Creative Intelligence Styles – Why Their Differences Matter

There are four styles of creative intelligence thinkers and understanding what they are and how they work helps you hone your skillset.

Most don’t understand the four styles and why they’re important to their personality or to their mental models. I’m not saying this because I’m the guru but it’s something many don’t think about or analyze in detail which explains why many can’t recover from failure or don’t grow for that matter.

Intuitive creative thinkers rely heavily on their past for guidance. What’s been proven to be right or wrong dictates what they’ll do in the future and what innovative path they’ll assume. Intuitive thinkers like to be in the driver’s seat and like to think that the past experiences have molded their mental models enough for them to be capable of making educated decisions.

Intuitive thinkers are hard workers and they’re sometimes not liked because they push forward without regard for their neighbors. They hear between the lines and have a keen sixth sense. They thrive on the passion that holds them to this type of decision-making and are often disliked because of their threatening go-get ’em attitude. Be careful if you are this type of thinker because you’ll often find your blinders are still attached and this alone may limit your growth.

Innovative thinkers and decision-makers often work harder than most. They go through great pains to achieve results and work harder than most are willing to spare. Think Einstein or Edison when thinking of innovative thinkers and you’ll have a good idea and what pains are often experienced before results are seen. It can take years of dedication which will seem nominal to this type of thinker because they feel so deeply connected to the problem. Downside? They don’t leave time to do anything else except what they’re working on. This may mean that their ability to innovate is nil because they’re immersed in one project for a long periods of time. Innovation requires movement from one phase to another and this style doesn’t always allow that. Innovative thinkers like to pick apart problem areas or come up with new solutions to old problems. The ability to innovate in this environment is not always easy. Not the immediate radical innovation that risk takers are looking for anyway.

Imaginative thinkers often think outside the box and are always looking for more ways to improve. They often don’t stand still and are idolized by many because of their ability to see what others fail to see. They drive change through this style & demand attention to what makes sense. They often shun those who think simple or provide them with data that is irrelevant to what they’re working on. This can be a hurdle as they’re less accepting of new information and can fail to see what goes beyond them. This is different than visualizing what is in front of them.

Inspirational thinkers inspire those around them by leading by example. They often attribute their success to those around them and do things for the greater good. Now wouldn’t we all like to be inspirational leaders? Not really! Inspirational leaders are often targeted thinkers and inspire based on their own experiences and that sometimes decreases their audience.

What type of thinker are you?

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