In certain situations, personalities with Mystique have a certain advantage.
They think before speaking. They observe. They watch.
Mystique is the language of listening.
These communicators edit what they say, removing the fluff and excess. They say just enough, then pause to listen before going on. When they do call attention to a situation, take notice. They won’t ask for attention unless it’s merited.
With Mystique, substance wins over style. They’re never gimmicky. Never tacky or flashy or brassy. They don’t pitch fits or throw tantrums.
The Mystique personality worries less about how they look on the outside, and more about what’s going on inside someone’s head.
If you have a complex problem that requires high-level thinking, turn to a colleague or friend who is a Mystique personality.
They’ll dig deeply into a problem or situation, sorting through the variables and nuances. They take the time they need to figure out a solution. When they do present that solution, it will be carefully considered.
Their first impression is only the tip of the iceberg. You might have to take more time to get to know them, because their greatest value can lie hidden under the surface.
Take the time you need to get to know what’s going on under the surface, because there’s more than meets the eye.
Which Advantages do you need on your team to succeed? Find out. Have your team members take the Fascinate Test.
I score low on Mystique. Many outgoing personalities score low on Mystique, especially those with a strong use of Passion and Power. I’m a Passion personality, so I tend to jump right into the conversation. Do you score low on Mystique, like me? Is it your Dormant Advantage?
We’ve learned in our research that Mystique can help organizations balance out their communication, by carefully thinking through every piece of data before offering an opinion.
Do you know a Mystique personality? We want to hear about it. Give us an example of how quiet personalities add value in the comments section below.
(If you have a Primary or Secondary Mystique Advantage, you probably don’t like to toot your own horn… but we want to know more about how you solve problems differently than your super-social friends. Tell us!)
31 Comments
I always look at what I end result to be and work backwards. I let go of the outcome emotionally. Keep it only business in my solutions
This is all very true for me and I’ve just realised that it is these exact traits that make me a great coach.
I’m not reactive…even in demanding situations, I pause for a quick second to assess before making a decision.
Anita, We love when we have realizations like that as well! Some of our team members use Mystique everyday. Our projects can be crazy at times so it’s good to have teammates who can keep it all together.
Mystique is something I can engage depending on the situation – While very social – Rockstar – Mystique and trust are both still high enough on my radar that I may still be choosy about what I’m divulging until more trust has been earned to help me let go of mystique to be myself.
I can’t help reading between the lines and understanding the unspoken message behind the words. Couple that with my alarm fascination and I see too much and am not always willing to communicate the deep well of understanding that I perceive in others or a situation. Sometimes it is a burden.
I’ve taken the F test multiple times over the years, and it always comes up mystique, mystique, mystique. Which is something I never thought about, and wouldn’t have recognized as anything other than just the way I am — but explains a lot, and helps me better understand how I relate to people ( + they to me). Thanks for it!
I enjoy the multi-level thinking that nobody sees at firs site. I love information (yeah sometimes too much that is overwhelming) but ı never got myself into fishy situations. If I do, no problem to get out. It is all about combining Mytique with other triggers that does the work. As for me my secondart is Passion! Fire and Ice that I feel inside is a fun life to live with. Thanks for the Fascination Advantage Course, I now am aware of my strengths. Not that I didn’t know what was there inside but reminding me that other triggers also have downsides 🙂 Being a Mystique is very interesting for people too! Nobody knows about the perfect storm inside me… Whoah! Love it…
Mystique sounds very much like an introvert with an analytical mind. Rather like me, actually. And I currently work with a gang of shout-people who aren’t good at thinking.
I took the Fascination Advantage test last year and came up with a Power-Mystique profile. What a humungous relief that was! I’ve been given leadership roles since I was 5, and I’m now a leadership development specialist. For years, I couldn’t figure out the disconnect between many of the ‘shine the spotlight on me’ co-leaders at work and my quiet, thoughtful ‘strategize and get it done’ approach to leadership. Now I stand firmly in my quiet strength and capacity for thoughtful listening & analysis. There are oh-so-many layers to my onion, forged over decades of mastering all kinds of subjects, from the hard sciences, to business, professional coaching and (more recently) spiritual teaching. I adore high-level thinking – my life would be incomplete without it 🙂
In innovation circles the Mystique personality is called a supersynthesizer. Supersynthesizers have the ability and inclination to see the problem from different angles. As a young physicist, Feynman was nominated to the Manhattan project because of his legendary problem-solving/synthesis ability. Oppenheimer did not use the word synthesis, he just knew from stories in the physics community that Feynman had a great mind for problem solving. True to his reputation, Feynman proved his problem-solving skill right from the start. He was first sent to the University of Chicago, where Enrico Fermi led the team building the first nuclear reactor. The scientists there had heard this whiz kid was coming, and on his first day, they presented him with a mathematical problem that had been vexing the team there for more than a month. He looked at it for a few moments and then showed them the solution. It was a great example of seeing the problem from a completely different angle. He showed them that it wasn’t really one problem at all but two. When he laid out the two problems, all the mathematicians in the room could easily see the solution. Often precisely redefining the problem exposes the solution.
I wonder if in today’s fast paced 140 character Twitter 6 second Vine world if mystique may actually leave you hanging. Because it’s so easy to connect and get answers and solutions in today’s digital world I’m now sure people are willing to wait around for someone being mystique. Think the implications of having this trait have possibly changed over the past 3 to 20 years?
Mitch, that’s an excellent question. You are right in saying that today’s world is too busy (I mean, our attention spans are as small as 9 seconds these days). While one aspect of Mystique is to keep things to yourself, it doesn’t mean that you just withhold information and let people get bored waiting for your response. Mystique’s advantage lies in being levelheaded in tough situations and with listening to their surroundings. They think carefully before they respond. That’s a great quality in hectic and potentially volatile situations.
I like my Mystique, although the downside is that I have been called defensive–because I usually have thought things through so carefully, I feel so confident in my solution. I have to be careful to listen to other ideas, too.
Teri,I so relate to you. I fascinate with mystique and alarm. Never was able to understand the burden I felt, you described it so well! I never say unnecessary words, only what’s important, contributing or relevant. Superficial chit-chat is to me a waste of saliva and brain cells – just painful. I prefer to listen!
I have found that the best way for me to provide value is to ask questions until I have provided guidance, forcing my associates to completely think through the next step in a problem solving situation.
More a question than a comment. Is a person highly dominant in mystique well suited to senior leadership roles like CEO? Or is this too subtle? Have people had experiences with a Mystique Senior leader?
I love this post, I am like Selma I also like to work my way backwards. Look at the end result first. I think understanding this trait helps me to navigate those sometimes choppy waters in the workplace/business
It’s so encouraging to know there’s value in our understated personalities. I think the advantage I have in solving problems is taking time to think about the problem from a lot of points of view – how does it affect this person, and this person, and this person…. I can usually come up with plans that work well for all involved.
The more I read about the mystique trait, the more comfortable I am with it being my top strength. I attribute it to my ability to thrive in a highly visible and political position because I am able to think through the various outcomes of any given situation before opening my mouth. Has saved me many times.
For the person who asked if mystique is suited to a senior leadership role in say a corporation I don’t know, but my dominant archetype is Mystique and as an airline captain it comes in pretty handy. Someone mentioned the term super synthesizer and that comes in pretty handy when you are handling a complex emergency and directing all the different people and departments that get involved. The way I solve problems is by throwing everything out on the table and actually making the problem as complex as possible and then standing back and looking at what is the pattern here? What is the simple answer in the midst of all of this? And then the answer just pops into my awareness. It is a combination of both logic and intuition. Others have mentioned solving the problem backwards or begin with the end in mind. I would concur.
One challenge of a mystique personality: we can be resistant to change. I’ve thought it through, arrived at the best solution, and implemented. Why would I want to shake things up, right? But change can be SO good. I always try to remind myself that the fun part is in thinking up solutions to new problems and surround myself with passion and rebellion types to keep things fresh.
Being a Mystique/Alarm type, I find I can usually come up with solutions and bring order to chaos quickly and easily in a detached manner. I’m often surprised that others don’t or can’t see what I see. I can be playful and I can be all business whenever appropriate. It’s a great gift. Is there a forum for each group here e.g. Mystique/Alarm? It’d be great to share our experiences. Thank you Sally for a great tool of self discovery.
My grandfather’s nickname for me was Pokey Pete. I hated that others might see me as slow, and/or distracted. It took me many years to accept the value of my gift. On another note, I have to disagree with Becky – having a fair amount of Rebel in me, I am only too happy to listen and think of ways to shake things up. It would seem to me that Mystique and Rebel are not mutually exclusive!
It all reminds me an article in speaker magazine. It was about HPI. High perception personality. Lots of this mystique seems to be ppart of what the article spoke of. I am sure that many who responded here would identify with this. I myself am one of those and I must agree that it is a mixed bag. Blessing and curse in one. Often one is isolated seeing what others do not and wondering why do not they. But it is mostly fun. I do not complain about having this ability.
My primary trigger is trust. The way I find solutions is, I listen! I really(!) listen (to others or myself). And I inhibit any attempt to answer immediately. Often I don’t even think (consciously) about it. So no (conscious) “sorting through the variables and nuances.” All I do is holding a space, giving it time. Let the optimal solution reveal itself. Then I know exactly what to say or do and am confident in taking bold steps forward (dormant trigger is power)
Having a primary trigger of Mystique and being ‘The Secret Weapon’, I can relate to this a lot. Thank you for this. I found in the past that I would very quickly be able to ‘read between the lines’. In a corporate environment it was not always appreciated and some people thought I was nosy because I made suggestions on how they could solve problems and others called me a ‘know it all’. However, in the end my insights were found to be valid and I frequently had to laugh and shake my head when people ‘suddenly’ came up with solutions after I offered those same solutions to them, but they shot me down in public. So, this is one of the few times I ‘publicly’ say anything about it! That is the Rebel in me… Now as a photographer, it is not always that much on the forefront, but I still utilise this strength in just about all situations I encounter!
Totally true… For me… Over the years, people come to me for advise, friends and colleagues, even my boss :0) and it gives me confidence! Since I know i am a mistique person, and understanding what this means I am more confident in being me… Thank you
I find having mystique and power as my primary and rebellion as my dormant is a really interesting combination. I trust upfront but once bitten, it can release a bear.
I’ve been a dominant “Mystique” person since I was little. (Only I didn’t know how to explain it until I took this test!) Thank you for this research and ongoing sharing. It is helping me to understand how to share ‘me’ with others differently. Loving it!
I have a joke with my wife that she is a CEO and I am the COO. She comes up with big/bold/creative ideas (Passion/Power) and I listen and make them happen (Mystique/Alarm). I think that you can be a high level leader with mystique as your primary trigger, as long as you express what you’re thinking and don’t let your introversion take over. I am an executive and the way I lead is by listening to my team and then letting them come up with the solution (that I usually already have in my head). This creates “buy-in” and an inclusive team environment….but you have to be comfortable in your own skin, as others will get the praise for doing the work, or “coming up” with the idea. You have to remind yourself that when your team and or/managers are successful, you as the leader are successful.