Virtuoso – ISTP
Virtuoso – ISTP
Virtuoso love to explore with their hands and their eyes, touching and examining the world around them with cool rationalism and spirited curiosity. People with this personality type are natural Makers, moving from project to project, building the useful and the superfluous for the fun of it, and learning from their environment as they go. Often mechanics and engineers, Virtuosos find no greater joy than in getting their hands dirty pulling things apart and putting them back together, just a little bit better than they were before.
Virtuosos explore ideas through creating, troubleshooting, trial and error and first-hand experience. They enjoy having other people take an interest in their projects and sometimes don’t even mind them getting into their space. Of course, that’s on the condition that those people don’t interfere with Virtuosos’ principles and freedom, and they’ll need to be open to Virtuosos returning the interest in kind.
Virtuosos enjoy lending a hand and sharing their experience, especially with the people they care about, and it’s a shame they’re so uncommon, making up only about five percent of the population. Virtuoso women are especially rare, and the typical gender roles that society tends to expect can be a poor fit – they’ll often be seen as tomboys from a young age.
main strengths
- Optimistic and Energetic – Virtuosos are usually up to their elbows in some project or other. Cheerful and good-natured, people with the Virtuoso personality type (especially Assertive ones) rarely get stressed out, preferring to go with the flow.
- Creative and Practical – Virtuosos are very imaginative when it comes to practical things, mechanics, and crafts. Novel ideas come easily, and they love using their hands to put them into action.
- Spontaneous and Rational – Combining spontaneity with logic, Virtuosos can switch mindsets to fit new situations with little effort, making them flexible and versatile individuals.
- Know How to Prioritize – This flexibility comes with some unpredictability, but Virtuoso personalities are able to store their spontaneity for a rainy day, releasing their energy just when it’s needed most.
- Great in a Crisis – With all this hands-on creativity and spontaneity, it’s no wonder that Virtuosos are naturals in crisis situations. People with this personality type usually enjoy a little physical risk, and they aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty when the situation calls for it.
- Relaxed – Through all this, Virtuosos are able to stay quite relaxed. They live in the moment and go with the flow, refusing to worry too much about the future.
ISTP – Virtuoso in workplace
When it comes to the workplace, Virtuosos’ top requirement is often a sense of unpredictability and excitement. This quality makes Virtuoso personalities’ personal relationships challenging enough, even among close friends and immediate family – for those they’ve only come to know in a professional environment, it can be downright frustrating.
Of course, this all comes down to knowing what makes them tick. With a little space and a hands-on problem to solve, Virtuosos can be some of the most productive people around. As with anyone, forcing people with the Virtuoso personality type into a mold that doesn’t fit just doesn’t work. Recognizing their unique perspective and gifts can lead to extraordinary results.
ISTP – Virtuoso Subordinates
As subordinates, what Virtuosos crave most is a little wiggle room. Relaxed and easy-going, people with the Virtuoso personality type are happy to stick around with surprising loyalty, as long as their employers and managers don’t try to force them to commit to anything that can’t be undone the next day. Strict rules, guidelines and formal agreements make Virtuosos feel cramped and bored. If their habits or methods come under criticism or are forced to change, Virtuosos can also be surprisingly mulish.
Something that’s likely to make Virtuosos’ day is a random list of things that need to be fixed or dealt with. Virtuoso personalities have a talent for conserving their energy for just such an occasion, and can tackle such a laundry list with surprising enthusiasm. Their tasks do need to be hands-on though – if the items all start with “Come up with a strategy to…”, it’s probably better to find an Analyst type.
ISTP – Virtuoso Colleagues
Virtuosos are often much more liked by their colleagues than they would expect. Quiet and reserved, people with this personality type usually need a little physical space, but at the same time enjoy peeking in on others’ work to see if there’s anything interesting going on. Not naturally emotional or empathetic, Virtuosos have a blunt way of communicating that can lead to misunderstandings or hurt feelings.
Yet, Virtuosos combine this rationalism and reserve with a sense of spontaneity that, among other things, creates a lighthearted sense of “do unto others” fairness. Turnabout is always fair play, and the odd prank, and the retaliation, are usually enjoyed by all. Virtuosos have a great sense of humor, if sometimes a little risqué, and are not only resistant to workplace conflicts, but are great at defusing them with a well-placed joke that puts it all into perspective.
ISTP – Virtuoso Managers
Virtuoso managers treat their subordinates as they’d like to be treated: with minimal talking and loose boundaries. Virtuosos aren’t big on chattiness or emotional expression, and more sensitive types may see them as cold and distant – effusive praise and back-slapping just isn’t in Virtuosos’ nature. In fact, there isn’t likely to be a lot of feedback at all from Virtuoso managers, good or bad. But when problems do arise, they are great listeners who devise practical, fair, and impartial solutions.
