The Seekers

Lions & Lambs (Part 3)

In Thursday’s post, The Hunters, we stated that the term Hunter/Seeker as a categorization for sales people and business leaders really needed to be separate. Today, we will look at the characteristics of the seeker in relationship to the hunter and how to use their qualities and skills in meeting your company or organizations objectives.

Not all hunters are seekers and certainly not all seekers are hunters. Unlike hunters who are driven by survival first, the natural seeker has special qualities that drive them and are at least equal to survival. The seeker has an intuitive sense that leads them. Almost as if they were catching a scent in the wind or see something that is not visible to most, they seem to know where to go.

A person who is named a seeker without having natural innate qualities will have to work very hard and fast to match the results of a natural seeker. The difference is that the titled seeker must process factual data to know where to look for prey, whereas the natural seeker unconsciously applies probability to data and is able to cast aside misdirection that might be in the data rather than needing to test it.

The natural seeker, without realizing it, has honed all of their senses to apply what becomes instinctive reasoning to data and usually has a very good memory with quick recall. They are also able to recognize patterns and visualize different outcomes which might change the approach and likelihood of success in the hunt. In the animal world, these often are the leaders in any group, because their keen senses are not only valuable in the hunt but also serve to protect the group from harm. In the human world, a person who is a natural seeker listens well, is engaging and it seems that without being asked people tell them everything. They are extremely valuable in determining targets, in the pursuit and in being a part of the security of the groups or companies to which they belong.

Unlike the hunter who is driven first by survival, the seeker is passionate and often a leader, but rarely a loner. They develop deep relationships, loyalty and desire for the group to be strong. They can and do hunt but often allow the hunter to make the final kill while they stand guard.

A natural seeker can be an aid to any team of hunters and will do well as long as the leader of the group has the strength to hold the forces together and keep all focused on common objectives. They are fairly easy to manage and need little motivation.

A natural seeker teamed with an ambitious hunter makes an awesome pair. The two can become not only powerful together, but develop a kind of healthy dependency. Each knows the complement of the other in meeting their objectives. These become highly efficient teams that are relatively easy to manage and motivate.

A natural seeker who is a hunter is often successful but rarely content. They are often a rogue element in an organization and can be as disruptive as they are beneficial because it depends on which of their strengths is on top of the game at a given time. They are perhaps the hardest to manage but have plenty of self-motivation.

 Take a look at your sales teams and leadership in terms of hunters and seekers; it may change your management style. Seekers and Hunters are both found among the lions and lambs.