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Archetypical Thinking Styles for Individuals A person's thinking style—the particular blend of the forces driving their thinking— determines the mental survival strategies they will turn to most habitually. Depending upon the relative intensities with which someone pursues possibility, certainty and continuity they will develop different sets of mental skills, excel in different pursuits, naturally play different roles within a group, and desire to be recognized for different contributions than others. The contributions of each thinking style naturally build on top of one another when we begin with future (visionary ideas) and move through past (validation) and present (integration) to create a cycle of sustainable thinking. In their thinking style, people either lead most strongly with one thinking perspective, blend their two strongest perspectives nearly equally, or integrate all three nearly equally. When looking at how people actually think and behave, this creates 10 prime thinking styles that correlate with different regions in the map of thinking: Future, Future/Past, Past/Future, Past, Past/Present, Present/ Past, Present, Present/Future, Future/Present, Integrated. Keep in mind that just as the blended thinking styles are distinguished by which force is driving them more strongly . . . . . . integrated thinkers can also experience one perspective with a little more intensity, and with the singular thinking styles one of the two less dominant perspectives can also be experienced a little more strongly than the other. If a person is close to the border between two thinking styles, reading about the other one can help in developing a deeper understanding of their thoughts and actions.
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Future Thinking Style The value of pure future thinking lies in its ability to envision what others cannot and to see how things can always change. To have a vision of what could be in place of that which is requires a long view and an open, unfettered mind. Future thinkers brings big ideas and spreads contagious enthusiasm, holding no fear of being a nonconformist and a protagonist of possibility. This includes revealing abstract ideas to others by using simple but powerful metaphors. The great strength of Future thinkers lies, in part, in their refusing to acknowledge or be bound by what already exists and by others' rules. Their true gift is one of generating ideas. -------------------Future-Past Thinking Style The value of Future/Past thinking lies in its ability to know when an idea sounds right. This knowledge, combining a recognition of truth in tandem with an open, inquisitive disposition, can be the first step in the process of change. Enthusiastic curiosity leads Future/Past thinkers to uncover new things, while its emphasis on evidence and verification help to identify the new possibilities that ring truest. Led by intuition, but also eagerly in need of finding validation, Future/Past thinkers take visionary ideas and add depth to them. With a passionate thirst for learning and a discerning nature, they lead the way for those who would explore things more deeply. Š 1997-2011 MindTime Technologies Inc.
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Their true gift is one of envisioning the future and evaluating its possibilities. ------------------Past-Future Thinking Style The value of Past/Future thinking lies in its ability to delve deeply into ideas, examining how they fit into what is already known. Past/Future thinkers are not afraid of changes, but deliberate carefully before committing to anything specific. They reflect on evidence to discern what is real from what is merely an illusion, in order to wisely focus their energies on the most important things in life. An open willingness to temporarily suspend a need for facts allows Past/Future thinkers to see things in a new way, validate new ideas and evaluate their importance. Their true gift is one of grounding new ideas. -----------------Past Thinking Style The value of Past thinking lies in its ability to look deeply for answers to the question of, 'What does it all mean?' The questions asked are often big; the method, though, is to delve into the minutia using sound and accepted methods. Nothing is taken on faith, and trust is of paramount importance: trust in methods, trust in a small and close group of people, trust in themselves. With an acute sense of the important questions to ask Š 1997-2011 MindTime Technologies Inc.
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and where to go looking for the answers, Past thinkers want more than anything to celebrate what can be proven. Their true gift is one of understanding the true nature of things. -----------------Past-Present Thinking Style The value of Past/Present thinking lies in its ability to examine the future consequences given what has already been learned. With the weighing of truth done and the meaning of things known, the question is, What is the impact? With customary caution, Past/Present thinkers turn us around from looking for truth and meaning and asks us to look instead at implications. They are the actuaries of reality, considering the historical context of their decisions to ensure that they get the desired results without unintended consequences. The possibly cynical attitude towards change sometimes presented by Past/Present thinkers is a counterweight to the destabilizing influence of unchecked opportunism. Their true gift is one of caring. ------------------Present-Past Thinking Style The value of Present/Past thinking lies in its ability to focus on the pertinent facts and dismiss extraneous information.
Š 1997-2011 MindTime Technologies Inc.
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By focusing on the essential details that will inform future courses of action, present/past thinkers allow the right plans to be drawn up and the best paths to be taken. Without the methodical arrangement of what is known, the confusion of information hides the real value of that information to our progress. Present/Past thinkers work quietly to sort through and organize information, giving it purpose and raising its status to knowledge. Their true gift is one of establishing a firm foundation for action. -----------------Present Thinking Style The value of Present thinking lies in its ability to make a plan and stick to it by organizing the myriad of details into one clear, organized approach. Present thinkers make things happen. They create scenarios and plays them out; plan A, plan B, plan C, to ensure that there is always a path forward to achieving their goals. Present thinking brings form and structure to ideas. Order is the word of the day. 'Stick with the plan' is the mantra of Present thinkers. Their true gift is one of maintaining direction. ----------------Present-Future Thinking Style The value of Present/Future thinking lies in its ability to weave the goals of a plan into reality. Š 1997-2011 MindTime Technologies Inc.
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With the determination to see things get done and a savvy intuition of how to achieve their goals, Present/ Future thinkers thrive on solving problems in order to execute on planned initiatives. These managers of change are both realists and dreamers. In the process of implementing new strategies and refining the status quo, they are driven by the passion and relevance of the vision and the excitement of making it real. Their true gift is to bring fresh approaches. -----------------Future-Present Thinking Style The value of Future/Present thinking lies in its ability to let go of the plan that was and see the one that needs to evolve. Future/Present thinkers are masters of evolution. Looking beyond the frame of what is known, understood, or planned for, and drawn to the ideal of the unfolding that is taking place, they are adept at navigating through unfamiliar situations while averting disaster. Future/Present thinkers are always moving plans forward and orchestrating the efforts of others, in the process turning dreams into reality. Their true gift is one of integrating what has been with what is next to come. ----------------
Š 1997-2011 MindTime Technologies Inc.
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Integrated Thinking Style The value of Integrated thinking lies in its ability to bring consensus. Integrated thinkers are the glue of collaboration and the bridge between different thinking styles, bringing together all points of view into one moving, synchronous effort. The innate sense Integrated thinkers have of all the pieces of the human puzzle and how to meld them together, including the various personalities, makes this them the hub of communication and collective endeavor. While rarely predisposed to launch off on their own, Integrated thinkers will equally rarely miss the opportunity to help a group of people focus on working together. Their true gift is of both support and leadership. ----------------Resistant to Future Thinking A low intensity in a person's Future thinking perspective creates a possibly unconscious resistance toward environments, ideologies and practices that support the pursuit of possibility. People resistant to Future thinking • fear change. • avoid the new and untried. • are uncomfortable with ambiguity. • are neither spontaneous nor impulsive. • have inflexible ideologies and methodologies. • have difficulty brainstorming new ideas. • cannot make decisions based on intuition. • are not motivated by unproven potential. © 1997-2011 MindTime Technologies Inc.
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• find it difficult to ad lib. • do not leave their options open. ---------------Resistant to Past Thinking A low intensity in a person's Past thinking perspective creates a possibly unconscious resistance toward environments, ideologies and practices that support the pursuit of certainty. People resistant to Past thinking • rarely have the patience to proceed with caution. • are unaware of the greater implications of their actions. • are not convinced by raw data. • fail to look before they leap. • take more risks. • are often uninformed of the facts of the matter. • are not concerned with accuracy. • don't take time to reflect before making decisions. • have no patience for minutiae. • have difficulty making impartial decisions based on facts. ---------------Resistant to Present Thinking A low intensity in a person's Present thinking perspective creates a possibly unconscious resistance toward environments, ideologies and practices that support the pursuit of continuity. People resistant to Present thinking • struggle to make plans or stick to the plans of others. • have difficulty with follow-through and completing tasks. • fail to make goals and hold themselves accountable to them. • have difficulty staying in touch with people. © 1997-2011 MindTime Technologies Inc.
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• don't see the rules and boundaries of others. • often ignore regulations. • are uncomfortable with rigidity in all its forms. • tend to be disorganized. • do not keep things up to date. • dislike being controlled.
© 1997-2011 MindTime Technologies Inc.