ENTJ personality type: “The Born Leader”

Do you have the ENTJ personality type? As humans, we tend to perceive and process the world around us in a way that reflects a deeper part of our personality. Not only that but people often gravitate toward specific life situations based on their desire to either spend time around others or spend time alone.

All of these facets of what makes each individual unique have been analyzed by psychologists over the years, seeking ways to better understand what leads to the way in which humans interact, make decisions, and behave.

One method for categorizing people by their personality type is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Using a four-letter system to categorize personalities, this system helps shed light on who someone is, based on their responses to introspective questions.

Among the personality types is one that stands out in the business world as a born leader — the ENTJ personality type. Discover more about this categorization, how it’s determined, what traits ENTJ personality types tend to share, and how an ENTJ personality might behave in the workplace.

What is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator?

To understand what an ENTJ personality type is, it is important to first understand the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) system. This system ranks personalities based on four categories, collectively known as ESTJ:

Extraversion versus Introversion — How inward or outwardly focused someone is
Sensing versus iNtuition — How someone prefers to take in information
Thinking versus Feeling — How someone prefers to make decisions
Judging versus Perceiving — How someone lives his or her outer life

This system was created by Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers who found their basis for the system in Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung’s book Psychological Types.

How is a personality type determined?

In order to determine Myers-Briggs personality types, individuals are asked to read through a series of statements and think about whether they agree with the statement in relation to their own perception of self. They are asked to rank the statement on a scale of Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree.

For example, a statement might read: “You regularly make new friends.”

The individual can then choose Strongly Agree, Agree, Somewhat Agree, Neutral, Somewhat Disagree, Disagree, or Strongly Disagree.

Each selection contributes to the synopsis of the individual’s personality type.

“The Commander” – An overview of an ENTJ personality type

If you have recently answered a questionnaire that indicated you are an ENTJ personality type, or you work with someone who has this personality type, you might be interested in knowing more about the characteristics of an ENTJ.

Nicknamed “the Commander”, the ENTJ personality type is known to be a strong leader capable of effective, organized decision-making.

Breaking the ENTJ apart by its letters, you can begin to see a portrait of the personality emerge:

Extraversion: Talkative, prefers to be around other people, likes to work out problems in a group setting, and prefers fast-paced environments.
iNtuition: Enjoys looking at the big picture, imagines how things could be, and describes things in figurative ways, engaging with the concept of something.
Thinking: Uses logical reasoning to make decisions, enjoys debating and looking for logical fallacies in an argument, and is often described as reasonable and level-headed.
Judging: Likes to have matters settled and plans in place and gravitates toward step-by-step instructions over open-ended improvisation.

The strengths of the ENTJ personality type in the workplace

In the workplace, you’ll often find ENTJ personality types at the helm of a project or a team. They enjoy making decisions and tend to be extremely motivated and hardworking. They are decisive and capable of thinking through big-picture goals.

ENTJs are an incredibly valuable contribution to any organization, as they are efficient and strategic. They are capable of moving things forward and love working around other people.

ENTJ personality types are often the people most likely to speak up in a meeting and explain how something could be done better. They are extremely direct and focused on results. They prefer to have influence in their positions and will work hard to achieve the goals they set. With an innate desire to take a commanding role, ENTJs are internally motivated to lead others. This makes them excellent choices for managerial roles. They will not shy away from making tough decisions and can logically argue for the choices they make.

The weaknesses of an ENTJ personality type in the workplace

While ENTJ personality types can help drive teams toward objectives, they can sometimes be perceived as impatient or harsh. Their logical approach to issues paired with a preference for structure can make them seem intolerant to those with a more open-minded approach to projects.

Additionally, in some settings, ENTJ personality types might come across as arrogant. Because they are unafraid of speaking their mind and don’t shy away from a debate, they can feel overly dominating for those who are introverted or more perceptive of the emotions of others.

Snapshot of the ENTJ personality type

Whether you are learning more about yourself or hoping to understand a coworker or employee, here are a few key takeaways about ENTJs:

They will lead the way. ENTJs are born to lead and they find the most satisfaction in positions where they get to direct the path.
They will tell you what they think. ENTJ personality types won’t shy away from sharing their insights, and, they are well worth listening to, as they tend to be extremely capable of analyzing a situation quickly and effectively.
They will strive for improvement. An ENTJ personality type isn’t content to do things in an illogical or inefficient manner. They will look for a way to improve systems and will be pleased to offer their guidance.
They will offer practical solutions. When a problem pops up, ENTJs offer practical solutions. Born problem-solvers, they will rise to the occasion immediately.
They are organized and plan things out. Unlike their Perceiving counterparts, who prefer to leave plans open-ended, an ENTJ will create a focused and structured path forward.

As always, personality types are simply a broad stroked method for understanding how humans process information, make decisions, and interact with others. Each of us has a unique background that shapes who we are and everyone has the ability to grow. In many cases, as ENTJ personality types experience new leadership roles, they will learn how to build upon their strengths and manage weaknesses.

Check out:

ENTP personality type: The rare traits of a “Visionary”
INTP personality type: Traits of the “Thinker”
ISFJ personality type: “The Defender”