On this page, you will discover the ENTP MBTI profile:
- What its preferences mean;
- Its main characteristics;
- Its strengths and potential challenges;
You will also gain an understanding of:
- The type of work environment that suits him;
- His preferred communication and leadership styles;
- How he deals with change and conflict;
- What stresses him and how he reacts under stress;
- As well as some pointers to help you understand him better and coach him more effectively.
What does ENTP mean?
The ENTP is one of the 16 MBTI personalities, characterised by a preference for:
- Extraversion (E)
- Intuition (N)
- Thinking (T)
- Perceiving (P)
What are the common characteristics of ENTPs?
How does the ENTP process information?
From early childhood, the ENTP develops their Dominant function, which is Extraverted Intuition (Ne).
They process information in a global way.
Their Perceiving is based on the association of ideas.
They are creative and imaginative.
Their language is abstract, visual and metaphorical.
Nelly *
Extraverted Intuition (Ne)
How does the ENTP analyse information?
During adolescence, the ENTP develops their Auxiliary function, Introverted Thinking (Ti).
They analyse information logically. They make decisions by reasoning in a rational way.
They need to understand the world they live in and to build their own internal logic.
Tiago *
Introverted Thinking (Ti)
* The characters representing Extraverted Intuition (Ne) and Introverted Thinking (Ti) are taken from our book on personality types, “You Are Unique, and So Are the People You Interact With!”, and are protected by copyright.
How does an ENTP operate?
Their global Perceiving and logical mindset make them someone who:
- Is comfortable in theoretical discussions;
- Has a strong interest in intellectually complex topics;
- Very easily connects information in order to arrive at an overall picture.
When receiving information, they may connect it to memories, consider future implications, or immerse themselves in the present moment. They move from past to present to future with natural ease.
The ENTP makes decisions through logical and independent reasoning, seeking coherence with their own internal logical framework. Subjective arguments have little impact on them.
In MBTI training, you will discover that the ENTP is probably, among profiles with a preference for Extraversion, the one who appears the least extraverted; their communication style is rather calm and does not come across as particularly “overflowing”.
Among Thinking (T) profiles, the ENTP is the one who pays the most attention to making decisions that meet group consensus.
What are the strengths and potential challenges of the ENTP?
What are the strengths of the ENTP?
The ENTP:
- Demonstrates logical thinking;
- Quickly understands complex problems;
- Easily connects pieces of information;
- Readily identifies flaws in reasoning and inconsistencies.
They are generally spontaneous, creative, and innovative.
They tend to be conceptual and enjoy solving complex problems.
They also find it easy to make contact with others.
They communicate their point of view with ease and without beating around the bush.
What are the potential challenges of the ENTP?
The ENTP does not enjoy routine.
They may find it difficult to remember factual details.
Expressing emotions and feelings, and dealing with emotionally demanding situations, does not come naturally to an ENTP.
They may have difficulty admitting when they are wrong.
The ENTP does not tend to be highly attuned to other people’s feelings and may unintentionally hurt others without realising it.
Their high intellectual standards can make them overly critical.
ENTP profiles may tend to start too many projects; they find it much easier to launch new initiatives than to complete those they have already begun.
Figure: the strengths and potential challenges of the ENTP.
Which work environment suits an ENTP?
What does an ENTP look for in their work?
An ENTP enjoys working on complex problems and having a high degree of autonomy.
They generate new ideas easily and appreciate work that allows them to explore these ideas.
They enjoy working with colleagues who:
- Are open to new ideas;
- Think in a logical way;
- Seek to build consensus.
What an ENTP does not want in their work
An ENTP does not enjoy working in environments where colleagues are overly emotional or where there is insufficient separation between personal life and professional life.
They tend to avoid routine and move on when it becomes too present.
An ENTP is unlikely to thrive in a work environment that:
- Involves a large number of deadlines and priorities to manage;
- Requires strict adherence to processes;
- Demands sustained and long-term attention to factual details.
The ENTP stands out from other MBTI profiles through their tendency to think logically while also seeking consensus.
This characteristic can be an advantage, but it can also become a real challenge if they try to reach consensus based solely on logic.
The ENTP Leadership Style
The ENTP belongs to the Rational temperament identified by David Keirsey.
They need a line manager who demonstrates intelligence, expertise, strategic vision and a strong capacity for logical judgement.
They need work that gives them the opportunity to think independently about (complex) problems.
As part of a management training programme, the ENTP will often be encouraged to:
- Develop their empathy;
- Learn to persuade using approaches other than logic alone;
- Improve their ability to create structure, predictability and “repeatability”.
ENTP profiles need a leader who respects their intellectual freedom and does not try to impose ideas that appear illogical to them.
The ENTP’s Communication Style
The ENTP uses global, visual and metaphorical language. They very frequently make connections between ideas.
They try to persuade others by demonstrating the soundness of their logical reasoning.
They tend not to communicate their decisions once their point of view is clear to them.
They may have a tendency to speak quickly about fairly complex or abstract topics.
They can be surprised or disappointed when others struggle to follow their line of thought.
The ENTP can move very easily from one topic to another (which may not seem directly connected), as their extraverted Intuition (Ne) naturally works through associations of ideas.
The ENTP’s Change Management Style
The ENTP enjoys letting their mind jump from one idea to another.
Their generation of new ideas is abundant, but far from all of them are realistic or appropriate. These ideas are sometimes replaced very quickly by new ones that seem better at the time.
The ENTP can be very effective at:
- Creating an overall vision;
- Organising projects into categories or fields in order to make them easier to understand;
- Promoting a global and strategic perspective.
A frequent area for improvement highlighted in change management training for ENTPs is the need to take existing constraints more into account and to translate their many ideas into concrete actions.
Typically, ENTP profiles are able to generate far more new ideas and projects than they can realistically implement.
How does the ENTP handle conflict?
The ENTP’s natural reaction when faced with conflict is to try to understand the logical reasons that led to it.
For them, things need to be said; what matters most is understanding, even if, in the process, things may be expressed in a way that could be hurtful.
During a conflict, their communication style may appear very cold, harsh or sarcastic, which is not necessarily appreciated by other MBTI profiles.
During a conflict management training programme, the 4 Questions© model allows an ENTP to:
- Develop a more empathetic approach;
- Focus more on finding solutions, beyond simply understanding the causes of the conflict.
Here again, the contrast between an analytical and low-empathy approach to conflict and the need for consensus may come as a surprise to an ENTP’s interlocutors.
ENTP Stress
What causes stress for an ENTP?
The main stressors for an ENTP are:
- Having to deal with too much factual or detailed information;
- Having too many deadlines to meet;
- A lack of respect for their intellectual freedom, not being allowed to reason in a logical and independent way;
- Being confronted with people who lack logic or are overly emotional;
- Having to focus on boring tasks or tasks that are not intellectually stimulating.
How does an ENTP react under stress?
Under mild stress, the ENTP may:
- Lose touch with reality;
- Become completely disorganised, jumping from one new idea to another;
- Go so far as to neglect their health.
Under severe stress, the ENTP may:
- Lose their overall perspective;
- Focus excessively on factual details;
- Experience periods of withdrawal, during which they become extremely meticulous.
How can an ENTP manage stress?
To come out of stress, the ENTP needs to regain freedom and intellectual stimulation.
In stress management training, the ENTP becomes aware of the usefulness and importance, for them, of:
- Having autonomy;
- Being able to immerse themselves in conceptual thinking and complex problems;
- Spending time with competent people who reason logically.
Under intense stress, an ENTP may sometimes become very meticulous and excessively focused on minor factual details. This sudden change in behaviour is a sign that their stress level is significant and should not be taken lightly.
What is the type dynamic of the ENTP?
- The Dominant function of the ENTP is Extraverted Intuition – Ne
- Their Auxiliary function is Introverted Thinking – Ti
- Their Tertiary function is Extraverted Feeling – Fe
- Their Inferior function is Introverted Sensing – Si
- Their Opposing function is Introverted Intuition – Ni
- Their Critical Parent function is Extraverted Thinking – Te
- Their Trickster function is Introverted Feeling – Fi
- Their Demonic function is Extraverted Sensing – Se
How can the ENTP develop over the course of life?
What kind of child is the ENTP?
ENTP children are energetic and imaginative.
They enjoy contact with others and activities that engage their imagination.
How can the ENTP develop during adolescence?
During adolescence, the ENTP develops independence, a questioning attitude, and a strong sense of challenge.
At this stage, they tend to prefer debate rather than focusing on how others feel.
They may also adopt a more introverted mode of functioning, with more moments of withdrawal and self-reflection.
How can an ENTP develop in adulthood (possible development in their thirties)?
In their thirties, the ENTP may develop a more sensitive side to how others feel, become more emotionally aware, and show greater tact.
How can an ENTP develop in midlife (possible development around the age of 40–50)?
In midlife, the ENTP may develop a more realistic outlook, becoming more attentive to details.
They may also become more attentive to their body, seeking physical experiences and relaxation.
An ENTP who successfully carries their Individuation process through is able to pay attention to details, show empathy, while still retaining their natural ease with logical, complex, and strategic reasoning.
How to coach an ENTP?
An ENTP is an MBTI profile that may feel “boxed in” by an approach based on the GROW model.
In differentiated coaching, the coach will pay particular attention to:
- Building the coaching questions and methodology by drawing on the ENTP’s natural creativity;
- Encouraging the translation of decisions into concrete actions;
- Supporting greater awareness of others’ feelings when communicating those decisions.
A linear coaching approach is generally not very effective for an ENTP profile.
What are the links between the ENTP profile and Process Communication Model® profiles?
The MBTI® and Process Communication Model® are based on different underlying frameworks:
- The MBTI® is an innate model: we are born with natural preferences in the way we function, which influence how we perceive the world and how we make decisions.
- Process Communication Model® is an acquired model. The profile develops through education and life experiences, particularly very early in childhood.
There is a link between the two models. Certain Process Communication® profiles are more likely to develop in specific MBTI® types, even though there is no automatic one-to-one correspondence.
In Process Communication Model training®, we have observed, among MBTI ENTP types, very few Empathic and Imaginer profiles.
The ENTP is an MBTI profile that is often considered quite common among entrepreneurs; this is probably even more the case when they have also developed the Promoter profile in Process Communication®.
