Leading Resilient ISTP (Virtuoso) Personalities

See how Evan the ISTP becomes more resilient when his boss values his hands-on work and independent thinking

Image from 16personalities.com

How to spot ISTPs (Virtuosos):

ISTPs (Virtuosos) share the Introverted, Observant, Thinking, and Prospecting personality traits. 

When projects hit snags, ISTPs tend to maintain composure and look for logical ways to get things back on track. They view failure as a puzzle to solve rather than something to fear, which helps them persevere through challenges. However, their intense focus on the problem at hand may cause them to overlook the need to reassess priorities or seek input from others.

Short on time? Scroll to the bottom for a 2-minute TL;DR summary of today’s article.

First, you met Evan the Explorer at his breaking point, when he was feeling unheard and undervalued by his boss. 

Then, you saw two alternate versions of this interaction – and how it could play out better – with Evan the ESTP (Entrepreneur) and Evan the ISFP (Adventurer). 

Today, we’re narrowing our focus again and imagining Evan as a third Explorer personality type: an ISTP (Virtuoso). 

To refresh your memory, three main factors were contributing to Evan’s lack of resilience at work:

1. Feeling like his attempts to share ideas and collaborate were consistently dismissed

2. Struggling with stifled creativity, leading to self-doubt and a reluctance to contribute ideas

3. Losing confidence and motivation when his enthusiasm and quick thinking were undervalued 

Today, we’ll explore how making small changes in your leadership style can help Evan the ISTP feel more supported in these three areas. This will also help you lead the ISTPs on your team in a way that makes them better at handling unwelcome challenges with greater resilience.

Story Time: Helping Evan the ISTP Develop Resilience

Let’s set the scene:

Evan the ISTP is sitting at the conference room table, about to propose his augmented reality idea to his boss. 

*roll film*

“My attempts to collaborate are welcomed.”

The product launch meeting was underway when I spoke up. “What if we use augmented reality to showcase the product features?”

Instead of dismissing my idea, my boss leaned in. “Interesting, Evan. Can you walk us through the technical aspects?”

As I explained the AR implementation, my boss asked about processing power limitations. This sparked a rapid-fire exchange of technical questions and answers between us. The rest of the team listened, occasionally chiming in with their own queries.

Suddenly, as we discussed cloud computing solutions, a new idea struck me. “Wait,” I said, my eyes lighting up. “What if we create an interactive 3D model for web browsers instead? It would be more accessible and easier to implement.”

My boss nodded. “That sounds promising. Can you prototype this for our next meeting?”

I left the room feeling energized. My boss had given me the space to think through the problem out loud, allowed me to pivot when a better solution emerged, and trusted me to work independently on the prototype. By creating an environment where I felt heard and valued, my boss helped me develop the confidence to face future challenges head-on. I knew that even if my ideas were questioned or if obstacles arose, I had the skills and support to adapt and find solutions. This sense of capability and trust made me more resilient and motivated to tackle any challenges ahead, no matter how unwelcome they might be. 

“My boss is encouraging my creativity.”