On this page, you will discover the MBTI INFJ profile, you will understand:
- The meaning of its preferences;
- Its most distinctive traits
- Its strengths as well as its potential challenges.
You will also be able to explore further:
- The type of work environment in which they feel most comfortable
- Their way of communicating and their leadership style
- How they respond to change and stressful situations
- Key insights to better understand them and support them more effectively in coaching.
What does ENFJ mean?
ENFJ is the MBTI personality type that shows a preference for:
- Extraversion (E)
- Intuition (N)
- Feeling (F)
- Judging (J)
What are the key characteristics of the ENFJ?
How does the ENFJ analyse information?
From early childhood, the ENFJ develops their Dominant Function, which is Extraverted Feeling (Fe).
They analyse information in a subjective way. Their decisions are made with sensitivity to the impact those decisions may have on the group.
They feel a strong need to take care of others. They tend to organise and structure their work in order to create a harmonious environment in which everyone feels included.
They value people aligning with the values and norms of the group.
Félicie (Fe)*
Extraverted Feeling
How does the ENFJ perceive information?
During adolescence, the ENFJ develops their Auxiliary Function: Introverted Intuition (Ni).
They need more time to step back and develop a global, long-term vision.
Their perception works through the association of ideas.
Their language is abstract and metaphorical.
Nikki (Ni)*
Introverted Intuition
* The characters representing Introverted Intuition (Ni), Nikki, and Extraverted Feeling (Fe), Félicie, come from our book on personality types You Are Unique and are protected by copyright.
How does an ENFJ function?
The ENFJ personality type enjoys defining a vision and long-term objectives, planning and structuring work, and “taking the lead” to bring each member of the team towards the achievement of results.
The ENFJ speaks up confidently to express their point of view, doing so in a diplomatic and inclusive manner.
The ENFJ needs to live in a structured and organised environment that aligns with their vision of what a harmonious environment should be.
What are the natural strengths and potential weaknesses of the ENFJ?
What are the natural strengths of the ENFJ?
The ENFJ is naturally organised and structured. They are able to make decisions quickly.
They have a strong ability to project themselves into the future and to maintain a global view of their responsibilities.
They are naturally sociable.
They enjoy taking care of others and supporting their development.
What are the potential difficulties of the ENFJ?
The ENFJ may tend to take too much care of the people they interact with. They can then be inclined to impose on others what seems best for the group, often without first checking whether others agree. This can lead them to become overprotective, stifling, and even potentially disempowering.
The ENFJ may also tend to overlook details and lack realism.
They are not very comfortable with logical analysis, especially when it may lead to unpopular decisions or to excluding certain people from the group.
Their quick decision-making can sometimes be too hasty.
What is an ENFJ’s preferred work environment?
What does an ENFJ look for in their work?
An ENFJ looks for an environment in which they can:
- Take on responsibilities;
- Structure the work;
- Create a group that functions harmoniously;
- Integrate all members of the team.
What type of work environment does not suit an ENFJ?
An ENFJ tends to avoid environments where:
- Everyone looks out only for themselves;
- Conflicts are frequent;
- The working framework is unstructured;
- People act impulsively without coordinating their actions;
- No one considers the common good.
What is the preferred leadership style of the INFJ?
The ENFJ belongs to the Idealist temperament identified by David Keirsey.
They need work that gives meaning to life.
They seek to feel in harmony within the group and look for an environment where people take care of one another and live in alignment with shared values.
They appreciate a hierarchical leader who enables the group to grow.
To manage an ENFJ effectively, it is helpful to adopt a dynamic leadership style, with structured decision-making aimed at ensuring the long-term well-being and harmony of the group.
During leadership training, the ENFJ may realise that they sometimes need to:
- Be less overprotective;
- Encourage greater autonomy among their colleagues;
- Develop their ability to cope with the unexpected and to let go.
In their management style, ENFJ types are visionary leaders who enjoy taking care of the group.
What is the ENFJ’s natural communication style?
ENFJs generally find it easy to connect with others and have a naturally high level of energy.
They express themselves quickly to share their point of view and like to make decisions rapidly. They may tend to take the lead within a group in order to steer it towards what they believe will support a positive atmosphere and good collaboration among members.
Their arguments are based on subjective reasoning; they tend to make decisions by considering the impact those decisions will have on others.
Their communication style is generally tactful and diplomatic.
Their language is often figurative, conceptual, and metaphorical; they may have difficulty explaining the factual elements that led them to certain conclusions.
ENFJs tend to be more visible within a group than INFJs and also display a different kind of energy. These are two of the criteria used to distinguish between these two MBTI® profiles.
What is the ENFJ’s change management style?
To commit to a change initiative, an ENFJ needs to:
Have a global, structured, and stable vision of the proposed changes;
Ensure that the purpose and consequences of the project are aimed at improving collective well-being.
Once these conditions are met, the ENFJ can demonstrate an ability to make decisions quickly and bring to the group both a goal-oriented mindset and an awareness of the group’s needs in order to achieve those goals.
Areas for development that ENFJs often identify during change management training relate to their ability to make rational decisions, even when those decisions are unpopular, when circumstances require it.
An ENFJ will often benefit from connecting more closely with on-the-ground realities, simplifying their language, and showing greater patience in their decision-making.
How does an ENFJ tend to handle conflict?
When faced with conflict, the ENFJ seeks to find quick solutions in order to protect everyone involved. This can lead them to avoid sensitive topics and to proactively propose solutions they believe will satisfy everyone.
The ENFJ’s primary aim is to preserve relationships, group harmony, and consistency with shared values.
In conflict situations, they may be perceived as someone who is:
- Too quick to propose solutions;
- Trying to suppress conflicts before they fully emerge;
- Preventing those involved from addressing issues openly with one another.
In conflict management, an ENFJ profile will benefit from allowing everyone to express their true thoughts, without trying to protect individuals from one another.
Understanding Stress in ENFJs
The MBTI helps identify the main sources of stress for ENFJs and understand their behaviours under both mild and severe stress. It also provides useful strategies to improve stress management.
What Are the Main Causes of Stress for ENFJs?
The main sources of stress for an ENFJ include:
- Operating in an environment where their concern for others is not valued
- Being placed in conflict situations
- Being in contact with people who do not respect group norms
- Being confronted with behaviours they perceive as selfish or not oriented towards the well-being and harmony of the group
- Having to deal with trivial or insignificant details
- Being required to act without a clear guiding framework, or dealing with people who act impulsively
- Experiencing delays or a lack of respect for deadlines
- Having to interact with people who communicate in an overly factual manner.
How Does an ENFJ React Under Stress?
Under mild stress, an ENFJ may:
- Feel an increased need to create a harmonious environment for the group
- Try to make others happy without having asked for their input
- Become overprotective, smothering, or limiting others’ autonomy.
Under severe stress, an ENFJ may:
- Become harsher
- Display sharp or sarcastic behaviour
- Make cutting or hurtful remarks
- This sudden change in behaviour is an important signal that the ENFJ is experiencing a high level of stress.
How Can an ENFJ Manage Stress?
To relieve stress, an ENFJ will seek to (re)establish an environment that is:
- Harmonious, where everyone feels included;
- Rich in frequent and warm interpersonal contacts;
- One in which their need to care for others is recognised and valued.
Living or working in a structured environment, where they have a clear long-term strategic vision and can make decisions and act quickly in order to achieve long-term objectives, also helps them move out of stress.
What Is the Type Dynamics of an ENFJ?
- Dominant Function: Extraverted Feeling (Fe)
- Auxiliary Function: Introverted Intuition (Ni)
- Tertiary Function: Extraverted Sensing (Se)
- Inferior Function: Introverted Thinking (Ti)
- Opposing Function: Introverted Feeling (Fi)
- Critical Parent: Extraverted Intuition (Ne)
- Trickster: Introverted Sensing (Si)
- Demonic Function: Extraverted Thinking (Te)
Understanding the type dynamics of an ENFJ creates opportunities for more differentiated coaching approaches, allowing their needs to be addressed more quickly and more sustainably.
How Can an ENFJ Develop Over the Course of Life?
How does an ENFJ evolve throughout life?
The development of an ENFJ over time follows the natural dynamics of type development.
What Kind of Child Is an ENFJ?
ENFJ children are caring, enjoy pleasing others, and tend to be cooperative.
They appreciate being in a harmonious environment where everyone feels included.
They usually find it easy to connect with others and may appear to enjoy being visible, making decisions for the group, always with the intention that everyone feels comfortable.
How Can an ENFJ Develop During Adolescence?
During adolescence, ENFJs need more moments of self-reflection. They develop their imagination and feel a stronger need to project themselves into the future.
How Can an ENFJ Develop in Adulthood (Possible Development in Their Thirties)?
In their thirties, ENFJs may develop a more concrete side, becoming more connected to operational realities and factual details.
They may feel more drawn to practical and/or sensory activities and develop a greater need for tangible results in their lives.
How Can an ENFJ Develop at Midlife (Possible Development Around 40–50)?
At midlife, ENFJs may gain easier access to logical reasoning and rational decision-making.
They may find it easier to express their point of view directly, without feeling the need to protect others.
How to coach an ENFJ?
The ENFJ is an MBTI® type that is generally comfortable with the first step of the GROW model, namely defining coaching objectives (Objectives).
A coach working with an ENFJ in a differentiated coaching approach will support the coachee particularly in the second step of the GROW model: identifying the concrete elements of the current situation (Realities).
The coach will also assist in exploring possible solutions (Options), helping the ENFJ step back from their strong need to create harmony within the group.
What are the links with Process Communication®?
MBTI® and Process Communication Model® are based on different underlying frameworks:
- MBTI® is grounded in an innate model: we come into the world with natural preferences that shape how we perceive reality and make decisions.
- Process Communication® is more closely aligned with an acquired model. The profile develops through education and life experiences, particularly during early childhood.
That said, certain links can be observed between these two approaches. Some Process Communication® profiles appear more frequently among certain MBTI® types, without there being any automatic or systematic correspondence.
A stronger presence of the Empathic profile in Process Communication® can be considered among ENFJ profiles. However, our experience in Process Communication Model training has not clearly confirmed this hypothesis.
Furthermore, the ENFJ type does not appear to be particularly conducive to the development of an Imaginer profile, unlike the INFJ.
