On this page, you will discover the ENTJ MBTI profile:
What ENTJ means;
- Its key characteristics, its strengths and potential challenges;
- You will also find reference points to help you understand:
The type of work environment that suits it;
- Its natural communication and leadership styles;
- The way it responds to change, conflict, and stress;
- As well as guidance to better understand and support it in coaching.
What does ENTJ mean?
ENTJ is the code created by Isabel Myers and Katharine Briggs to represent the MBTI personality profile® that shows a preference for:
- Extraversion (E)
- Intuition (N)
- Thinking (T)
- Judging (J)
What are the characteristics of the ENTJ?
How does the ENTJ process information?
Very early in life, the ENTJ develops their Dominant function: Extraverted Thinking (Te).
They make decisions in a logical way, without taking subjective arguments into account, and communicate them directly.
They seek to organise and structure things, ensuring that logical rules are in place and that everyone follows them.
They value authority, discipline, and organisation.
Terence *
Extraverted Thinking (Te)
How does an ENTJ perceive information?
The ENTJ typically develops their Auxiliary function during adolescence: Introverted Intuition (Ni). They perceive information globally, linking pieces of information together. They tend to use a rather abstract language.
They find it difficult to live fully in the present moment and often think about the future.
The ENTJ is generally a strategist and enjoys setting long-term goals.
Nikki *
Introverted Intuition (Ni)
The characters representing Introverted Intuition (Ni): Nikki, and Extraverted Thinking (Te): Terence, are taken from our book on the MBTI: "Vous êtes unique, vos interlocuteurs aussi!" and are protected by copyright.
The ENTJ’s way of operating
The ENTJ is generally a dynamic person who likes to take a position of authority within a group in order to lead it towards the defined objectives.
They usually have a fairly fast pace and often come across as confident, direct, and straightforward, but they do not naturally display a high level of empathy.
They are generally demanding of themselves and of others, particularly at an intellectual level.
Finally, it should be noted that ENTJs make decisions very quickly.
These characteristics are linked to the way their Extraverted Thinking (Te) and Introverted Intuition (Ni) function, as explained in our MBTI training programme.
What are the strengths and potential challenges of the ENTJ?
The strengths and challenges of the ENTJ mainly stem from their ability to project themselves into the future, to define a long-term vision and objectives, and to invest their energy and natural sense of authority in achieving them. Even if this can, at times, lead to excesses.
What are the strengths of the ENTJ?
Their strengths lie in the ease, speed and efficiency with which they make decisions, plan, organise, and create order and structure around them, ensuring that logical rules are followed.
They have an excellent vision of the future and a very strong ability to plan strategically.
They make logical decisions.
They tend to communicate their point of view quickly and come across as very present and dynamic.
They readily take on a position of authority within a group.
They are consistent in their actions and behaviour and tend to live and act according to a clear guiding thread.
What are the potential challenges of the ENTJ?
The ENTJ does not necessarily measure the impact of their decisions or behaviour on others; they generally experience significant difficulty showing empathy and connecting with their own feelings. They may feel very uncomfortable when faced with people who become emotional.
They may show a great deal of impatience towards people who act without prior reflection, who act impulsively, or within unstructured or chaotic environments.
They can be critical and inflexible. At times, they may appear harsh, overly demanding, intimidating, and as someone who decides too quickly and is difficult to follow and to satisfy.
The ENTJ does not naturally pay much attention to details and practical aspects.
What kind of work environment suits an ENTJ?
What does an ENTJ look for in their work?
The ENTJ enjoys organising and is more drawn to tasks than to people.
They value working in an environment where competence and intelligence are recognised.
They need a structured organisation and clear objectives in order to function effectively.
They feel most effective when the organisation they work for has defined a long-term vision and when their role offers many challenges to overcome.
What the ENTJ does not want in their work
The ENTJ seeks to avoid chaotic environments and “laid-back” or careless cultures.
They do not appreciate “emotional” environments or anything they perceive as behaviours associated with weakness.
The ENTJ is often a “driving force”; they need a work environment that values rational and dynamic behaviours.
What is the ENTJ’s leadership style?
The ENTJ belongs to the Rational temperament identified by David Keirsey.
They need an intelligent, competent and expert hierarchical supervisor who can guide them when dealing with complex issues.
To earn their respect, their hierarchical supervisor needs to:
- Be able to define a long-term strategic vision;
- Demonstrate the presence, authority and drive required to ensure that the team follows the defined strategy and achieves its objectives;
- Have a high level of expertise.
When taking part in a leadership training programme, the ENTJ will need to learn to:
- Develop their empathy;
- Improve their patience and their ability to step back;
- Stay more connected to operational and factual details;
- Focus more on relationships.
The key challenge for an ENTJ profile is learning to slow down so that colleagues are able to keep up.
What is the ENTJ’s communication style?
The ENTJ speaks in broad, visual and metaphorical terms; their language can be highly abstract.
They try to persuade by reasoning in a logical way.
They tend to take their place easily within a group.
Their communication is fast-paced, energetic and assertive, and aims to drive decision-making and action.
An ENTJ expresses themselves more to assert their point of view than to ask for that of others; they do so in a direct and logical manner.
What is the ENTJ’s change management style?
The ENTJ is one of the personality types that needs a strategic vision in order to fully commit to change.
They are among the MBTI profiles most likely to propose an innovative vision, bringing about strategic shifts and paradigm changes.
In change management training, the ENTJ will discover that their abstract language and a certain tendency to impose their point of view in an authoritative way, without genuine prior dialogue, can create resistance among their colleagues.
The ENTJ may show significant signs of discomfort when faced with a chaotic organisation where everyone acts according to momentary intuition.
How does an ENTJ respond to conflict?
The ENTJ is one of the MBTI profiles that tend to manage conflict by proposing logical solutions that make it possible to move on quickly and focus on more productive matters.
Their proactive attitude in the face of disagreement, sense of urgency, and often authoritative style can become a real obstacle to effective conflict resolution with other MBTI profiles.
The ENTJ can learn to address these difficulties through conflict management training, using the 4 Questions Model©.
The energy an ENTJ invests in implementing logical solutions to resolve conflict can work against them when too little time and attention are devoted to understanding how others feel.
ENTJ Stress
What stresses an ENTJ?
The main stressors for an ENTJ include:
- Having to connect with their feelings and question what gives meaning to their life.
- Being confronted with emotional people or an excess of Feeling.
- Collaborating with people who live day to day without thinking about the future.
- Having to act without a clear guiding thread, strategy, or long-term vision.
- Working or living in a chaotic or poorly organised environment.
- Carrying out routine tasks or dealing with an excess of operational details.
- Failing to achieve set objectives.
Working for a manager perceived as incompetent or lacking a clear vision is also a major source of stress for an ENTJ.
How does an ENTJ react under stress?
Under mild stress, an ENTJ tends to:
- Seek to take even more control;
- Organise and prioritise more than usual.
Under severe stress, they may become:
- Sensitive and emotional;
- Prone to loud outbursts of anger.
How can an ENTJ manage stress?
To reduce stress, ENTJs need to:
- Have a clear overall view of their objectives;
- Rely on a long-term strategy;
- Plan and take control of the situation.
Under intense stress, an ENTJ may shift from very directive behaviour to heightened personal sensitivity. This shift is a clear indicator of a high level of stress.
What is the type dynamic of the ENTJ?
- The Dominant function of the ENTJ is Extraverted Thinking – Te
- The Auxiliary function is Introverted Intuition – Ni
- The Tertiary function is Extraverted Sensing – Se
- The Inferior function is Introverted Feeling – Fi
- The Opposing function is Introverted Thinking – Ti
- The Critical Parent function is Extraverted Intuition – Ne
- The Trickster function is Introverted Sensing – Si
- The Demonic function is Extraverted Feeling – Fe
Understanding the type dynamic creates opportunities for more differentiated coaching, making it possible to respond more quickly and more sustainably to the needs of an ENTJ coachee.
How can an ENTJ develop over the course of life?
What kind of child is an ENTJ?
ENTJ children are organised and logical.
They are frank, directive, and enjoy taking positions of authority.
How can an ENTJ develop during adolescence?
During adolescence, the ENTJ develops their strategic vision and sense of the future.
They develop a sense of objectives and tend to appreciate theories more than concrete activities.
How can an ENTJ develop in adulthood (possible development in their thirties)?
In their thirties, the ENTJ may connect more with the world of reality, facts, and details.
In this phase, they may enjoy more sensory activities and live more fully in the present moment.
How can an ENTJ develop at midlife (possible development around the ages of 40–50)?
At midlife, the ENTJ may evolve by opening up to emotions and values.
They then find it easier to accept people whose ways of functioning are different and become more aware of the impact of their communication on others.
An ENTJ who completes their Individuation is able to combine empathy and practicality while preserving their long-term vision and their energy in the pursuit of strategic goals.
How to coach an ENTJ?
The ENTJ is an MBTI® type that is naturally comfortable with the first step of the GROW model: defining objectives.
An ENTJ may be naturally less comfortable with:
- Analysing the current situation (Realities)
- Sometimes also with exploring the different solutions (Options).
These are the stages of the GROW model on which a coach working in differentiated coaching will focus particular attention.
Find out more in the article on coaching an ENTJ.
What possible links exist between ENTJ and Process Communication Model® profiles?
The MBTI® and the Process Communication Model® are based on different foundations:
- The MBTI® is an innate model: we are born with natural preferences in how we function, which influence the way we perceive reality and make decisions.
- The Process Communication Model® is an acquired model. The profile is built through education and lived experience, particularly during the early years of life.
There are, however, areas of convergence between these two models.
Certain Process Communication Model® profiles are more likely to appear among certain MBTI® types, even though there is no systematic or automatic correspondence.
ENTJ profiles may frequently develop an Analyst base or first phases, as the ENTJ profile tends to value order and rigour.
This MBTI profile is, however, unlikely to facilitate the development of an Empathic base.
During Process Communication Model training®, we have encountered a few Promoter profiles among ENTJs.
