Pattern Mappers look at the world as if it had a secret overlay showing all the connections between and among things.
They are always in a mode of inquiry—asking questions, mapping similarities, chasing after the logic. They can help the team find shortcuts at the start of a new endeavor, by quickly deducing what’s truly new and what’s actually quite familiar to something the team has already seen or done before.
If this is your superpower:
You love to create unifying theories. But in an effort to tie up every loose end, you may impose a structure that’s too restrictive. Work on embracing things that are organic and perhaps a little imperfect in their logic.
You can be a great partner to Experimenters who need help finding the inherent patterns in their work. That said, beware that you may tend to drive for closure right when they’re in the midst of getting messy and exploring.
If you’re working with them:
When a Pattern Mapper is asking questions and you’re not sure of the answers, it’s a good signal that there are things you haven’t fully thought through. Use that moment to refine your thinking and inject more rigor.
Pattern Mappers will keep noodling on something seemingly illogical until they crack the code. Don’t be surprised if they reopen a conversation a few days or a few weeks later. It won’t seem like a non sequitur for them.