Supporters in Love
The Supporter's Prime Directive:
Supporters are inspired by the desire, to help others, to be of service, to care for and to comfort others.
Recognizing the Supporter
Supporters tend NOT to be flashy or ostentatious in dress or in their possessions. They often wear comfortable, earth-toned clothes. Helpful to a fault, Supporters are inspired to greatness by knowing how much of a difference they can make in others' lives. Above all else, they want to know that anything they are involved in is helping a greater good.
What Moves The Supporter to Action
To inspire a Supporter, use words like "help", "honesty", "people", "caring", "love", "deserve" (as in: "you deserve this because of all you've done for others"). If you're speaking to a Supporter, stay away from discussions of the pursuit of money for its own sake. Be relaxed and nonthreatening in your stance and demeanor, speak slowly and invite them to speak about the things they want to achieve.
To get a Supporter to take action in the face of fear, reframe the necessary action as one that will be lead to a sense of fulfillment through providing service to others.
How Supporters Inspire Others
Supporters inspire others by showing how giving we all should be. Supporters are dependable and consistent.
How to Be A Better Supporter
Supporters, however, can allow themselves to be used by others. They should be wary of overzealous Competitors may just inspire the Supporter to extremes of service for the Competitor's own goals. Since they tend to be quite people-oriented, Supporters need to focus on being more like the task-oriented Informer and more like the self-oriented Competitor, or they may run the risk of "finishing last."
Where Supporters Find Passion
Supporters do better in professions and positions which provide care such as doctors, nurses, day-care providers, social workers etc. However, because anything one does can be improved by keeping one's own interests in view, Supporters can succeed in any profession if they balance their desire to help others with their own needs.
As a supporter, your sense of personal value is determined by the value you can create for others. Your tolerance, diplomacy and balance are of tremendous value to those whose lives are out of control or ruled by chaos.
Can Supporters Turn Passion Into Profit?
If you are aware of your strengths and weaknesses, and willing to do what it takes to achieve a balance in your life, it is ultimately possible for any of the personality types to turn passion into profit.
In this highly competitive society we live in, it would seem that the supporter is the least favored to succeed, given the old addage "nice guys finish last." Because they tend to be focused on others to the exclusion of self, the supporter ironically, may not see the value in the service they themselves provide and may undervalue what it is they do. The key to real success for you as a Supporter while on the journey from passion to profit will be to "take time to stop and enjoy life, and help someone else do the same." (Take a tip from Walt's Friday Inspiration #59: "Just Because I Am"....and check out "Compensation is Appreciation (#61)")
Supporters in Love
In love, just as in business, Supporters tend to be attracted to Competitors since they get things done without allowing others to walk all over them, a trait some Supporters desire to exhibit. If not careful, however, the Supporter may choose a partner who does just that to them. Supporters get along well with Informers since they both take life at a slower pace.
Creator, Savior, Guru or Guide?
There's a good chance you might be a SAVIOR.See
the "Purpose" chapter for more details.
If you scored highly in another Passion-Seeker type, find out more
about that type below.
Competitor
Supporter
Exciter
Informer
