Your Action Archetype

This little-discussed trait will explain everything.

Have you ever considered what kind of Doer you are? I once wrote a guide called “Doer or Dreamer” to help identify whether you are somebody who likes to be in the action or somebody who likes to ideate. Are you the person who rocks at implementing or the one who comes up with the plan?

I took that guide out of The Library some time ago because I felt like I didn't have full clarity on what I was trying to say. Without that clarity, I couldn’t provide an easy-to-use guide for entrepreneurs.

Turns out, the archetypes of ‘doing’ are the least well-understood and least studied aspect of the human experience. We are very aware of our learning, emotional, and physical archetypes, but how we take action is not often discussed.

That's why I was so excited to read about the work of Kathy Kolbe in the book Steering by Starlight. These four archetypes, called the Conative Types, explain the unique action steps I see my clients take. They also help me feel more comfortable with my own habits. Until I learned the Conative Types, I felt a bit ashamed about how I would ‘do things,’ jokingly calling myself a Mad Lass. Turns out, the way that I take action is normal for my archetype. It’s just the way I navigate the world.

Here are the four Conative Types according to Kolbe:

Quick Start
You are the type of person who takes action with little planning. When there’s an opportunity or new idea you figure, “Why not go for it?” This type often learns by doing and understands the world around them through lived experience. The pitfall, of course, is taking action too soon, which may result in some sticky situations. No matter — there’s honor in trying something new.

Follow Thru
You need to understand how the thing works before you interact with it. As an entrepreneur, you probably build out an entire system before you launch something. This type learns well by gathering information and integrating it into their wider consciousness. The pitfall is that, if a system fails, you may feel out of your depth. But you’ve probably already thought of all failure scenarios and created systems for those, too.

Implementer
You love people and need tangibles to feel grounded. Your business is probably one that sells physical products, perhaps even created by your own hands. This type learns best from other people and with three-dimensional concepts. The pitfall is that you may feel a bit on your heels if you can’t get your hands on physical resources and need to take action without them. But hey, you can instead share your gift by helping others imagine the objects that you required for the opportunity.

Fact Finder
You love information. The more you can consume, the better. These are the leaders who master their industries — they know everything there is to know and probably freelance as Subject Matter Experts. This type learns best through all types of research, from reading to lectures to museums. The pitfall is that it can take a bit of time before you get going. However, once you do, you’re going to be the expert leader.

Where do you fit in? And how does it change your outlook for the upcoming year?

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