I’m normally a big critic of those who make a fetish of difference and uniqueness, not least when these come with elitist tendencies to superiority. Difference doesn’t necessarily mean better, or worse for that matter.
All thatsaid, I tend to make exceptions to the general rule when it shows me in good light. It is therefore with some excitement and no little joy that I can announce …
I’m a Seahorse!
I’ve been looking at identifying my skills sets in order to determine new work directions. I did a little questionaire with the Wales Career Service and emerged as a Seahorse.
I’ll put that with Plant I came out as when I did the Belbin’s team roles test back in 2010. These tests tell the story of my life, or some little part of it, anyway. I have always left people perplexed, deciding where to place me. I remember well the attributes associated with a Plant: genius, intellect, imagination, being unorthodox and individualist. That identified me as the maverick in the group, the one who is allowed time and space to cogitate whilst busy people rushed around being busy. My role was to very occasionally intervene with the problem-solving, game changing idea that set people off being busy rushing around again. Oddly, my thoroughly accuraate reading of the role of Plant wasn’t permitted in the office in which I worked and I was promptly put in charge of some project I wanted nothing to do with at all. All of which begged the question of why the tests were done at all.
Basically, these tests conform something I already knew: I am an incredibly hard, idiosyncratic, non-conforming fit, as in no fit at all.
All I can say to future organisations and the people who work for them is this – you would be very lucky to have me.
Seahorses swim underwater observing and following fish, occasionally running into very unsuspecting others.
Hold on, no, that’s just me. I did precisely this in the Mediterranean in 2020, armed with my Learners’ Swimming Certificate from 1976 (obtained on the fourth attempt). The person I ran into didn't seem to mind. I told her that I was following the fish. I’m not at all sure she understood the words, but she smiled all the same.
Let’s see what the report reports.
Motto: Let’s think about it
Yes indeed. I am a contemplative. Over the years I have grown tired of activists shouting ‘it’s time for action!’ at me every time I had attempted to induce them into thought. My response now is to say ‘Don’t act, think!’
2 percent of the UK population are Seahorses.
That puts me in a select group, then. If not strictly unique, I’m pretty rare.
Seahorses have been credited with deep, magical qualities, and can also be deep, quiet and imaginative. Seahorses value their own and others' uniqueness.
Like a working class hero, deep, magical, and imaginative is something to be. I place great store in my own ways of looking at the world and doing things. I have learned to value my own uniqueness more and more as the years have gone by. At first, the extent to which I deviated from the common norms of others in thought and practice caused me great distress, the myriad failures in my attempts to fit even more so. I continued to make the effort over the years, but with less and less hope and expectation. I stopped putting pressure on myself to conform and I stopped beating myself up over my supposed failures. Being different, I did things differently. And there was real value, as well as joy and satisfaction, in that difference.
Seahorse strengths
Patient Seahorses are great with complicated situations, often using their imagination to solve problems. They are natural listeners but can also use their skills to be very persuasive. Seahorses are interested in the idea behind what they’re doing, especially how it affects people.
The more complicated the problem, the more likely it is that reason will fall short. I will make great leaps via the imagination to get us where we need to be, the limitations of fact and logic be damned.
In a job
Seahorses tend to be:
Warm and caring
Good listeners
Those who value everybody’s uniqueness
Interested in people
Inspirational
Focused on meeting deadlines
Deep thinkers
Jobs that can use these strengths include:
Author
Researcher
Well I never. Who would have guessed.
Seahorses are emotional dreamers, sweet and affectionate. Mostly easy-going and good-natured, Seahorses see people as more important than rules and tend to have a few good friends.
At their best they can inspire others!
They can be perfectionists and they like to please.
They are caring, often come across as deep and intense but can be very funny when they want to be.
Caring, quiet, personal, inclusive, value harmony, expect deadlines to be met.
Sometimes their desire to please people and follow the rules can cause personal stress.
Tips for Seahorses
Don’t just live inside your head - talk to others, share your ideas.
I am a caring, sharing individual, giving everyone the benefit of my words of wisdom.
