Donald Trump has a decision to make.

Will he be amazing or a mess?

This is a question we all must answer in our personal and professional lives.

However, serving as the 45th President of the United States, his answer will carry with it great impact. 

We don’t need Donald Trump to take a personality test to help us understand him. In fact, his behavior is quite predictable—there should be no surprises where he is concerned.

In my Adventure Styles personality profile system, Donald Trump is not an Explorer, Navigator, or Traveler but a high-end Trailblazer. Trailblazers are highly productive, dynamic, and fearless individuals who can conquer almost anything they set their mind to. But as in every personality type, one’s strengths can be eclipsed by one’s weaknesses. Like Donald J. Trump, each of us stands at the perpetual fork in life’s road to make a choice to live and lead in our strengths or sabotage our success by living and leading in our weakness.

We can choose to be amazing or a mess!

What will Donald Trump’s presidency look like? Who knows for sure? However, a close examination of his Adventure Style might give us a glimpse of things to come. Here is a quick snapshot of the Trump Trailblazer and how he naturally approaches most everything in life:

Trailblazer (Adventure Style II)

A Trailblazer perfectly describes this Adventure Style as Trailblazers powerfully pursue life with a zeal and intensity that is unstoppable. Blazing a trail through uncharted territory is a thrilling adventure to the one who wishes to conquer. Where there is no way, they will make one.  Where there is a practical way, they will create a faster one. Where there is established way, they will search for a new one that bears their imprint.

The Trailblazer is not afraid to create commotion, confusion, or chaos to get to their desired destination. On the ground and on the front lines they wield their mighty sword of action leaving the tentative and weak in their dusty wake. They are not afraid of turning the world upside down to get to their desired destination, not only because they want to get there first, but because they want to get there fast.

Being the best and beating the rest is the life’s motto for the Trailblazer. This is manifest through the “must win” high-end expression of the Adventure Style, or the “must achieve” low end expression—both expressions are moving the Trailblazer to personal accomplishment.

Trailblazers are fearless in nature and are driven by a deep desire to possess all life has to offer. With a keen eye to spot and size-up that which is excellent, Trailblazers are energetic individuals, who are quick to think, quick to act, and quick to speak. They understand if there is a prize ahead, only the quickest and most clever will win that prize!

Those who possess the Trailblazer Adventure Style carry themselves with an air of confidence, a momentum of energy, a sense of urgency, and a position of authority. They are deliberate individuals who communicate in a declarative and exclamatory manner. They do not hesitate to speak their mind. As a result, Trailblazers are natural born leaders whose unrestrained confidence is impressive to others. They are people of action who can be best described as “doing,” not “being.”

Bigger, better, and faster is how they operate, and because they are focused on results, their eyes are fixated on the prize. Trailblazers are not afraid to fail, but are afraid of not succeeding. Not afraid of obstacles, but afraid of lost opportunities. Not afraid of hard work, but afraid of lack of recognition. Not afraid of what other people think of them, but afraid other people will not think of them. Not afraid of a challenge, but afraid their authority will be challenged. Not afraid to be feared, but afraid to be forgotten.

For the Trailblazer, searching is not as satisfying as seizing, planning not as important as progressing, coexisting not as fulfilling as conquering, and maintaining not as interesting as moving on. Everyone loves to win, but for the Trailblazer, winning is everything. 

Are you a Trailblazer, or do you know one?

We all have come to know the Trailblazer, Donald Trump. And he possesses the best and worst of a high-end Trailblazer. So what should this tell us about how he will handle his presidency? He will either be amazing or a mess. Based on Donald Trump’s Adventure Style . . .

The Amazing Trailblazer Trump Will:

• . . . have a tireless and driven work ethic.
• . . . be fearless.
• . . . tap winning qualities in others to build an effective team.
• . . . motivate others by granting them resources he can negotiate and secure.
• . . . allow a competitive spirit to build a productive and vibrant economy.
• . . . be project focused investing in building, innovation, and acquisition.
• . . . encourage advisors to speak honestly and openly without fear of reprisal.
• . . . understand he is not the best at everything and invite help.
• . . . be measured in words and actions.
• . . . see that the big picture includes more than a portrait of himself.
• . . . command respect by his actions and not demand respect by his position.
• . . . resist flattery and insist on integrity.
• . . . view a disagreement not as a threat but as a litmus test to review his position.

The Messy Trailblazer Trump Will:

• . . . love the deal but ignore the details.
• . . . want to win now rather than win better later.
• . . . speak but not listen.
• . . . want to receive applause instead of seek advice.
• . . . seek self-achievement (connects himself to any win).
• . . . seek shelf-achievement (connects himself as owner and author of others' work).
• . . . seek stealth-achievement (connects himself to other powerful people as proof of his importance).
• . . . put higher value on allegiance than alliance. 
• . . . make decisions based on the last person or group to have his ear.
• . . . vilify and campaign against those who disagree with him.
• . . . be trapped in the perpetual Hero, Victim, Martyr Cycle (Adventure Styles) of emotion.
• . . . focus on where he stands above where the country is positioned.

Trailblazers, including Donald J. Trump, are amazing people. They are natural leaders who can create excitement about any project in the hearts of others. They are fearless and have a natural entrepreneurial spirit that carries with it a keen eye for opportunity, progress, improvement, and acquisition.

However, Trailblazers can be their own worst enemy and create quite a mess. They struggle with being a good listener and confuse surrendered adherence to their agenda with collaborative teamwork. They struggle with being too quick to make a decision, too slow to meet deadlines, and too blind to share the credit. They are results focused and detail blind. “What’s next!” is more exciting than “What we need to maintain!” so they must be careful their conquering spirit doesn’t sabotage their success.

So what will President Trump choose?

Amazing or a mess?

Each of us makes the same choice every day. Our particular strengths and weaknesses may vary based on our Adventure Style. We are not all Trailblazers, but we have our own positives and negatives to manage.

Our Life Approach (Explorer, Trailblazer, Navigator, or Traveler) is a dead giveaway on how we approach the big and small aspects of our life. One Life Approach is not better than another. Each has the potential to be amazing . . . or to be a hot mess.

I hope amazing will describe the office of the presidency for the next four years.

We will see.

One thing is for sure, Donald J. Trump will either harness the power or the peril that lies within his Adventure Style.

His choice.

(Information about all Four Adventures Styles can be found at PaulJoiner.com. See a brief overview on tab, “Meet the Four Adventure Styles.”)