ISTP Personality profile: The Craftsman

The ISTP will be full-on, or full off - they don’t do shades of grey. The ISTP personality type moves seamlessly from quiet bystander.

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The ISTP is one of the most complex character types either in the thick of the action, leading and solving problems, or with nothing to say. The issue is they only say what needs to be said, they are economic in the extreme. This is because ISTPs are driven purely by challenge and this will determine how involved they want to be, how big is the challenge? They are at their best in times of crisis as they need very little preparation and able to cut to the chase with no preamble or discussion with others, spontaneously jumping in to solve problems or deal with crises often surprising those who had seen them as on the periphery of things. However, once the task is finished or problem solved, they will be looking for the next big thing to throw themselves into.

The ISTP is self-sufficient and very independent, only really happy when undertaking some risky or interesting activity. Direct to the point of abruptness and tending at times to tread on toes, the ISTP tends to speak literally showing little concern for the impact, and they display coolness under pressure which helps get things fixed but which may not endear them to those around them, (even those for whom they’ve fixed something). They are not unfriendly individuals but ultimately the ISTP wants to be left alone to live their lives and do their jobs the way they see fit, rarely trying to control others and expecting others not to try to control them. But in a crisis, or when the situation needs in-depth understanding, the ISTP will thrive, at least until the crisis is over. Once they are clear on what needs to be done, they will be difficult to budge and will potentially move too quickly without thinking through all the implications as they just love the thrill of action. The switch may appear as from someone who is almost exclusively listening to someone who just doesn't listen. The ISTP dislikes theories and complexities, preferring facts and data which will help get the job done in the quickest possible time and with the minimum amount of effort.

The ISTP is the ultimate trouble-shooter, able to unpick and understand how things fit together and then fix them. The ISTP doesn’t follow social rules, nor do they need to engage fully with others and this can give them a distant, aloof persona to others who often don’t quite know where they stand. Practical, resourceful, adaptable pragmatists, ISTPs have excellent powers of observation, a capacity for understanding how anything works, displaying logical, detached analysis. The ISTP has a great ability to analyse facts and store data. This is all internalised, stored in the grey filing cabinets in the brain until called for. Then, when someone argues with the ISTP, the facts, data, empirical evidence, knowledge are brought quickly to bear to quash the argument, quickly and finally. The independent streak in the ISTP means that they will usually display confidence in their own abilities but means they may not bring others into the decision-making process. They are quick and economic and so their desire to get a result in the minimum amount of time and fuss means they may overlook the personal touch and make them fail to see the 'bigger picture,' and so, by quickly solving a problem, they may create another.

The ISTP is very difficult to read. Their areas of interest tend to be mechanical and physical but unlike most SPs they don’t need constant action, they actually lie low, storing all the data saving their energy until a project or an adventure they consider worth their time and effort arises, and then they launch themselves in completely. They work in short bursts of incredible energy, loving fixing and sorting, especially factual mechanical issues but, when it's over it's over, no reflection, no discussion, no hanging in there, they've gone.

At work with ISTP

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Communication and collaboration

ISTPs are such practical, factual individuals so the subtleties of emotion are often lost on them. People do not conform to formal laws of physics and emotions are irrational and so really won’t compute. ISTPs are friendly, confident introverts, happy in their own skin and don’t really ‘get’ emotion as everything gets analysed and stored factually. They do want to help and solve problems, but they do so with a dispassionate analysis which may leave those close to them feeling processed, rather than understood. They are very focused and ‘of the moment,’ and so the ‘niceties’ of relationships may pass them by. An ISTP will also need their own personal space, which can make other people, even those close, feel a little shut out at times.

ISTPs are extremely private individuals so getting close to an ISTP would take time, if ever. Other people may have to go through the ISTP assault course to get genuinely close, few will. This is not because they are shy, just that any personal revelations will come slowly in stages as ISTPs prefer to do things at their pace in their way and don’t feel the need to ‘play the game.’ ISTPs are factual and economic with words, language to them is functional, about getting things done and clarity so they can project a little abrupt or monosyllabic in their communications. This is not being rude, (though it may project as such), just a desire to get everything resolved quickly so they get straight to the point. And if there’s nothing to say, the ISTP will say nothing.

ISTPs can appear passive until something grabs their interest, or a practical problem needs fixing and then they’ll come alive, take over, fix it, and withdraw again loving the buzz, but then go back into their box. ISTPs are thrill seekers and will love to be where the action is. However, once they have jumped in and experienced they will tend to go back to being passive and quiet, so in that sense they are either full on or full off.

ISTPs are OK with conflict, provided it has a purpose. If it’s drama, or conflict for its own sake, or emotional outbursts, an ISTP will walk away. They love problems and difficult situations they are intensely practical, wanting to get the problem solved or the issue addressed, practically and as quickly as possible. An ISTP will not look for conflict but they are impervious to their environment, so it goes with the territory, it will help get things done as quickly as possible. To an ISTP personal feelings matter only in practical terms, how they relate to what needs to be done.

Contribution at work

In a team situation the ISTP personality type will use their factual knowledge and experience to bring a clear explanation of how and why things happen, using empirical data and evidence, hypotheses and rational thinking. The ISTP may not be the most vocal, but when the discussions enter the arena which holds their interest, they will become quite outspoken and very clear thinking. The ISTP can be a conundrum in a team situation. Their interest levels will determine their engagement and that will be binary: either taking a back seat or taking the lead - very rarely will their involvement or contribution be moderate. The engineering-type brain of the ISTP stores all the data ready for immediate use when required and so they are capable of moving quickly from passive to taking the lead and all that detail, knowledge and experience to bear to help the team out of inertia or difficult situation. Their low boredom threshold means that they will then happily relinquish the need as the ISTP does not need the glory, nor are they happy with chit-chat or anything that does not interest them or challenge them.

Because ISTPs are so good in a crisis, they are less good when the going is not tough and not so good at the more sensitive side of leading people. ISTPs are extremely independent and will need the freedom to work in short bursts of energy on difficult action oriented practical problems that hold their interest. Routine and steady detail will bore them, and they need their space. If it becomes boring, then they will go back to their inhabiting their own space. ISTPs are essentially practical, preferring facts and data to anything they perceive as woolly or impractical, but when they focus on a problem they are forensic.

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