What? That's not you? How about this?
What makes an ENTJ tick?
The Dominant function is the judging one of Thinking.
Characteristics associated with this function include:
Likes making decisions on the basis of logic, using objective considerations
Is concerned with truth, principles and justice
Is analytical and critical, tending to see the flaws in situations
Takes an objective approach
The judging Thinking function is extraverted. That is, Thinking is used primarily to govern the outer world of actions and spoken words.
The ENTJ will therefore:
organise life in on a logical basis, classifying, ordering, and directing facts and situations
be decisive, with the aim of being just and fair
spontaneously criticise
be comfortable with conflict as a way of resolving problems
take an impersonal approach, focusing more on systems and organisational needs than each individuals' feelings
The Thinking function is primarily supported by introverted iNtuitive perception. That is, iNtuitive perception is used primarily to manage the inner world of thoughts and emotions.
This will modify the way that the Thinking is directed, by:
focusing the (outer world) Thinking on creative decisions that lead to change and new possibilities
orchestrating the outward organisation in support of some overall purpose or strategy
The classic temperament of an ENTJ is Promethean, or Phlegmatic, for whom a basic driving force is the search for competence or excellence.
Contributions to the team of an ENTJIn a team environment, the ENTJ can contribute by:
focusing on the task to be achieved and keeping the team on track
providing a drive to complete the task on time and to a high quality
shaping the team structure to best serve the team objectives
using analytical and critical skills to solve problems
ensuring short term tasks are in harmony with the strategy
sorting out confusion and ambiguity
involving people who are competent in relevant skills, and ensuring everyone knows what they have to do
The potential ways in which an ENTJ can irritate others include:
issuing directives sometimes without explaining the reasons why
dominating the team
not taking account of others' feelings
driving too hard
deciding too quickly and without sufficient consultation with others
not taking sufficient account of current realities
introducing too much change, and not leaving well-established, workable routines alone.
Personal Growth
As with all types, the ENTJ can achieve personal growth by developing all functions that are not fully developed, through actions such as:
pausing and thinking, and recognising that others will accept the ENTJ's direction if their own contributions are accepted and valued
working within other people's limitations
taking time to consider the impact of the ENTJ's approach and ideas on people's feelings
expressing appreciation towards others
consulting others more, to engender ownership of the solution
learning to acknowledge and develop the ENTJ's own emotions and personal values
spending time to develop personal relationships for their own sake
Recognising Stress
As stress increases, 'learned behaviour' tends to give way to the natural style, so the ENTJ will behave more according to type when under greater stress.
For example, in a crisis, the ENTJ might:
take command, decide what needs to be done, and tell everyone what to do
maintain a sense of direction, and drive others hard to overcome any short term difficulties
make decisions too quickly, and without considering the impact on people
criticise others efforts and ignore their feelings
Under extreme stress, fatigue or illness, the ENTJ's shadow may appear - a negative form of ISFP.
Example characteristics are:
withdrawing and wanting to be alone
having intense emotions, that may or may not be expressed
being very sensitive to criticism
acting very impulsively, doing things to excess
The shadow is part of the unconscious that is often visible to others, onto whom the shadow is projected. The ENTJ may therefore readily see these faults in others without recognising it in him/her self.
