A Position of Power: Inside the Core Values of Builders

In the spectrum of core value energies, Builders are the decision-makers, the doers, the power in the room. They don't have the patience for time-consuming facts to arrive before getting started, and their joy is found in getting stuff done.

One of the key aspects of Builder energy is intuition. Rather than relying on a wealth of information to be gathered and analyzed, the Builder will quickly absorb a summary of the situation and intuitively take action. In fact, Builders often find big chunks of information to be boring and even loathsome. Just give them a bullet list of salient points and they will take that ball and quickly move it down the field. This kind of energy is very useful in a team to ensure forward progress, especially when there are a lot of indecisive and perfectionist Innovators holding things back, constantly looking to find the perfect solution to a problem. Builders are the epitome of that axiom, "A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow."

Builders lead by example.

Their style is to take immediate action and apply their personal energy to achieve the desired result. It is not uncommon for them to go all-in to reach their goals. Because of this results-oriented nature, they tend to achieve positions of power in their career more than people with other primary core value energies.

Because Builders can be so focused on achieving their goal, they can sometimes view the means of accomplishing it as less important than the goal itself. "Results-oriented" is a very appropriate way to describe their approach, contrasted to a Banker's "process-oriented" methodology.

Intuition and confidence is a hallmark of Builder energy.

Builders instinctively find a path forward and boldly pursue it. Because of this, knowing what needs to happen next comes naturally to them.

Builders don't like situations where they cannot directly impact or lead the effort. Group discussions with lots of planning can quickly bore them. Their communication style is direct and down to business with little room for nuance or idle pleasantries. This can present challenges when the Builder is trying to navigate office politics or situations that require patient diplomacy.

Builders can rely upon the problem-solving skills of Innovators and the information gathering of Bankers, but when it comes time to make a decision and get things moving, Builders jump in and make it happen. Conversely, Builders can get bored or uninterested in spending their energy if the benefits and results of their actions are not clear.

Builders are all about intuitive power, so when they feel threatened, their ego-based response is to use intimidation to overpower those who challenge them.

If you want to learn more about the other Core Values, here is a handy guide:

• Bankers
• Merchants
• Innovators