Creating the Best Solution Requires Both Seekers and Finders – Which Are You?


Finders don’t hunt for something, they try to figure out where it is and go there to find it. They narrow down the possibilities through careful analysis.  Not surprisingly, they are good at finding things that are lost. They like mysteries and puzzles as long as they have answers. They employ the deductive reasoning of Sherlock Holmes. Does this sound familiar?  

Seeker: I’ve searched everywhere I can think of and I still can’t find it?

Finder:  Where did you have it last?

S:  Maybe on my desk.

F:  Have you looked under everything on your desk?

S:  Yes,  I have looked all over my desk.  I have looked everywhere.

F:  Maybe if you clean off your desk, you will find it.

Seekers try to create the opportunity for something new and exciting to manifest itself. They try to expand the possibilities with non-linear thinking. They are good at discovering new things. They “hold a space” for things that others don’t even think are possible. Does this sound familiar?

Finder: Where would be a good place to go on vacation?

Seeker: Where haven’t you been before?

F: A lot of places.

S: Maybe you should try somewhere unusual like the Azores?

F: What would I do there?

S: Go and see what you find?  Have an adventure.

Photo Credit: dmourati via Compfight cc
Photo Credit: dmourati via Compfight cc

Coming up with a creative solution to a problem often requires both finders and seekers. Finders will define the dimensions of the problem and the solution. Seekers will imagine other dimensions entirely. Seekers will go out and “interact with the problem” with an open mind and often discover unexpected information. Finders figure out where to look and how to make sense out of what seekers discover.  Seekers frequently have the energy to get things moving. Finders often have the patience to analyze what will keep things moving. Together, finders and seekers may come up with something that is both new and useful.

FINDERS SEEKERS
Seen by seekers as smart and clever Seen by finders as courageous and determined
Want to know where they are going first Want to get started if they are going
Love figuring out mysteries Love the mysteries of life
Look to others to define the problem Rely on their inner compass to set a direction
Good at finding things that are lost Good at finding things that were unknown before
Create a system so it won’t be lost again Never give up looking if it’s important
Use Google as a magnifying glass – Look, here’s the answer! Use social media as a butterfly net – Look what I found!
Photo Credit: Flооd via Compfight cc
Photo Credit: Flооd via Compfight cc

The finder may say, “we need to decide what we are trying to find and figure out where to go to find it.”  The seeker may say, “let’s go there first and see what we find.”  Maybe you will need both strategies to create a good solution.

I try to keep in mind the witty warning of Robert Benchley that “There are two kinds of people in the world: those who divide the world into two kinds of people, and those who don’t.” Maybe each of us simply relies on “finding” or “seeking” as our preferred strategy,  but depending on the situation we can be either a Finder or a Seeker if needed.