This week, we looked at How To Fascinate and were given an assessment to see which of the 49 personality archetypes aligns with us. I am The Catalyst, and according to their site, three adjectives that describe how everyone else sees me include:

  • Outgoing
  • Experimental
  • Out-of-the-Box

Those are definitely me.

Characteristics of The Catalyst

These are some of the characteristics of my archetype - all of which I resemble:

  • Dynamic first impression; connect with creative energy
  • Language of relationship
  • Colorful words and expressions
  • Develop fresh ideas and solutions
  • Loves to brainstorm
  • Dislike by being constrained

Key Phrases Applied to The Catalyst

As I look at my report on the archetype, there are some phrases that really jump out at me:

  • “valued for your enthusiastic approach and ability to generate ideas”
  • “embrace new situations… with zeal”
  • “speak with flair… expressive gestures… captivate an audience”

Career Qualities

Looking at the report even more, there are things I’ve learned in terms of careers:

  • I need to be in a position that demands untraditional thinking. I truly do think outside of the box, and sometimes, I’m completely oblivious to “the box”. It isn’t that I ignore it as much as I don’t know that there’s one I have to stay in. (And yes, I didn’t color in the lines as a child either.)
  • My primary advantage is that I’m most likely to contribute when my emotions are involved - which is pretty much everything I do. I’m a Cancerian, so being emotional is in my nature. However, I let my logical core temper those emotions as needed.
  • My secondary advantage is being innovative and being able to imagine things. There’s a reason why Just Imagine Drive and IDEO appeal to me.
  • I like to create change - whether it’s in the way we approach topics in our curriculum or changing how departments think about processes, it’s what I do. There’s a reason why Grace Murray Hopper and her encouragement to challenge “We’ve always done it that way” appeals to me.
  • Catalysts shine in the spotlight - even though I’m introverted in my nature, I don’t let that slow me down.

Overall, I can see how spot-on this assessment is with who I am, and it’s neat to see someone else’s research capture me well.