What Kind of Thinker Are You? By Mark Bonchek and Elisa Steele NOVEMBER 23, 2015
For example, on the big picture or macro orientation:
Explorer thinking is about generating creative ideas.
Planner thinking is about designing effective systems.
Energizer thinking is about mobilizing people into action.
Connector thinking is about building and strengthening relationships.
Across the micro or detail orientation:
Expert thinking is about achieving objectivity and insight.
Optimizer thinking is about improving productivity and efficiency.
Producer thinking is about achieving completion and momentum.
Coach thinking is about cultivating people and potential.
When you know your thinking style, you know what naturally energizes you, why certain types of problems are challenging or boring, and what you can do to improve in areas that are important to reaching your goals.
Once you know your style, it helps to share it with others, and have others share theirs with you. In this way, your thinking style becomes a useful tool - a kind of social currency - for the team. Imagine you put together a team to work on a new initiative. Wouldn’t you like to know who is energized by big-picture strategy discussions and who finds them frustrating? Who likes to work on the details of the execution? And who is energized by managing the team dynamics?