The Predictive Index Reference Profile
Altruist
The Altruist is generally a warm and friendly person, true to their name, with a genuine interest in those around them. They are a thoughtful and effective communicator, aware of others’ needs and concerns, and capable of motivating or supporting people accordingly.
What is an Altruist
Altruists tend to get along with a variety of people. They are not only driven to work well with others, but they actually derive enjoyment from helping everyone - from clients and colleagues, to managers and direct reports.
Congenial
Attentive
Agreeable
Considerate
Managing Altruists
Altruists thrive when they have opportunities to learn and interact with a variety of people, absorbing everything they can about the role and business. They prefer freedom from too much repetition, and value assurances that their work is respected and appreciated.
Learn how to manage Altruists
Maximize Altruist potential
Optimize Altruist potential by offering support and help from the team and beyond. Give them access to subject matter experts and advisors, even those beyond their defined scope of work, so they can interact with and learn from new people regularly.
Learn how to maximize Altruist potentialGet deeper insights into your team with the PI Behavioral Assessment
Onboard, coach, and develop Altruists
Empower your Altruist from day one. Use behavioral insights from PI Perform, PI Hire, and PI Inspire, to create professional growth plans and offer actionable feedback according to their unique behavioral pattern.
Candidate Behavioral Report
Activate insights related to workplace behaviors, strengths, and caution areas.
Coaching tools for managers
Empower continuous feedback, 360 feedback, and employee recognition.
Goals
Management
Enhance visibility into company initiatives and personal development goals.
Management Strategy Guide
Customize guidance and feedback to your employees' unique behavioral needs.
Activate insights related to workplace behaviors, strengths, and caution areas.
Learn moreExperience the power of PI firsthand.
Schedule a demo to see how the PI platform can transform your team dynamics and drive performance.
Learn more about the Altruist Reference Profile
Altruists are essential to keeping your team running smoothly. By maximizing their potential, you can elevate your team’s productivity. Understanding their unique strengths and areas for growth is the first step in tailoring your management approach.
Frequently asked questions
The Altruist is one of the 17 Predictive Index (PI) Reference Profiles. Altruists are warm, friendly, and people-focused individuals who have a genuine interest in supporting others. They are thoughtful communicators who are highly aware of others’ needs and motivated to help. This profile reflects someone who thrives on collaboration, empathy, and contributing to the success of those around them.
Altruists are known for their empathy, communication skills, and strong desire to support others. They are cooperative, collaborative, and responsive to input, making them effective team players. Their ability to understand and motivate people makes them especially valuable in roles that require relationship-building and people-focused interaction.
To manage an Altruist effectively, create a supportive and collaborative environment where they can engage with and help others. They respond well to clear structure and expectations, and they value being part of a team. Managers should provide opportunities for them to contribute, recognize their supportive nature, and maintain open, positive communication.
On a team, Altruists bring empathy, collaboration, and a strong focus on supporting others. They help foster positive relationships, improve communication, and create a cooperative team environment. However, their tendency to avoid risk and prioritize harmony may require balancing with more assertive or change-oriented profiles to ensure progress and decision-making stay on track.
Reference Profiles are broad, descriptive categories based on results from the PI Behavioral Assessment.
- Every person who takes the assessment is assigned to one of 17 Reference Profiles.
- These profiles provide a general snapshot of workplace behavior without needing to interpret individual factor scores.
Reference Profiles are built from the four primary behavioral drives:
- Dominance (A)
- Extraversion (B)
- Patience (C )
- Formality (D)
A person’s factor scores act like coordinates. Those coordinates are compared to standardized, prototypical profile patterns. The individual is assigned to the Reference Profile that is closest to their pattern.
The Predictive Index is grounded in behavioral science and validated assessment methodology. It measures core behavioral drives (Dominance, Extraversion, Patience, and Formality) that help predict workplace behavior and performance.
Reference Profiles themselves are not meant to be exact representations of a person, but rather a reliable generalization of behavioral patterns. They are created by comparing an individual’s behavioral data to standardized profile patterns using statistical methods.
Importantly:
- Reference Profiles provide a “general neighborhood,” not an exact house
- Individual patterns may vary within the same profile
- The most accurate insights come from combining the full behavioral pattern + profile
This means PI’s behavioral science is accurate in identifying behavioral tendencies and workplace patterns, especially when used as part of a broader, data-informed decision-making process.
Reference Profile data is used as a starting point for understanding workplace behavior, and helping teams make better people decisions across hiring, management, and team design.
You can use it to:
- Quickly understand behavioral tendencies
Reference Profiles provide a shortcut to understanding how someone prefers to work, communicate, and make decisions. - Improve hiring decisions
Match candidates to roles based on behavioral fit, not just skills or experience. - Personalize management and coaching
Adapt communication style, expectations, and feedback based on how someone works best. - Strengthen team dynamics
Compare profiles across a team to understand differences, improve collaboration, and identify gaps. - Guide development conversations
Use insights to support growth, highlight strengths, and address potential caution areas.
Most importantly, Reference Profiles should be used alongside full behavioral data—not in isolation—to make more informed, data-driven people decisions.