The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI) is often used to improve overall performance in organizations. This tool can help workers gain self-awareness, improve emotional intelligence, and better understand how they—as well as those around them—operate in the workplace.
Which MBTI Type Makes the Best Leader?
Of the 16 possible personality types identified by the MBTI instrument, no single one is better than any other, although there are studies that suggest some types are better suited for certain jobs than others.
Many of my executive coaching clients tend to be ENTJs (Extraversion, Intuition, Thinking, Judging), a personality type that is quite common among leaders.
ENTJs make good leaders because of their innate ability to direct groups of people, according to Isabel Briggs Myers and Peter B. Myers, authors of “Gifts Differing: Understanding Personality Type.” They tend to be self-driven, motivated, energetic, assertive, confident, and competitive. ENTJs are unusually influential and organized, yet they may judge others by their own tough standards.
Famous ENTJs include Aristotle, Napoleon, Julius Caesar, Margaret Thatcher, Jack Welch, and Bill Gates. ENTJs are also the most rare of the 16 MBTI types representing just 2% to 5% of males and 1% to 3% of females in the U.S.
A study called “Personality Type in Leadership” by the Center of Creative Leadership found that although the extraversion/introversion and sensing/intuition preference pairs were equally represented, preferences for thinking and judging were more predominant in leaders. This does not necessarily mean that feeling and perceiving are not valuable traits in leaders. However, the structure and values of most organizations today tend to favor logical and decisive behaviors.
ENTJs are primarily concerned with making things happen and may not fully appreciate that other people may take a little longer to understand or may not be as forthcoming or direct and assume that silence means agreement.
ENTJ leaders don’t generally understand emotions, preferring to deal with issues as problems or concepts. Therefore, trying to appeal to the ENTJs’ emotional side may not be the best way to resolve issues.
Feeling
There are important differences between the categories of thinking and feeling, and ENTJs would do well to keep these in mind to improve relationships with those who are more aligned with feeling. For example, those who prefer feeling versus thinking tend to be:
- Sympathetic, instead of focused on logic
- More interested in people than things
- More people-oriented, responding more easily to people’s values
- Able to recognize and acknowledge their own as well as others’ emotions and know that this is a strength, not a weakness
ENTJs are more likely to analyze and apply logic with interpersonal issues, which can annoy and puzzle those with a preference for feeling. No matter what the problem, ENTJs need to factor in the human element in decision-making. It’s important to seek opinions from those with other personality types before making a decision. And they should take note of their own needs and feelings.
While all this may slow down the decisiveness of an ENTJ, it will serve them well in the long term.
Perceiving
Although those who prefer judging may view perceiving as aimless, they need to understand that perceiving simply means someone wants more information before making a decision. In addition:
- Judgment occurs out loud, while perceiving happens within
- Perceiving can lead to decision-making, but the focus is on gathering information to keep options open
- Perceiving includes seeing structure as more limiting than enabling
- Perceiving is more tolerant of other people’s differences and supports adapting to whatever the situation requires
ENTJs must develop their perceptive ability and suspend judgment just long enough to give perception a chance. They must continue to use judging on themselves but not on other people. If ENTJs let preferences for thinking and judging dominate every aspect of their lives, their feelings will be too suppressed to be of any use.
If an unexpected explosion of temper shows up, there’s a good possibility that the ENTJ needs to allow space for feeling now and again. This will provide a constructive outlet before reaching the boiling point.
Although ENTJ leaders are quite common, they can increase their effectiveness by recognizing the importance of feeling and perceiving both in themselves and others in the workplace. A preference should be only that, and finding a balance within oneself will help ENTJs leaders grow even stronger. Appreciating the preferences of others for feeling and perceiving will also help them find value in those who possess these gifts.
If you’re interested in learning more about leadership psychology, Saybrook offers an M.A. in Psychology program that specializes in creativity, innovation, and leadership. If you’re interested in becoming a leader yourself, the Saybrook Leadership and Management online Ph.D. in Managing Organizational Systems is a great option.
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