As humans, we need food, water, and air to stay alive. But as we all know, it is not enough to merely survive. To truly live, we need to fulfill the innate desires that give our lives meaning. Generally, these desires can be broadly categorized into four different types of primal human desires: variety, certainty, belonging, and significance.

Motivation is the fuel necessary
to keep the human engine running.

Zig Ziglar

In Personality Ninja, these desires are embodied into four distinct Classes. Explorers crave for variety while Builders long for certainty. Leaders yearn for belonging while Evolvers strive for significance. Although we may experience all these desires at different moments of our lives, only one will stand out as our dominant desire, influencing our every thought and action throughout our lives.

At its core, Visionaries are of the Builder Class, striving to establish order in life. And by Builders, we do not mean those who build and repair houses, but simply those who prioritize the perfection of what is known. More specifically, Visionaries are Builders who seek for Insights. They want to understand the world at its very core, simplifying life's concepts down to its most fundamental essence.

Visionaries as Builders

Mankind owes much of its success to Builders, who have long been the backbone of societies since the earliest civilizations. They are the ones who never fail to provide order and structure to the communities they belong to, bringing out a deep sense of assurance in those around them. Like deep-rooted trees, Builders are reliable individuals who are ready to withstand any storm that may come.

You can't build a great
building on a weak foundation.

Gordon Bitner Hinckley

The world has far too many choices. Instead of jumping into all of them, Builders carefully narrow them down, focusing only on the ones that are actually worthwhile. If they embark on a journey, they will do everything they can to reach the end. That's because Builders always seek to conclude before starting anew. With a deep-seated desire for everything in life to be in place, Builders leave no ends loose.

For Builders, there's nothing worse than being caught off guard by unexpected changes. And that's why they plan ahead of time—to avoid getting into tricky situations without an escape plan. Uncertainty is the enemy of prosperity, and to dive head first into the new would be madness. Hence, without fail, Builders will always plot their way forward before heading into the unknown.

To reap the most out of life, one should pick a path and dedicate themself to it. Builders believe that if they strayed off into every turning, their journey would be fruitless, leading them back to where they started. And so, Builders will stick to their paths, building up others and themselves, bit by bit. Slowly but surely, even tiny hills will transform into towering mountains.

Beyond that, Visionaries are of the Builder Class that is supported by the Leader Subclass. When we say Leaders, we don't mean it as ranks or positions, but simply those who prioritize the needs of others. More specifically, Visionaries are Leaders who seek Effectiveness. They want to discern what works best for others, figuring out the most effective ways of solving people's problems.

Insight By Leading Through Effectiveness

Never afraid to take the helm, Leaders are those who set the direction forward, steering others through calm waters and turbulent storms. They put others before themselves, and won't hesitate to go out of their way to lift up people who need it. Always willing to provide support to those around them, Visionaries as Leaders are the solid ground that others can stand on even in the most chaotic of times.

Strong communities are the bedrock of thriving societies. Leaders want nothing more than to be a part of a tight-knit group, around people who share the same aspirations. Nothing beats working with a team of motivated individuals to accomplish goals together, no matter how big or small those goals may be. After all, it’s true that alone we can do so little, but together we can achieve so much more.

Individually, we are one drop.
Together, we are an ocean.

Being people-centric individuals, Leaders often prioritize others first. Hence, they find it hard to understand those who only care about their own wants and needs, finding that behavior repulsive. A community can only prosper if its people looked out for each other. On the other hand, everyone suffers when people are only out for themselves, as cooperation and synergy cannot endure in a dog-eat-dog world.

Come rain or shine, Leaders will always be there for their people, helping them weather through any challenge that may come. Living their lives for others, Leaders are willing to pour in their time and energy to build up the people around them, unlocking endless potential in those under their wing. For Leaders, nothing brings more joy than seeing their communities grow, even if only bit by bit.

All in all, Visionaries are Builders who lead others with a logical approach to realize insightful and profound visions. Based on their core motivation, each specific archetype possesses a distinct set of traits, giving birth to their own unique strengths and weaknesses.

Nevertheless, the themes covered thus far are merely the tip of the iceberg. To understand more about Visionaries and discover their unique journey of growth, let us explore the next section where we will analyze the dominant aspects of the Visionary archetype.

Read next section →
Dominant Aspects [Visionary]