Pragmatist

The natural expression of Pragmatist focuses on getting the agreement of others so that something will occur. To accomplish this, Pragmatists are flexible in their use of time frames and the perspectives of others around us. We seek to unify the different perceptions of other people by coordinating their ideas into crystal clear, predictable patterns of action. Many others consider us a neutral, inclusive arbitrator who believes everyone has to compromise to some degree. From our own perspective we are adaptable and see how the suggestions of others will work out as a unified possibility.

The Pragmatist attitude reveals an attachment to not being attached, permitting us to assume any position easily. We are expedient in most situations by adjusting to other people’s attitudes. This makes us effective in groups. We are identified by our ability to simplify complex discussions. We can lose our own position or point of view in the process, believing we are serving the higher interests of the group position. This person eliminates the inefficient and impractical alternatives to “It Must Be” this answer or that approach. The Pragmatist is a practical person who breaks things down to their simplest form and function in order to create models and structures of how things work. Since it is a neutral assimilation Attitude, it slides to all the other attitudes when appropriate to do so.

A Pragmatist eliminates the inefficient and impractical alternatives to “it must be this answer or that approach.” They are practical people who break down barriers by eliminating solutions that others will not implement. They consider the limitations of others so that the solutions proposed are appropriate to the situation. In this way, Pragmatists help to construct solutions that will work for everyone. They optimize their ability to accomplish this after they have had a number of interactions with those they are trying to support. What makes them different from Realists is the degree of adaptability they possess, in seeing what others want and combining it with something they may not want. This sensitivity to what can be done and being adaptive in the moment to working out differences immediately is also fundamentally different from the Realist, who takes time to figure it out.

A Pragmatist is detailed, constructive and yet somewhat imitative in that they can present themselves in a way that can match others without losing their own focus. Pragmatists are also good at organizing, sorting and classifying whatever comes up. Their gift is their ability to coordinate and synthesize group activities, so that group processes are observed. Pragmatists tend to learn from groups and inherently build their internal wisdom by simplifying these experiences into clear affirmations and formulas, which they tend to repeat. This is because they have observed others in their thinking processes and can identify what is needed for each individual to be effective. They have excellent memories, allowing them to be extremely effective in using their intuition to sort information into patterns rather than word associations; while most individuals associate visuals and words to a circumstance, they associate people, places, and details, creating effective models and structures that will help them understand when they are in trouble.

One of their greatest challenges is to know when and what to speak because, when the expectations of others are high, they become self-conscious and uncomfortable. When they are well-established in their area of expertise and understand the people dynamics, they are extremely effective at tailoring a message in a personal way for the people around them. They are so good at promoting and enhancing the individuality of others, yet they discount and deny it in themselves. They can become crystallized in their thinking, keeping them from changing with the times. They must maintain their circle of interactions and exposure to new ideas so they don’t get solidified in their thinking process where they are not as flexible and fluid. They center themselves around the present and are able to work with many timeframes and synthesize a way to make things work with every perspective.

The primary cost of being a Pragmatist is that everyone is equally upset that they have to compromise to make it work with the larger group. The more authentic, the more they can find ways to lessen the compromise people must endure; when less authentic, they don’t tend to anticipate the needs and requirements of others and thus create more chaos than order. Pragmatists contribute seeing how to materialize and make real the ideas of others. They function as arbiters of what will work in the moment. Their main fear is that others will do things inefficiently, redundantly, and waste time and effort, letting them know they are not supporting others in taking clear action. Approximately 20% globally are natural Pragmatists.

Identifying: The primary indicator of a Pragmatist is that they are a natural and inclusive arbiter that facilitates something happening. They seek to clarify options in a way that allows everyone to get something from the situation, while it may not be exactly what they want. Natural Pragmatists are extremely adept learners when the information is relevant and practical. They are extremely organized, methodical, and structured with a constituency, but can become narrow-minded, rigid, and pedantic.  They have a great symbolic, pattern-matching appreciation of possibilities. They are usually extremely flexible, fluid, and able to engage people where they are so that a common solution can be forged in the moment. Pragmatists are usually unwilling to make commitments unless they are confident they can fulfill them.

Primary Focus—Efficient learning and studying are facilitated with this Attitude.
Responsive Characteristics—Practical, efficient, simple, functional, worldly, organized, methodical, structured.
Primary Fear—That other individuals will do things inefficiently, wasting time and effort. That we may get stuck in a no-win situation, where our approaches don’t work.
Reactive Characteristics—Dogmatic, opinionated, narrow-minded, rigid, pedantic, boring, repetitive.
Percent of the population operating from this Attitude: 20%.
How to recognize a person with this Attitude: We are not anything else, flexible, mirror others’ Attitude effectively. Looks like they are the most competent to solve a problem.
Examples: Bill Clinton, David Letterman, Patrick Stewart, Mary Tyler Moore, Dinah Shore, Paul Newman