The ENTJ personality type is Extraverted, iNtuitive, Thinking, and Judging, which means ENTJs are energized by working with others, focused on understanding complex systems, eager to solve problems by implementing efficient solutions, and driven to be organized and fair. This combination of personality preferences produces individuals who are ambitious, charismatic, and visionary leaders who love to work hard. ENTJs are usually friendly and gregarious, but in the pursuit of success, competitive, strategic ENTJs can sometimes be blunt, critical, or impatient.
ENTJ is an acronym used to describe one of the sixteen personality types created by
Katharine Briggs
and
Isabel Myers
. It stands for Extraverted, iNtuitive, Thinking, Judging. ENTJ indicates a person who is energized by time spent with others (Extraverted), who focuses on ideas and concepts rather than facts and details (iNtuitive), who makes decisions based on logic and reason (Thinking) and who prefers to be planned and organized rather than spontaneous and flexible (Judging). ENTJs are sometimes referred to as Commander personalities because of their innate drive to lead others.
ENTJs are analytical and objective, and like bringing order to the world around them. When there are flaws in a system, the ENTJ sees them, and enjoys the process of discovering and implementing a better way. ENTJs are assertive and enjoy taking charge; they see their role as that of leader and manager, organizing people and processes to achieve their goals.
ENTJs are often very motivated by success in their careers and enjoy hard work. They are ambitious and interested in gaining power and influence. To the ENTJ, decision-making is a vocation. They want to be in a position to make the call and put plans into motion.
ENTJs tend to be blunt and decisive. Driven to get things done, they can sometimes be critical or brusque in the pursuit of a goal. They are typically friendly and outgoing, although they may not pick up on emotional subleties in other people. They often love working with others toward a common goal, but may not find time to attend to their feelings. They are focused on results and want to be productive, competent, and influential.
ENTJs are natural leaders, and often take charge no matter where they are. They typically have a clear vision for the future, and intuitively understand how to move people and processes towards that goal. They tend to approach every situation with the attitude of an efficiency analyst, and are not shy about pointing out what could be done better. For the ENTJ, their ideas are a foregone conclusion: it’s just a matter of time before they can move the players to get everything accomplished.
ENTJs are often gregarious, and seem to have an idea for how a person will fit into their grand scheme from the moment they are introduced. They are typically direct and may seem presumptuous or even arrogant; they size people and situations up very quickly, and have trouble being anything but honest about what they see. ENTJs are sensitive to issues of power, and seek positions and people of influence. They are characteristically ambitious, and often very engaged in their careers. More than any other type,
ENTJ
s enjoy their work, and may even say that working is what they do for fun.
ENTJ is one of the least common types in the population, and the rarest type among women. ENTJs make up:
1.8% of the general population
2.3% of men
1.5% of women
"ENTJs are seldom content in a job that makes no demand on intuition. They need problems to solve and are likely to be expert at finding new solutions."
"When in charge of an organization, whether in the military, business, education, or government, ENTJs desire and have the ability to visualize where the organization is going, and they seem unusually able to communicate that vision to others."
"They see daily life as a kind of chessboard, upon which people, things, and entities are moved, removed, altered, and engaged—constantly for the organizational good."
Popular hobbies for ENTJs include taking leadership positions in community groups, attending social gatherings or sporting events, and playing competitive sports. Because ENTJs are so often focused on their careers, they may have few interests outside of work, or they may participate in leisure activities that also help to further their careers.
Molly Owens is the founder and CEO of Truity. She is a graduate of UC Berkeley and holds a master's degree in counseling psychology. She began working with personality assessments in 2006, and in 2012 founded Truity with the goal of making robust, scientifically validated assessments more accessible and user-friendly.
Molly is an ENTP and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she enjoys elaborate cooking projects, murder mysteries, and exploring with her husband and son.
