of both his presidential and post-presidential work.
Mediators
In their own quiet way, Mediators may be one of the most uncompromising personality types of all, adhering to their idealistic vision of how life should be long after the grim realities of life as it is lived would have jaded anyone else. While some Mediators have a particular “dream job” which they long to achieve, for most, the list of “nightmare jobs” is infinitely longer, making it an almost statistical certainty that, at some point in their lives, Mediators will find themselves in a position that is less than desirable. However, while the burden of an unwelcome occupation can be difficult to bear, Mediators who persevere are likely to learn that their resolve has been steeled for the challenges that are sure to find them no matter where their career may take them.
While it’s true that every personality type feels out of sorts when holding down a job that runs counter to their interests or temperament, Mediators tend to see these predicaments as profound ethical crises rather than simple differences of preference. Like other types, Mediators may object to incompatible work because it is tedious or grueling, but it is the sensation of acting in discord with their own inner beliefs that Mediators are troubled by most. Even professions that may strike anyone else as largely benign may have aspects that are deeply troubling to Mediators, who may feel viscerally complicit in the corruption that others may dismiss as merely incidental.
In some cases, however, Mediators may be reacting more to their own preconceived notions of an occupation rather than the occupation itself, which may have outgrown the unsavory practices of the past. While the image of the fast-talking, high-pressure car salesperson may be one that few Mediators would ever be able to emulate – much less aspire to – Mediator personalities who discover themselves in this role may be pleasantly surprised to learn that they have no need to live up to (or down to) this stereotype. Savvy customers with a low tolerance for the classic tricks of the trade may be quick to walk away the moment they sense they are dealing with a shark, yet may gladly give their business to a soft-spoken Mediator who is sufficiently knowledgeable about the vehicles on the lot. Of course, a Mediator may never quite feel at ease in such an environment, but the reality may be far from the living hell that they had imagined it to be.
Mediator and the author of “The Catcher in the Rye” J. D. Salinger, determined to practice his craft from an early age, nevertheless spent a lot of time in many different roles and environments before finding literary success. He managed his school’s fencing team, considered studying special education, worked in a slaughterhouse, was drafted into the army and spent time in a counter-intelligence division – while always working on his plays and stories. We know Salinger as the author of one of the best and most popular novels of the twentieth century, but the world may not have had a chance to read The Catcher if not for all those experiences that shaped Salinger as a writer.
Protagonists
We all play the starring roles in our own lives, but for Protagonists, this sense of always being center stage is even more pronounced. However, even the endless charm and brio of someone with the Protagonist personality type is rarely enough to instantly grant them success, no matter how preordained their rise may appear in retrospect. Moreover, as assured of their imminent greatness as Protagonists may be, they may have difficulty channeling their energies into one particular path. Thus dispersed, Protagonists may watch as more single-minded peers surpass them, until such time as their passion makes itself evident, if only by pure happenstance.
Those who fail to make decisions tend to see that life has a way of making decisions for them, decisions which almost inevitably appear poorer than those which we make with more deliberation. So it is with Protagonists, who may spend an inordinate amount of time during their youth drifting from one occupation to the next, unwilling to commit wholeheartedly out of a certainty that a much grander fate awaits them in their future.
Few Protagonist personalities dream of an illustrious career in data entry, but those who squander more promising opportunities may wind up passing time in positions with little in the way of romance, and even less in the way of advancement. Fortunately, a Protagonist’s zest for life is such that no job, regardless of how humble, is quite enough to mask their ambition – escaping from the cubicle maze is no easy feat for any cube jockey, but if anyone feels up to the challenge, it is the Protagonist. And even when Protagonists feel stuck in their day job, most have such a yen to help others that they gladly donate their free time to volunteer work, which may lead in time to a position that is both financially fulfilling as well as emotionally gratifying.
Protagonist by personality as well as by role in countless films, Sean Connery – like many actors – had a host of unremarkable jobs, from milkman to truck driver to lifeguard, before finding his passion. And, like many Protagonists, he abandoned a fair number of flashier career paths along the way, deciding against being a bodybuilder due to his love of football, only to turn down a football contract because of its lack of long-term prospects. It was only when working backstage at a theatre for extra money that his love of acting was sparked, and he at last found a career that was commensurate to his dreams.
Campaigners
From an early age, Campaigners are bedeviled by the tyranny of choice, an implicit understanding that the world’s wondrousness is matched only by its immensity, and that they, being only one person, will never be able to experience all that it has to offer. At its outset, every career path, no matter how interesting, nevertheless feels too small, too constrained, for the boundless ambition of a Campaigner, giving them little incentive to hone any particular craft, and thus, be surpassed again and again by those with more focus – or perhaps, less imagination. The interdisciplinary zeal that characterizes a Campaigner, while it may make them uniquely capable of introducing unanticipated insights into a conversation, may make it difficult to gain the respect of those who have true expertise in any given subject. The skyward gaze of Campaigners may give them a good view of the stars, but it makes them easily tripped up by obstacles arising in their path.
On the other hand, people with the Campaigner personality type who accept that “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” are far more likely to appreciate the value of fundamentals, regardless of how mundane they might appear in contrast to their ambitions. After all, the wannabe rock star or future best-selling novelist may fail because their music is too inaccessible or their writing is too generic – or it may be because they never learned to play more than a few chords, or never wrote more than a chapter of their supposed masterwork.
Although it might not seem like a blessing at the time, a job involving quality control might be surprisingly beneficial for Campaigners in the long run. The emphasis on an undeviating adherence to perfection – the idea that any defect, no matter how seemingly inconsequential, is grounds for rejection – may cause a Campaigner’s eyes to glaze over at the unbearable sameness to which they are forced to bear witness, but it can be eye-opening, as well. Some Campaigners may be disillusioned by the process, by the thousands of tiny errors that can occur between inspiration and execution – however, they may also find inspiration themselves, seeing that it is possible for a dream to survive a death of a thousand cuts, and even become stronger in so doing.
Famously, Campaigner and director Quentin Tarantino worked in a video store for several years before hitting it big in Hollywood, highlighting the disparity that can occur when an Campaigner’s enthusiasm is not married to access. By all accounts, Tarantino enjoyed the ability that his former position gave him to not only literally immerse himself in the art that he so loved, but to share his passion with customers who came in seeking recommendations. However, though the video store may have served as a de facto film school for Tarantino, it was only after he began to incorporate his influences into original creations that his obsession with cinema coalesced into a career that was as lucrative as it was fulfilling.
Sentinels
At first glance, it might seem as though Sentinels – for whom work and life so often seem to be synonymous – are the perfect candidate for any position. Tireless and efficient in jobs that require unskilled labor, people with Sentinel personality types apply this same work ethic when in management or professional occupations, their dogged determination all but inevitably allowing them to master even the most complicated facets of their duties. However, though the shortcomings of career-minded Sentinels may not be as obvious as other types, they are not without their Achilles’ heels.
Like Analysts, Sentinel personalities may hold others to rather unforgiving standards – even if these standards are no higher than the ones they set for themselves – and like Explorers, they may become so absorbed in the day-to-day details of their work that they lose sight of the big picture. For these reasons, Sentinels may be undeniably industrious workers, yet lose out on promotions either because their “all business” demeanor can be abrasive, or because, in giving 100% of themselves to their current jobs, they have left no room to demonstrate how they could succeed when placed in a higher role.
Sentinels tend to trust that hard work will be recognized and rewarded, an admirable trait that can sometimes prove misguided in the real world, where competence and brilliance are often perceived (however incorrectly) to be mutually exclusive values. A corporation that is hungry for innovation may prefer taking a chance on a risk-taking Explorer rather than a reliable Sentinel, knowing that the latter’s stoicism will probably prevent them from raising a complaint. And of course, in some cases, the “slow and steady” attitude of Sentinels may cause them to fail to react to changing conditions, instead doubling down on traditional methods that others can easily see have outlived their usefulness.
It must also be said, however, that Sentinels, though often derided by less data-driven professions, such as those in the arts and entertainment fields, may bring an unexpected groundedness with them, should they by some twist of fate end up working within a seemingly antithetical industry. Keeping to a tight schedule and maintaining careful records may be rudimentary talents for Sentinels, yet when these skills are in short supply, they may find themselves valued in ways that they never would have imagined if they had pursued more conventional career paths.
Logisticians
For many personality types, chaos in the workplace is seen as an inevitability, a necessary reflection of the messy complexity that arises when a diverse group of people come together in service of a broader goal. Where some see a benign disorder, however, Logisticians experience these frictions as grinding inefficiencies, harsh allergens to the Logistician’s finely-calibrated sense of structure. And though Logisticians may thrive when given a free hand to sand off these rough edges, they may have little patience for those who refuse their recommendations, becoming frustrated if their efforts to improve productivity are met with more recrimination than reward.
In time, Logisticians may learn to compartmentalize, to understand that within the borders of their bailiwick, their control may be total, and that outside of them, it may be virtually nonexistent. Logistician personalities who find their advice rebuffed again and again may have to accept that, even though a hurricane rages just outside of their limited domain, the best they can do is hope that the calm of their central eye is noted by the survivors of such turbulence. Because Logisticians rarely have the patience to make a case for their methods – expecting others to simply see the correctness of their actions with as much clarity as they do – they may find that a role model approach works much better in the long run, even if they must wince inwardly at all the missteps they see others make in the meantime.
The blunt objectivity of Logisticians can make them seem poor confidantes, and thus, unsuitable candidates for careers in psychiatry and other counseling-related fields. However, though many patients or clients require a soft touch to guide them past their personal traumas, the “tough love” approach of Logisticians can occasionally produce results, as well. And while a Logisitician may never become entirely accustomed to the frustration of having their counsel continually ignored, they may find some satisfaction in the mere fact that they have at least shown their charges a better path, whether they follow it or not.
Emotionality may seem to be an actor’s stock-in-trade, making the craft decidedly inhospitable for the eminently rational Logistician, but some actors – such as Logistician Natalie Portman – demonstrate how we can never quite discount any personality from mastery of any profession. Aside from making the unusual choice of concurrently pursuing a distinguished academic career at Harvard while remaining one of the most well-known faces of the silver screen, Portman’s exacting approach is made evident by the commitment shown to her roles. One has only to consider the countless hours of ballet training that went into her ferociously dedicated depiction of fictional dancer Nina Sayers in the film Black Swan to understand the sympatico relationship between actress and character, both of whom prioritize perfection, even if the latter does so to a pathological degree.
Defenders
Although Defenders are not a personality type likely to dazzle their employers the instant they meet them, time tends to make any uncertainty involved in their initial hire appear quite foolish indeed. Modest yet driven, precise yet patient, the ever-dependable Defenders are frequently characterized by their co-workers as the “backbone” of the workplace, tirelessly taking on any task that comes their way. However, while Defenders may derive great satisfaction from selfless service to others, even the strongest backbone can crack when put under too much pressure, and Defenders, who so often feel that the word “no” must be absent from their vocabulary, must be wary that they do not assume more responsibilities than they can handle.
After all, for most people with the Defender personality type, their obligations rarely end once they step out of the office – volunteer work, family matters, and assorted other duties take up time for everyone, but Defenders are just as likely to be seen as the linchpin in these areas as they are in the workplace, making their “free time” into, all too often, merely another sort of labor. Accepting that they have finite time and energy can be a challenge for Defenders, and even more so, communicating this reality to those who have come to take their rock-steadiness for granted. Nevertheless, Defenders who are unable to safeguard their own well-being will soon be rendered incapable of coming to the aid of anyone else.
The need to directly and immediately see the effects of the help that they are giving to other people tends to make Defenders a poor fit for more abstract work, such as academic research. However, particularly because such work is often a requirement for fields that Defenders are otherwise drawn to – teaching and public service, for instance – they may need to find a way to set aside time for poring over journal articles and drafting grant proposals, as much as it might pain them to turn down the dozens of pleas for assistance that are sure to find them in the meantime.
Of course, even a Defender’s regard for order and reluctance to object has its limits, as is perhaps best illustrated by civil rights activist and Defender Rosa Parks. Although Parks would later claim that her occupation as secretary for a local NAACP chapter president only came about because she was “too timid to say no,” her quiet refusal to be moved from her seat on a Montgomery bus was the incident that cemented her place in American history.
Executives
As their name implies, Executives are rarely forever content in a subordinate role. Though they may perform their assigned tasks with speed and exactitude – and indeed, have nothing but scorn for those who shirk their duties for any reason – people with the Executive personality type have great difficulty remaining silent if they feel their brand of leadership would be more beneficial than that of the current regime. Unlike many would-be bosses who crave power for power’s sake, however, Executives often have an intimate knowledge of the minute steps needed to see their plans to fruition, rather than a grandiose but ultimately incoherent vision for the future. As well-equipped as Executives might seem for climbing the corporate ladder, though, they are not without their own particular vulnerabilities, weaknesses that are all the more difficult to guard against due to the Executive’s refusal to see them as such.
Perhaps the greatest of these shortcomings is the Executive’s “by the book” philosophy, a dogmatic insistence that may give them an admirably consistent track record, but may fail them in those times when “the book” has need of revision – or when a situation occurs that is so new, no rules are yet in place for it. Those Executives who have the wisdom to go against their nature and allow for the occasional dreaded exception may find that this allowance pays enormous dividends, even if they find themselves honor-bound to codify the exception into the rulebook the moment the crisis has been resolved.
Although Executives excel in a number of businesses, those that call for a more creative, less data-driven approach may cause them to flounder more than others. As an example, Executives who find themselves in marketing-related professions may feel that their “best practices” viewpoint is frequently at odds with the often irrational nature of consumers, who may buy a product as much for the packaging as for the performance. However, those Executives who are able to effectively delegate creative aspects of the job – and, perhaps more importantly, re-calibrate their views of what will make for an effective marketing campaign – may be able to use their more grounded perspective to their advantage, carefully vetting ideas to ensure that not only is attention paid to a brand, but that it is the right kind of attention as well.
Again, while creativity and art are seldom deemed the province of this personality type, one such Executive – iconic singer Frank Sinatra – illustrates how formidable their work ethic can be, when marshalled in the service of one’s natural talent. From a childhood spent singing on a player piano for loose change in his parents’ bar to an early job as a singing waiter in a roadhouse, Sinatra tirelessly showcased his vocal gifts while pursuing ever greater opportunities to advance his chosen career. True to his Executive nature, the “Chairman of the Board” parlayed his success into an acting career and diverse business interests, but even the heights of fame were never enough to alter Sinatra’s commitment to his original craft.
Consuls
For the irrepressibly congenial Consul, finding a job is rarely a problem. Finding a good job, on the other hand – one that maximizes their untapped potential – can prove to be quite challenging, indeed. The happy diligence and natural aversion to boat-rocking that characterizes the Consul personality type may make them valuable employees, but by the same token, their employers may see little reason to promote someone who has expressed no great desire to be promoted, whether by word or by action. In the worst case scenario, a Consul’s contentment may be mistaken for complacence, which can only increase the chances of their career path becoming a career cul-de-sac.
However, while workplace politics may never be a Consul’s strong suit, they may turn the odds more strongly in their favor by at least acknowledging that they exist – namely, a Consul who is unwilling to self-promote will more often than not find that no one else will do it for them. Consul personalities may be uncomfortable with the idea of documenting every instance when they are “just doing their job,” but such a record may prove invaluable during performance evaluations, or when a vacancy in a higher office appears. Ambition is hardly a defining trait for a Consul, but those who are given more responsibility tend to handle it all the more gracefully for their lack of striving.
Where their preference for clear rules and orderly hierarchies make them a much better fit for more traditional corporate environments, many Consuls may nonetheless find themselves working in a freelance capacity, whether for a brief stint or for the long haul. As a freelancer, the biggest challenge for a Consul may very well be the marketing aspect – if self-promotion is helpful in corporate settings, it is absolutely essential when one must “sell” oneself to every new client, and while it is possible to delegate this task to an agent or other intermediary, most freelancers will be hard-pressed to afford a quality representative, particularly when first starting out. However, those Consuls who are able to overcome this hurdle may soon find themselves with more business than they can handle, as their studious attention to detail and all-but-religious observation of deadlines set them apart from the more lackadaisical consultants that populate the field. And while Consuls may be destined to return to a more typical work setup – like a lone atom of oxygen, they are forever seeking to form a stable bond – the experience of “being their own boss” is bound to give them any number of useful insights, when and if that day comes.
One Consul who evidently has had little trouble advancing in his chosen career is Jorge Mario Bergoglio, better known as Pope Francis, who has made international headlines for his populist charm, humble bearing, and staunch advocacy for the impoverished. But while his sympathies for the poor may be rooted, at least in part, by his own experiences as a young man working as a janitor – a denigrated occupation if there ever was one – it was only after years of dedicated seminary study that he obtained the gravitas necessary to make his opinions heard, and later, realized.
Explorers
When one lives like there will be no tomorrow, planning for the future becomes an exceedingly difficult proposition. And so it goes for Explorer personality types, who may strike others as terrifically industrious workers, attacking the problems set before them with verve and vigor, only to turn apathetic as soon as the word “career” is mentioned. Often lacking the long-term discipline of Sentinels as well as the concrete ambitions of Analysts and passionate aspirations of Diplomats, Explorers can be at risk of letting others dictate their vocational fates for them. Rather than chasing after a career, Explorers may “fall into” one, with varying degrees of job satisfaction.
In some instances, an Explorer may prove so talented in a particular area that career success becomes all but a fait accompli, like the guitar savant who never lacks for session work, even if stardom itself eludes them. However, even preternatural skills are rarely enough to entirely compensate for a lack of diligence and foresight, and Explorers’ devil-may-care lifestyle is bound to cause their ship to run aground sooner or later.
Of course, Explorers may have little occasion for concern over the lack of concern they have when it comes to work. Where others may see a job waiting tables or loading boxes as a mere way station on their road to the executive suite or a tenured professorship, Explorers may prefer to live their lives day by day, simply moving on to the next table, or the next box, and instead focusing their attention on life outside work. That is, until some event – an inspiring encounter with someone, perhaps – spurs them to action, forcing them to look for something different.
On the other hand, Explorers, by living in the moment, may be the personality type most adept at exploiting those moments to the fullest. They may stumble into a position, but once there, they often find a way to shine regardless.
Virtuosos
The careers of Virtuosos are all too often stymied by a paradox that is central to their character: they can be excellent workers, but terrible employees. Put another way, Virtuosos tend to have an unparalleled dedication to mastering their craft, keeping well apprised of new developments in their field, when not actively pushing the envelope themselves. In addition, people with the Virtuoso personality type have a gift for remaining calm under pressure, producing creative yet practical solutions with little to no preparation.
On the other hand, while Virtuosos may excel in a crisis, routine can spell disaster. Simple (yet crucial) tasks may fall by the wayside as a Virtuoso turns their attention to what they deem “more interesting” problems, infuriating co-workers whose own work depends on the Virtuoso attending to their duties. In the end, the greatest challenge for a Virtuoso might very well be learning to cope with a lack of challenge, or at least, understanding that boredom is a possibility in any field. Is it worth starting from scratch with a new career, or is there a way to take one’s current career and “make it new” with some fresh insight? Virtuosos who continually choose the first option may have no shortage of excitement, but the long-term financial repercussions could be devastating.
Occasionally, a Virtuoso who has no other way of profiting from the skills they have mastered may seek to impart them to others on a professional basis. However, though Virtuoso personalities may initially enjoy teaching for the opportunity it grants them to immerse themselves in their chosen subject matter, they may quickly grow frustrated with the lack of interest or talent in their pupils – even more likely, they may feel hamstrung by the administrative aspects of the job. Either way, Virtuosos will seldom hesitate to let their displeasure known, garnering them a reputation as a curmudgeon in short order. Still, Virtuosos who are able to make peace with these distractions may not only be allowed a space to pursue their own work, but their in-depth knowledge and exacting standards may also win them the admiration of their students.
Virtuoso, Silicon Valley entrepreneur, and co-founder of Twitter Jack Dorsey exemplifies the uneven genius so endemic to the personality type. A teenage infatuation with the intricacies of dispatch routing was the inspiration behind his first internet start-up, a web-based application for dispatching taxis, couriers, and emergency services – building on his expertise in dispatching, Dorsey worked on the inception of Twitter, whose simple, clean interface and fixed character limits no doubt appealed to his practical Virtuoso nature. And though Virtuosos tend to be averse to starting business ventures, for Dorsey, it may have felt like an organic extension of his interests, which had simply outgrown the ability for one person to contain.
Adventurers
Of all the Explorer personality types, Adventurers may have the most trouble adapting to the expectations of employers, and of work itself. Like Virtuosos, Adventurers often have difficulty dedicating themselves to a particular job, but where Virtuosos tend to find that their interests have a way of converging with their profession, Adventurers may find that their passions run forever parallel to their line of work. Even artistically-inclined Adventurers in creative fields, such as graphic design, may chafe at the inherent restrictions of 9-to-5 office life, gazing out the window for the greener pastures that they know in their heart must be waiting out there.
And while self-employment may strike them as an obvious solution, Adventurers who embark on this journey may soon discover that, ironically, such an alternative can demand even more discipline than a more conventional career path. In many cases, though, perfecting their craft may not be the problem, as Adventurers may love nothing more than pouring every moment they can spare into their passion. However, as much as Adventurers may desire to stand apart from the crowd, communicating their unique value can prove difficult indeed – for people with this personality type, finding a “voice” not only refers to their artistic vision, but to their efforts at marketing themselves to the wider world, without the support of which, they may be doomed to an endless procession of transient, interchangeable occupations.
Yet even those Adventurers who have the most faceless, and the most thankless, of tasks, such as working on an assembly line, must not allow the creeping anonymity to dim their creative spark. In some respects, such work – as long as it is viewed as a prelude of indeterminate duration, not a bottomless pit of despair – can be more helpful for an Adventurer than a more demanding position might be. After all, an Adventurer who feels that they have nowhere to go but up may redouble their efforts to pursue a career more in line with their idealistic designs, while one who has a more “respectable” job might be more likely to abandon their dreams, even if the respectable job in question is a poor fit regardless.
One could consider the example of Adventurer exemplar and world-famous rapper Marshall Bruce Mathers III, whose outsized alter ego “Eminem” belies the quiet artistic force behind his incendiary lyrics. While his albums make it clear that he has nothing but contempt for the low wages and long hours of his pre-fame jobs – such as a stint in his early twenties as a dishwasher and cook – such experiences undoubtedly lent urgency to both his aspirations and his writing.
Entrepreneurs
If Entrepreneur personalities had it their way, life would be like an action movie, a series of thrilling chases and narrowly-averted crises interspersed with the occasional zippy one-liner or light romantic subplot. Their urge for incident often steers them toward careers that promise a steady stream of such adventures – like fire fighting or police work – even if the reality proves decidedly less unglamorous, should they find themselves spending too much of their time pulling cats out of trees and filling out paperwork instead. In all too many cases, Entrepreneurs who seek out more adventurous careers find that administrative overhead quickly deflates any enthusiasm they once held for the job itself.
Rather than abide by the rules set by someone else, some Entrepreneurs – as the name implies – prefer to go into business for themselves, whether as a private contractor or in the hopes of building an organization that prioritizes raw efficacy over empty policy. Here again, though, Entrepreneurs may be in for a rude awakening, once they realize that running their business will monopolize more of their time than ever before, if they are unable to find anyone to delegate the day-to-day minutiae to. However, those Entrepreneurs who are able to acquire a newfound respect for the more “boring” aspects of management – whether by partnering with a more capable administrator or by assuming such duties themselves, however reluctantly – may find that their excitement is contagious, creating the sort of high energy environment that they felt was lacking in their more staid former workplaces.
Of all the places that one might expect to find an Entrepreneur, libraries would rank fairly low on the list, yet even here, an enterprising individual with this personality type can find opportunity. Though Entrepreneurs might be loathe to admit it, even they benefit from peace and quiet, and the sedate atmosphere of a library could be just the thing to force them to slow down and contemplate their next step, rather than rushing headlong into their next venture.
Similarly, while Entrepreneurs typically lack the patience needed to be a professional writer, Ernest Hemingway gives us an excellent example of an Entrepreneur who found a way to live both a life of letters and a life of action, without one ever seeming in danger of overshadowing the other. Like many people with this personality type, Hemingway needed a way to fund the whims of his restless spirit, which eventually led to a career chronicling his adventures abroad. True to his Entrepreneur nature, though, Hemingway – both as a journalist and as a novelist – developed a lean, spare prose to use as a vehicle for his thoughts, dispensing with literary frills so that he could write quickly and return with equal haste to the pursuits that fueled his creative fires.
Entertainers
The intense need that Entertainers have to be entertaining stems, at least in part, from their need to be entertained – whenever the vacuum of silence threatens, they are quick to fill it with a joke or a song. In some cases, this compulsion can serve them well, inspiring Entertainers to pursue a career that makes the most use of their unique talents. All too often, however, Entertainers discover that their lack of discipline and foresight lands them in a ill-fitting occupation where they are merely passable, when a more creative – yet more difficult to grasp – profession might see them soar to undreamt of heights.
For some Entertainer personalities, focus is the greatest challenge – with so many ways to put a smile on someone’s face, why choose only one? Yet without taking the time to master a particular craft, whether it is the rhythms of a knockout standup routine or the art of the perfect sales pitch, Entertainers may find that they are good at a great many things, but truly excellent at none.
Entertainers with a love of language may harbor a dream of reading passages from their novels for a spellbound audience, but the reality for many may end up being something rather less glamorous, such as a job in technical writing. However, while the prospect of hours spent drafting policy manuals and instruction booklets may strike Entertainers as dreadfully dull, there could be unexpected benefits, even aside from the financial stability that such a position might offer. Forced for perhaps the first time to dwell upon the precision of a document rather than the impact of its content, Entertainers may gain a new appreciation for the power of words, and bring this newfound understanding of their economy to their own more artistic pursuits.
When thinking of famous Entertainers, one cannot help but wonder whether this personality type is perhaps the most likely one to “play against type” at certain points in their life. Entertainers tend to do best when they have enough freedom to embrace and express their creativity fully, and not surprisingly, they are likely to resist being forced into roles they find boring or constraining. Let’s take Pablo Picasso and Richard Branson as examples. Picasso had no difficulties getting admitted to art academies at a very young age, but he could not stand formal studies and did not stay there for long. Similarly, Branson was famously told by his headmaster that he would either end up in prison or become a millionaire – and then he went on to start his first business at the age of sixteen. Many people with this type may feel like they are going against their personality at school or at an uninspiring workplace, often rediscovering and reinventing themselves when the environment changes.
Conclusions
Like a current in a river, personality draws us always in one direction. Whether we choose to swim with the current or fight against its pull, however, is our decision. And while sometimes it is both easiest and best to go with the flow, struggling with our inner natures can be constructive – and instructive.
It is only through testing our limits that we begin to understand what are limits truly are, and what are only artificial boundaries that we have arbitrarily set for ourselves. We may not be able to be anything that we want to be, but we often can be more than we tell ourselves we can be.
Whether through accident of fate or sheer self-determination, we frequently find ourselves operating outside of our comfort zone while on the job. The friction that results from “being something that we are not” can be painful enough that it steers us toward a more suitable profession – or, we may find that the problematic aspects of our job are not essential to the work itself, and we may work to change them.
After all, with enough work, even a river can be dammed, and made to run a different course. As always, one must ask oneself: Is it better to fit into the world around me, or to find a world that is a better fit for me?
How well has your career path aligned with your personality type? Have you ever felt that you had to compensate for having an unconventional personality for your job? Let us know in the comments!