MBTI
E N F J
Insightful Contributor: Communicate & Cooperate
"Two heads are better than one"
Strengths
You are an Extrovert with Feeling as your strongest dominant function and Intuition as your second strongest "helping" function. This means that your greatest strength is your ability to make decisions that are based on their impact on those around you. You are decisive, collaborative, and considerate. You acknowledge and appreciate others. You evaluate ideas according to your personal values and bring strong ideals of how organizations should treat people. You are able to lead and act as a great facilitator of communication between people.
Your second greatest strength (helping function) is your ability to take in information by focusing on the future possibilities for people. You seek new ideas and possibilities for an organization while enthusiastically steering the organization to make things better for people. You are skilled at identifying opportunities that develop human potential and improve people's situations.
Careers and ideal work environment
ENFJs are likely to do well in occupations that allow them to help others with their emotional, spiritual, or intellectual growth. Those include, but are not limited to, Teaching; Counseling; Writing self-help books or articles; Special Education; Environmental Science; Social Work; Human Resource Development; Acting; Directing; Religion; and Art.
ENFJs enjoy working with people who are focused on the betterment of others. They can be good team-members as long as the tasks are clearly defined and everyone on the team works toward bringing about change that makes things better for people.
As an ENFJ your ideal work environment is one containing empathetic people focused on improving things for others. You like to work in a sociable environment that is structured and goal oriented. You also like to work in an environment that is harmonious and encourages self-expression. You like to work in an environment that is people-oriented and rewards support and appreciation.
General areas for development
As an Extrovert, you may overextend and try to do too much. If so, you are strongly encouraged to balance your idealism with practicality and create realistic expectations of yourself and others.
Your blind spots include your Sensing and your Thinking; those are referred to as your tertiary and inferior functions, respectively. In taking in the information around you, you may be so focused on the people involved that you may neglect practical realities. If so, you are strongly encouraged to pay as much attention to important details as you do to the people involved. Because you base your decisions on people and values, as opposed to logical analysis, you are likely to ignore common sense in your decision-making. You are likely to idealize people to the extent that you may suffer from blind loyalty. If so, you are strongly encouraged to factor in facts and logic in your decision-making; you may need to recognize the limitations of people and guard against unquestioning loyalty.
Being a J, you are likely to set goals and strive to achieve them. However, your desire to help others while simultaneously achieving goals may lead you to become overwhelmed and overcommitted. If so, you are strongly encouraged to compromise when looking for effective ways to complete tasks; you are encouraged to balance the needs of people with business deadlines. It is not always possible to solve all interpersonal conflicts in the workplace; you may need to leave some issues alone and to choose what issues to work on.
Being aware of your blind spots is vital. It sheds light on the areas that you need to develop. For example, it is important that you remind yourself to take practical details into consideration. It is also important that you try to balance the demands of a task with relationship issues. It is important that you include more flexibility in your work environment. Finally, it is important that you balance your desire for harmony with a logical analysis of the situation.
Knowing your own, and other people's, type is very helpful. It allows you to appreciate differences instead of being frustrated by them. In knowing what your strengths are, you are able to capitalize on them. In knowing what your blind spots are, you can take steps to compensate for them. One way you can take steps to compensate for your blind spots is to seek the assistance of someone who does not share your type.
Extroverts tend to act first and think later. This is an advantage in cases that need an immediate response. However, it can also be a disadvantage in cases that require some time to think before acting. As a rule, in order to avoid taking hasty action, you are encouraged to take two steps back before responding or making a decision. If you find yourself unable to do so, you are encouraged to seek the assistance of an Introvert who will surely give you invaluable input. Make sure, however, that you allow the Introvert the time he or she needs to reflect.
Intuitive people are more comfortable dealing with matters that require creativity and imagination. They are very much about "what can be" as opposed to "what is". They are instinctively aware of the large picture and the long-term ramifications of a situation. This is an advantage in cases that require a creative response that meets the long-term vision of a situation. However, it can be a disadvantage in cases that require a more practical response that is appropriate to the day-to-day realities of a situation. As a rule, you are encouraged to consciously include practical details in your view of things and to push yourself to be more realistic. If you find yourself unable to do so, you are encouraged to seek the assistance of a Sensing person who will surely provide you with the "reality check" and practical input that you need.
Feeling people are more comfortable making decisions based on their impact on those around them. They love to come up with solutions that foster harmony and advance personal values. They will see and emphasize the positive. This is an advantage in cases that require a personal response that is mutually acceptable to others. It can, however, be a disadvantage in cases that require a more logical response. As a rule, you are encouraged to push yourself to take more logical, and less personal, matters into consideration when making your decisions. If you find yourself unable to do so, you are encouraged to seek the assistance of a Thinking person who will surely provide you with the logical input that you need.
Judging people are more comfortable making plans and taking immediate action. They love to put closure to matters before moving on to the next thing. They lead a structured life, setting goals and working to achieve them. This is an advantage in cases that require setting objectives, making plans and methodically implementing them. It can, however, be a disadvantage in cases that require a more flexible response. In those cases, what is needed is to deal with matters are they arise. As a rule, you are encouraged to include more flexibility in your life. This will help you to feel less overwhelmed when things do not go according to plan. If you find yourself unable to do so, you are encouraged to seek the assistance of a Perceiving person who will surely provide you with the calmer, more adaptive view that you need.
Communication strengths and areas for development
When you express yourself, you are warm, enthusiastic, compassionate, and encouraging. You are friendly and are able to easily connect with others. You treat everyone as a unique individual. You like to hear about people's personal values and ideas. You are able to combine vision, strategic planning, task orientation, and a focus on others' needs. You are highly empathetic and give others positive feedback. You are sensitive to group dynamics and are able to highlight and integrate others' ideas and input. You are able to discuss abstract theories and concepts and expect others to contribute. You like to hear communication that includes general guidelines and leaves room for personal judgement and decisions. You like to hear communication that is cooperative and collaborative with a focus on consensus building. You like to hear communication that advocates for employee development and growth. You do not like to hear communication that is more focused on results than on people. You do not like to hear communication that is focused only on short-term or immediate results. You do not like to hear communication that is cold, indifferent, or impersonal.
In your focus on people, you are likely to use language that is too passionate and emotional. If so, you are strongly encouraged to use language that is calm, logical, and practical. You may also avoid critiquing others, even when critique is needed; make a conscious effort to give corrective feedback. Also try not to take constructive feedback that is directed at you personally. In your focus on future possibilities, you are likely to express yourself in a vague manner. If so, you are strongly encouraged to include more detail and concrete examples in your communication. Make a conscious effort to present information in a sequential order while showing pros and cons. As a rule, you are encouraged use more practical and logical language in promoting your ideas; you are encouraged to include more logic and less passion in your communication.
