Explorers (RSI)

Explorers are creative individuals – crafty and spontaneous in their response to life, able to think on their feet, and good at solving problems in the moment. Those with this personality type are practical and have little use for abstractions or theories, either in personal or professional domains. Eclectic in their approach, they much more prefer to explore, experience, and try things out themselves than be guided by speculation.

These tendencies – coupled with their inquisitive, spontaneous, and even playful approach – make them good at various skills and crafts. They tend to pride themselves on mastering particular skills that capture their interests, even if those interests change after a time. This flexible focus can be a great asset, as they have very open minds.

However, the manner in which they work toward their mastery isn’t always in line with how formal education and training is designed. Explorers like to approach things their way, wanting the freedom to explore and having little patience for calls to accept a standardized approach. Following a traditional path or set of rules can make them feel restricted, sapping their interest.

This type’s interests can vary widely. Even if it’s not their chosen profession, Explorers tend to like activities that involve working with their hands – devising, creating, and building things using tools, technical materials, or machinery. They’re also often drawn to activities that involve using their bodies, like athletics and physical disciplines (and tend to be good at them.)

Thriving in real-world scenarios and activities, Explorers may have a special interest in gadgets and technology that enables them to pursue their interests, and they prize using quality tools in the practice of their skills. If there’s a practical problem that needs an immediate solution – like making a stubborn copier work or figuring out a new TV – it will energize Explorers and bring out their best.

Explorers’ hard-earned expertise can make the things they excel at look easy, but when it comes to teaching others those skills, they may struggle. This type often finds it hard to structure their knowledge into an effective training method, and to communicate to others how they do what they do so well.

Their preferred method of teaching is demonstration: showing how something is done, letting others try it, and offering correction as they go. This hands-on, step-by-step style can conflict with types who like to learn through visualization or understand a process fully before trying it out themselves. But Explorers overcome such situations by being open-minded.

In fact, their ability to spontaneously scan a situation, assess a problem, and devise a solution makes them highly versatile. They’re good candidates for any kind of work that requires thinking on their feet and more than just repeatedly applying the same solutions. They tailor their response and ideas to the specific situation or problem, always adapting on the fly.

Part of this mentality is that Explorers aren’t prone to making detailed plans, especially not long-term ones. Their adaptable, explorative nature means that things tend to turn out differently than expected, so they prefer to just deal with things as they come. They’re usually satisfied with having a general direction or goal and finding the best approach as they go.

And as they go, Explorers don’t always conform to rules. Their interest in getting the job done supersedes strict protocols, so they sometimes sidestep rules and procedures they feel get in the way. Such a spontaneous willingness to find their path can bother people who value firm regulation, but Explorers dislike when strict rules hinder their freedom to work in their way.

When it comes to finding their way socially, this type prefers to bond through shared activities rather than deep philosophical conversations or esoteric concepts. Explorers enjoy participating in active pastimes in which they can involve more than just their minds. This sometimes makes people think of them as Extroverts rather than Introverts.

But this doesn’t mean that Explorers don’t engage in deep thought, just that they’d rather try their ideas out than have long, impractical discussions. As masters of tools, crafts, and techniques, these free-spirited individuals are quick on their feet as they embrace new experiences, explore life, and find ways to skillfully create something good – or at least interesting.