On This Page:ToggleENTJ MeaningENTJ CharacteristicsCognitive FunctionsHobbies & CareersWork EnvironmentsPersonal RelationshipsTips for Interacting With ENTJsTest
On This Page:Toggle
On This Page:
ENTJ, in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), stands for Extraversion, Intuition, Thinking, and Judging. People with this personality type are typically assertive, driven, and strategically minded, making them natural leaders.
ENTJ Meaning
ENTJs are assertive, strategic, and charismatic, often thriving in leadership roles, making successful executives, captains, and administrators.
However, theirassertive naturemay sometimes be perceived as overly dominant or impatient.
They value organization and structure and appreciate long-term planning and goal setting. They have strong people skills and enjoy interacting with others, but they are not necessarily attuned to their own emotions or the emotions of their loved on.
ENTJ is one of the least common types in the population, and the rarest type among women. ENTJs comprise:
ENTJs are sometimes referred to as “the Commander” or “the CEO.” ISFP is the opposite personality type of ENTJ.
Famous ENTJs include Kamala Harris, Napoleon Bonaparte, Harrison Ford, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Bill Gates, and Carl Sagan.
StrengthsWeaknessesConfidentStubbornAmbitiousArrogantOptimisticInsensitiveStrong leadership skillsLack of empathySociableEgotistical
ENTJ Characteristics
People with this personality type are highly extroverted and enjoy being in the company of others
ENTJs like to live an organized, structured life
ENTJs are natural-born leaders
ENTJs are characteristically ambitious
Cognitive Functions
The MBTI suggests that the four different cognitive functions (thinking, feeling, intuition, and sensing) form a hierarchy where each function is either directed outwardly (extroverted) or inwardly (introverted). The order of these functions determines one’s personality.
The dominant function is the primary aspect of personality, while the auxiliary and tertiary functions play supportive roles.
Dominant: Extraverted ThinkingThis function is concerned with the way ENTJs make decisions and judgments.ENTJs tend to place a greater emphasis on objective and logical information rather than personal feelings and emotions when making choices.They are focused on preserving order and control of the world around them and prioritize their goals above all else.Auxiliary: Introverted IntuitionPeople with the ENTJ personality type are future-focused. They play higher value on future possibilities than on the present moment and trust their gut instincts when approaching a decision.Tertiary: Extraverted SensingExtraverted Sensing → This function describes how ENTJs explore their surrounding environments.ENTJs enjoy novel, even thrill-seeking, experiences and have a unique appreciation for the beauty of life.Inferior: Introverted FeelingENTJs lack an understanding of internal feelings and emotions. This function tends to be weak in people with this personality type.Consequently, ENTJs often find themselves feeling uncomfortable or awkward in emotionally stimulating situations.
Dominant: Extraverted Thinking
Auxiliary: Introverted Intuition
Tertiary: Extraverted Sensing
Inferior: Introverted Feeling
ENTJ Hobbies, Interests, and Careers
ENTJs are driven, ambitious individuals with an appetite for success. They are often very engaged in their careers and have limitless energy for their work. ENTJs are particularly drawn to leadership positions where they can achieve tremendous efficiency and productivity in their workplace.
With their strong communication skills, problem-solving capabilities, and organizational prowess, ENTJs naturally fall into these managerial roles, and they tend to make admirable authority figures.
They enjoy the challenge of solving difficult problems and finding opportunities to improve complex systems. They excel at supervising others and leading teams to carry out their visions with strategic planning and clear goal-setting.
Because of their excellent leadership skills, hard-working attitudes, and ability to plan for the future, ENTJs make successful CEOs, human resources managers, lawyers, entrepreneurs, university professors, corporate strategists, and judges.
In their free time, ENTJs enjoy maintaining leadership positions in community groups, attending social gatherings or sporting events, and playing competitive sports. Because ENTJs are often so career-focused, they may have few interests outside of work or participate in leisure activities that help to further their careers.
ENTP Work Environments
ENTJs prefer a work environment with a clear set of guidelines and standards and one that values competence and logical thinking. They appreciate a workplace that is formal and businesslike, where the performance of their work is evaluated objectively.
While ENTJs want to be evaluated objectively, they also want to be rewarded generously and recognized for their efforts with money, recognition, and power. An ENTJs primary goal is to simply get things done so they struggle in workplaces that tolerate incompetence, laziness or inefficiency.
ENTJ Personal Relationships
Because ENTJs are extroverts, they gain energy from socializing with others. They love engaging in lively conversations and sharing their ideas with others.
They seek out friendships with those who share a similar passion for meaningful discussions and logical, critical debate.
They get along best with individuals who can match their ability to brainstorm, theorize, and learn. They value their friendships deeply and pay a great deal of attention to their friends; however, expressing and understanding emotions can be difficult for ENTJs, so they may struggle to get along with more sensitive individuals.
In romantic relationships, ENTJs can be commanding and dominating partners. They tend to take the leading role in any relationship from the start and assume personal responsibility for how smoothly things advance.
They put a lot of energy into their relationships and expect that their partner will do the same. ENTJs tend to be stubborn in their relationships as they have a clear idea of how things should be done and feel that their partner should follow.
They can have trouble attending to their partners’ feelings and listening patiently to them because of their strong desire to problem solve.
Tips for Interacting With ENTJs
Friendships
As a friend of an ENTJ, it is important to remember that part of their communication style and personality type is to be argumentative and confrontational at times.
You should try not to take their criticism personally, but for the more introverted, down-to-earth personality types, a friendship with an ENTJ might not be beneficial for either party.
Relationships
ENTJs are typically ambitious and spend a lot of time at work or pursuing their goals. They need a partner who is independent and supportive and respects their competitiveness and ambition.
It is also important to remember that an ENTJ needs to feel completely comfortable in a relationship before they show their emotions. They value honesty and communication so if you are feeling insecure or have an issue with your partner, be upfront and tell them the truth.
Parenting
As parents, ENTJs are in control of their children. They have clear sets of standards and expect that their rules are followed. They set logical consequences for misbehavior and expect obedience from their children.
ENTJs tend to be more absent at home than other personality types because they have such a strong focus on their careers. However, when they are with their kids, they ensure that the time is well spent instilling values of hard work and achievement.
Test
Answer these questions below to find out if ENTJ is your personality type:
If you answer “yes” to most of these questions, you may have ENTJ personality traits. However, remember that personality is complex, and a professional assessment would be needed for a definitive personality type determination.
References
King, S. P., & Mason, B. A. (2020). Myers‐Briggs Type Indicator. The Wiley Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences: Measurement and Assessment, 315-319.
Myers, I. B. (1962). The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator: Manual (1962).
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. (2019, May 28). New World Encyclopedia, . Retrieved from https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/p/index.php?title=Myers-Briggs_Type_Indicator&oldid=1020015.
Myers, Isabel B.; Myers, Peter B. (1995) [1980]. Gifts Differing: Understanding Personality Type. Mountain View, CA: Davies-Black Publishing. ISBN 978-0-89106-074-1.
Pittenger, D. J. (2005).Cautionary Comments Regarding the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 57(3), 210-221.
The purpose of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator®. The Myers & Briggs Foundation: MBTI Basics. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/
ENTJ personality
Saul McLeod, PhD
BSc (Hons) Psychology, MRes, PhD, University of Manchester
Saul McLeod, PhD., is a qualified psychology teacher with over 18 years of experience in further and higher education. He has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Clinical Psychology.
Julia Simkus
BA (Hons) Psychology, Princeton University
Julia Simkus is a graduate of Princeton University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She is currently studying for a Master’s Degree in Counseling for Mental Health and Wellness in September 2023. Julia’s research has been published in peer reviewed journals.
