Virtuoso (RSI-C)

Earnest and independent, Virtuosos love the experiential exploration of the world around them, blending spontaneity with rationality. They favor a hands-on approach over abstract notions and concepts or using theoretical assumptions as a guide. They’re practical people who prefer to focus on concrete notions or problems, and often view speculative theory as distant from the realities of life.

Accordingly, Virtuosos prefer trying something out rather than attempting to grasp it by just thinking or reading about it, or relying only on the power of imagination. Virtuosos want to see for themselves how things work; to experiment, test, freely play, and get their hands dirty. They explore using reason and logic, and through that process come to understand the world around them.

This process of experiential exploration isn’t only how they gain knowledge, but also how they typically make decisions. They explore their options by testing them out, partially going in each direction and seeing what consequences surface, and letting their decision emerge in response. And if it’s a big decision, they might push it until the last minute to maximize their options.

Whatever their chosen profession, Virtuosos tend to especially enjoy activities, crafts, and practices that involve using their hands and tools. They’ll take something apart, fix or improve it, and put it back together – or even make something to serve a particular function from scratch. This type also enjoys activities and practices that involve using their entire bodies, like sports, athletics, or even dancing.

But even with wide interests, Virtuosos value time alone to energize and recuperate. They spend their free time engaged in activities they enjoy, sometimes getting so deeply immersed they shut the world out. However, they also enjoy sharing activities with individuals who have compatible criteria and interests – as long as they have the freedom to do things their way.

And their way is often impressive. Virtuosos excel at altering the physical world of objects and materials with skillful execution and high precision. They’re typically good at mastering various abilities and crafts through their exploration and practice, often meticulous in their work. This type tries to employ their logic and reasoning to improve their skills as they accomplish things.

Virtuosos welcome challenges to their abilities. They see them as opportunities to test themselves and sharpen their repertoire, as we well as show what they know. When someone personally challenges their skills or abilities, they typically accept the challenge in a competitive spirit, ready to see how their approach stacks up against others’.

This type may expect from others a similar degree of mastery to their own and may be surprised that’s not always the case. They can be completely baffled when someone has a hard time learning or successfully performing a skill or practice they see as rudimentary. They may even become irritated by such differences, but rarely let that daunt them.

Open to the unexpected in life as well as in work, Virtuosos don’t adhere to a single approach or employ a single method, nor do they follow a set theory. They’re eclectic and will go with anything that makes sense and proves functional, useful, or practical. They’re happy to try various options and methods to achieve their goals and meet their needs.

Their ideas and approaches can work for others as well. But when called upon for help, Virtuosos tend to offer practical solutions instead of providing emotional support and encouragement. They may simply feel that such contributions aren’t actually going to change the situation for the better, preferring more pragmatic action.

While they value the practical, however, this type isn’t prone to making detailed or long-term plans. Virtuosos see little point in trying to guess what will happen when they’re so adept at dealing with things as they come. For them, taking action and making decisions on the fly is better than having to scrap a plan in response to the unexpected – and with their skills, they make this approach work very well.