Influence · one of the four pure types

I personality type (The Inspirer)

The Inspirer brings energy and pulls people in.

The Inspirer is enthusiastic and optimistic, lifts the energy in a room and makes friends fast.

I is one of the four pure types in the WiredType model. Influence leads on its own. This page describes the Inspirer. If the Inspirer is your type, you will likely recognize yourself in it. If you live or work with an Inspirer, it shows what the Inspirer is wired to do and how to work well together.

Take the free test See all 25 types

This page describes the I type in general. Take the free test to see your own result. It is free, and you won’t be asked for a credit card or any payment details. You can also see the Full Profile and its price for the complete I report.

Traits of the Inspirer

This section covers what drives the Inspirer and what the Inspirer works to avoid, then the Inspirer's main strength, main weakness, motto and signature animal, from WiredType's profile of the I type.

What drives the Inspirer

  • The Inspirer wants people to light up, so at the start of a long day at work they tell a story that gets a laugh.
  • They want home to feel lively, so on a quiet Sunday they call their sister and have six people coming to dinner.
  • They want to connect people, so they add two friends to a group chat because they are sure the two will hit it off.
  • They want something new to look forward to, so at 11 p.m. they book a class or a trip before checking their budget.
  • The Inspirer wants to be heard, so when a story comes to them mid-conversation, they tell it before their friend finishes the point.

What the Inspirer works to avoid

  • The Inspirer can fear effort that goes unseen, so when a coworker uses the plan the Inspirer made without one word of thanks, it stays on their mind all evening.
  • They can dread a cold mood at home, so when their partner or child goes quiet at dinner, they keep talking to bring that person back.
  • They can fear being left out, so a group photo from a dinner they were never invited to stays on their mind for days.
  • They can dread a long afternoon alone with a dull task, so they put off the taxes until someone can sit with them.
  • The Inspirer can fear people losing interest, and the hard moment comes when they finish a story and the listener nods and looks at their own phone.

Superpower (main strength)

When a gathering goes quiet, the Inspirer asks one person about the thing that person loves, and within two minutes the whole table is talking.

Kryptonite (main weakness)

The Inspirer says yes to plans and favors in the moment. By Thursday, three of those promises have no time set aside, and someone is waiting on them.

Motto

“Bring everyone. It gets better once we are all talking.”

Signature animal

The river otter is playful, social and always on the move.

How the Inspirer works with each style

Each section describes what tends to happen between the Inspirer and a colleague of one style, and gives a line the Inspirer can say. If you are that colleague, read your own style's section.

DI and D (Dominance)

The Inspirer and a D type colleague can launch projects quickly. The colleague brings direction and fast decisions, and the Inspirer brings the team's support. In the Monday update, forty seconds into the Inspirer's client story, the colleague cuts in with 'So what do you need?' The Inspirer never reaches the ending. To the colleague, the story cost time. They work well together when the colleague makes the decision and the Inspirer explains it to the team.

What the Inspirer can say to a D-type colleague: “Here is the bottom line first. I recommend we go ahead. Can you agree to that today? If you want to hear how I got there, I can tell you in 60 seconds.”

II and I (Influence)

When the Inspirer works with another I-type, the two trade ideas fast and let the follow-through slide. In a Tuesday planning meeting they swap stories, build on each other's lines, and walk out excited about five plans. Often neither one writes down who does what, and by Friday afternoon nobody has sent the notes. The work starts once one of the two owns the follow-up.

What the Inspirer can say to an I-type colleague: “We have five good ideas. Before we hang up, can we pick one, split the three tasks, and say who books what by Wednesday?”

SI and S (Steadiness)

The Inspirer and an S-type colleague work warmly together. The Inspirer brings the new ideas, and the S-type brings steady support. The S-type listens patiently, backs the Inspirer's plan loyally, and finishes the work they agreed to take on. The Inspirer pulls the S-type into new things the S-type would not try alone. On Monday the Inspirer announces a new direction at standup, and the S-type goes quiet. The Inspirer reads the quiet as agreement. By Thursday the S-type is tired and frustrated by the change and has not said so.

What the Inspirer can say to an S-type colleague: “I know I change plans a lot. Please tell me when it is too much, because you are the one who helps me follow through.”

CI and C (Conscientiousness)

The Inspirer brings the ideas and the audience, and a C-type colleague brings the checking. Before one of the Inspirer's plans goes out, the C-type checks its structure, its numbers and its quality. The Inspirer then finds the words and the room that put the C-type's careful work in front of the people who act on it.

What the Inspirer can say to a C-type colleague: “I trust your checking. When do you need the draft to give it a proper look, and which three points should I lead with?”

Is I your type?

The free test is five scenarios and shows your most likely type. You do not need to give an email address. Your Full Profile is written from your four scores and goes deeper on the I profile, across 49 pages: the full portrait, strengths and growth, leadership, career, and relationships.

Take the free test See the Full Profile, $29.95

If you already know your type, invite someone you know to take the free test and compare. You will both see how your types work together.

Compare with someone you know
A sample page from the I Full Profile, titled What charges you. What drains.
Sample page A page from the I Full Profile, exactly as a buyer receives it. If your type is different, your Full Profile has the same page written for your type. Open the page full size.