I am different from others.
Of course, we are all different from others. But I am even more unique. On the MBTI personality test, I have the rarest profile: only 1.5% of people on the planet are like me. The same goes for the AVATAR typological test, where I am among the 2% of the least common profiles.
In the AVATAR typology, I am an “Inventor”, or rather, an “Inventress” because for me, words must have meaning, even if it means creating new ones. Which would not occur for the profile opposite to me, the “Instructor”. For them, they value pragmatism and the literal meaning of things that guides their thoughts.
I have absolutely nothing in common with those who have an “Instructor” profile. To them, I'm weird. But since they are part of 24% of the population, I have to learn to get along with them because they are encountered everywhere, at work and in private life.
Based on only three questions
We are talking about personality. In the current AVATAR typology, besides the “Inventors”, which is the profile I am a part of, and the “Instructors”, with whom I learn to establish rapport despite our differences, there are six other personality types. These other personality types are the: Benefactors, Coordinators, Entrepreneurs, Motivators, Fixers and Supporters.
These personality types are determined by our natural orientations to three existential questions:
- How do you manage your life?: by controlling as many things as possible or by being flexible?
- What is your relationship with change?: are you curious to explore the world and all its secrets or content with staying in the reassuring comfort of your familiar everyday life?
- What is the focus of your actions?: are they focused on you or on others?
My "Inventor" profile reflects my independent nature. I love variety and change, and I am always looking to experiment with new ways of doing things. Being flexible and open to the world, I let events unfold naturally, and I am always curious to see what each situation can teach me. Finally, I generally try to understand things on my own before turning to others and contributing to the improvement of their world.
What goes together comes together?
Given my typology, I have strong connections with “Motivators”. We have the same orientations on two of the three existential questions. I love working with them because we have the same ease of adaptation and respect each other. We also have the same originality of thinking differently about the world and sparking innovative ideas. We understand each other really well!
The area where we complement each other is the focus of our actions. If my focus is to seek and meet precise and rigorous objectives, the ‘’Motivator’’ brings a sense of gentleness and compassion. Therefore, we challenge ourselves to give the best of ourselves and build projects that are both original and ambitious.
I also have two elements of similarity with ‘’Entrepreneurs’’. We are compatible in terms of embracing change and the way we act. So, we think and communicate in the same way in order to achieve bold goals. I just need to give them the freedom they need to control their environment. The ‘’Entrepreneur’’ is sometimes a little stubborn, but my flexibility does not hold it against them.
For the other typologies, only one out of three elements are common between us, or even none in common with the ‘’Instructors’’… As a result, everyone must make an effort because otherwise, misunderstandings or small disagreements can undermine our relationship and compromise collaborative work. It's understandable because we don't work in the same way, we don't share the same vision of the world and/or we do not make decisions on the same criteria.
However, this does not prevent us from collaborating together; it is enough to become aware of our respective profiles and focus on the strengths of the other elements, which do not come naturally to us.
Through this personal example, I have chosen to illustrate to you what each of us experiences on a daily basis in our relationships. Whether it is an ease in interacting with certain people, even a symbiosis, or conversely, difficulties that create friction and can evolve into conflicts. It is of course, not so straightforward since our preferences can be expressed in various ways. With that being said, by having a better understanding of the natural tendencies of each of these three existential themes, it becomes easier to understand each other and to find common ground in order to facilitate our relationships.
And you, what is your typology? In other words, what is your AVATAR? And who are the people whom you have the most affinity with?
