Understanding the Four Personalities
Overview
When making any type of major change
in society, there are always a series of three steps. These steps are enacted
by four specific types of people. These four types of personalities are: the explorers, the pioneers, the settlers, and the gunslingers.
It does not matter what type of change
we are talking about: political, economic, business, art, technology,
neighborhoods, spirituality…the series of steps and the four types of
personalities will always be the same.
Understanding the Four Personalities
in the Old West
In the old west, there were four types of people: the
explorers, the
pioneers, the settlers,
and the gunslingers.
Explorers
The
explorers left the comforts of the known environment for something new,
something better. They set out across the mountains and deserts to explore the
unknown. An explorer would often traverse the same mountain several times,
looking for the best route. He would often curse himself for taking the wrong
route, especially in winter, when he would get stuck on the mountain top. The
explorer would run into many unforeseen troubles, and deal with them the best
he could. From time to time, he would return to the civilization he left behind
to tell of his adventures.
The
crucial aspect to the explorer's character is that he pushes the boundaries of
knowledge. He may appear to have crazy ideas, and his ideas may lead him into
trouble from time to time, nevertheless, the explorers start breakthroughs in
society.
Pioneers
The
pioneer picks up on the explorer's tales. The pioneer has learned from several
explorers about what might lie beyond. The pioneer hears the descriptions of
the lands where each explorer has been. The pioneer sees an opportunity -
perhaps a verdant valley for ranching and farming, perhaps a mine of silver or
gold - and sets out to seize this opportunity. However, there are many
difficulties: the pioneer must make the road, irrigate the land, and bring
cattle, seeds, and equipment across miles of territory. Moreover, the pioneer
has no guarantee that what he hears is there, nor a specific map to lead him.
However, the pioneer learns the most he can from the explorers, and prepares
himself the best he can.
The
three crucial aspects of the pioneer's character are:
1.
He recognizes opportunity
2.
He applies knowledge of one area to another
3.
He turns possibilities into realities.
Settlers
In
terms of the Old West, the settlers are civilized men with homes, jobs, and
often farms. Their grandparents settled at their current spot, so settlers feel
comfortable. Crossing into the unknown like the explorer or the pioneer does
not appeal to them.
However,
after a few pioneers have literally paved the way, the settlers take notice.
Once roads have been made, the maps well drawn, and the reports of the verdant
valley are numerous enough to be considered true, then the settlers will come.
And
when the settlers come, they come in packs. Hundreds, sometimes thousands of settlers
will come at a time. Businessmen, clergy, and artists arrive shortly, making
the transition complete. When the settlers come, then life in the verdant
valley becomes the norm.
The four crucial aspects to the
settler's character are:
1. He has little desire for change
2. He is reluctant to see the
possibilities
3. He will change only when the path
is an obvious choice and the directions are specific
4. He and his fellow settlers, because
of their numbers, redefine a radical movement as an accepted norm.
Gunslingers
The
gunslingers? The gunslingers are never happy. They shoot down everyone's ideas
- explorers, pioneers, or settlers. They are quick to shoot down anyone,
without thinking, and without reason. In modern terms, gunslingers have an
automatic instinct to shoot down any idea that is new or different.
An
example of the personalities
As an
example of these four characters, we will turn to industry. The explorer is a
professor. He performs experiments that may lead nowhere. Sometimes he never finishes
a project before going to the next. Yet some of his discoveries are absolutely
brilliant, and some have very practical benefits.
The
pioneer is a development engineer. He reads about the work the professor has
done, and develops the processes. He turns the professor's experiments into
products that can be manufactured.
The
settlers are the other engineers of the industry, who wait for the new process
to work (or fail). When the process succeeds, the settlers adopt it
wholeheartedly, and develop their own process with lightning speed.
The
gunslingers are the skeptics, who point out the possible technical failures no
matter how successful the project eventually becomes.
Understanding where you fit in respect to the
others
Overview
Everyone
has an important role to play in the evolution of major changes in society.
Each person has one of those four personalities regarding any particular area
of society, and therefore it is important to understand exactly who you are,
and what role you play, in order for society as whole to evolve into something
better.
Let
us now discuss the characters from the perspective of understanding one
another. For example, let us assume you are the explorer. How would your
activities look? How will you interact with the others?
Explorers:
Your Roles in any Major Change
In
the arena of improving communities, explorers are often philosophers, artists,
philosopher-statesmen, or activists. If you are the explorer, you must keep
pursuing your ideas no matter how crazy they are. The majority of your ideas
will not work - but that should not bother you, for you enjoy exploration and
experimentation regardless of success. You should also make your discoveries
available to the pioneer, not hidden away.
*FYI,
I consider myself to be an Explorer. I really wanted to be the Pioneer, but
soon realized that the Pioneer is not my role. I am the Explorer, and have come
to accept it.
Pioneers:
Your Roles in any Major Change
The pioneer usually comes from a
combination of disciplines. This combination of disciplines allows the pioneer
to take a discovery in one arena and apply it to another arena. If you are the
pioneer, you have the most important set of responsibilities, for it is the
pioneer who does most of the work in creating a real success.
In
order to find the brilliant discoveries that have been made, the pioneer may
need to search. The pioneer of the Old West may have had to visit the explorer
on the mountain. The pioneer of industry might need to visit the explorer in
his lab. The pioneer of other areas might "visit" explorers by
reading their works and by attending conferences.
The
pioneer must also be practical. Because the pioneer is working on something
which hasn't been done much, he may run into a few obstacles here and there. He
needs to understand exactly what is required to create the change before he
begins, so that he may plan accordingly.
Pioneer’s
Special Relationship with Settlers
Finally, the pioneer must understand
the settlers, and must be able to communicate with them. The pioneer must
understand that most people do not want change, and that most people do not
care enough to make a stand, even when they desire the end result.
This concept is critical to understand
if we are to truly make changes. Public support is required to make changes,
yet the public is composed mostly of settlers. Therefore, the pioneer must
obtain support from the very people who have the greatest inertia.
The pioneer must have a very sensible
strategy to begin with, followed by skills in selling his strategy to the
public. The pioneer must find ways to make the settlers involvement as easy as
possible for them, yet the activities must result in real effects. On the positive side, once the pioneer has
convinced the settlers of his strategy, and the inertia has been removed, a
powerful energy will be unleashed.
Settlers:
Your Roles in any Major Change
If
you are the settler, realize that you do not like change. Realize that you have
little desire to take risks. However, try to be open to new ideas, and listen
carefully to their validity. You may actually desire the change. If you agree,
then it is important for you to give as much support as you can. As a settler
you must understand that you must back the pioneer. Remember, it is not just
you taking action, it is your fellow settlers as well. A few brave leaders by
themselves can do little, but brave leaders with the support of many people
can achieve greatness. Positive movement will be limited without you.
Summary
We
realize that there are four personality types in making changes. The explorer
acknowledges that changes can be made and he creates ideas for new changes. The
pioneer develops strategies to implement changes, and he convinces the settlers
to support the strategy. Once convinced that the strategy is wise, the
numerous settlers will make the change a reality. The gunslinger offers
constructive criticism which ensures practicality throughout.
Thus,
when we wish to make a difference in our environment, we must go through those
steps, and we must acknowledge the need for the appropriate people at the
appropriate times.
Summary Points:
*All progress is made in three stages by these types of people:
The Explorer, The Pioneer, The
Settler
*The
explorer starts progress. What is once considered crazy will later be
the norm.
*The
pioneer creates progress in contemporary society. He tempers the
explorer's vision with pragmatism, and he creates reality from dreams.
*The
settler is satisfied with the status quo, and does not like progress.
When the settlers believe in the idea, that is when the idea becomes the norm.
*A
fourth personality, gunslingers are never satisfied, and will criticize
even the most successful ideas. However, they also serve to ensure that any proposals
are practical.
Additional Notes
Added Note: This article was
originally written in 1995, and published in my book Making America Great. That
book (along with this piece) was republished in 2003. The concepts in this
article have been major elements of my early presentations and
discussions on political reform.
Also, since the original writing, these stages of change have been
proven again and again. Most notably through the creation of major political
movements and major spiritual movements in the last 10 years. (Both of which I
have played a role in).
The Tea Party, 9-12,
and Occupy Movements are examples of the Settlers adopting (in large masses)
what Explorers and Pioneers in political reform and protests had been doing
already. These Movements are examples of the Settlers, by their large numbers, “creating”
a movement – and yet the creation began by others earlier. It is only at that
moment when the settlers were ready, and the match was struck, that the mass
movement came into being.
The spiritual movement
is similar. There have been spiritualists for thousands of years, and most
recently a major movement in the 1960s-1970s. Yet the spiritual movement is
much larger than anything before. Even the most experienced spiritualists will
admit that the times, spiritually, are very different than anything before. As
I see it, the spiritual “explorers” and “pioneers” have been out there doing
their thing for a long time. For many years their ideas seemed crazy. Then
people started seeing the reality and effectiveness of what they were saying.
And now, the ideas of spiritualism are getting more and more mainstream. More
and more “settlers” are coming over from their traditional religion, and
embracing the new ways of living which are associated with Spiritualism.
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