Disciplining yourself to do what you know is right and important, although difficult, is the highroad to pride, self-esteem, and personal satisfaction.
Margaret Thatcher
Overview of “the Fieldmarshal”
ENTJs are Extroverted, iNtuitive, Thinking, and Judging.
- Extroverted because they are energized by time spent with others and connect most with the outer world.
- Intuitive because they explore a world of creative ideas and search for information about abstract concepts and new theories.
- Thinking because they prioritize objective data and logic when making decisions.
- Judging because they prefer to have things organized and like control in their outer environment.
ENTJs are strategic, proactive leaders. They have an incredible ability to rally forces and leverage resources. Their active, decisive minds give them an assertive and impressive reputation. ENTJs seek to maximize their time and create efficient personal and professional systems. The process of categorizing and outlining various theories energizes and excites them. They are confident, intelligent, perceptive, and purposeful.
ENTJs are visionaries and will work tirelessly to improve systems in the workplace and for the world at large. They can be very creative and their excellent communication skills helps them bolster a dense resume. Their many accomplishments give ENTJs great self-pride and the tools they need to be truly enterprising. If you are looking for an innovative and ethical thought leader — look no further!
Cognitive Functions
In the Myers-Briggs personality system there are eight cognitive functions. Your unique personality is a road map pointing to the four cognitive functions that you access consciously. Every personality will have two extroverted functions and two introverted functions. Every personality will also have one feeling function, one thinking function, one intuitive function, and one sensing function. For more help and practice identifying cognitive functions for the sixteen Myers-Briggs personality types check out this worksheet. All eight functions are as follows:
- Extroverted Intuition
- Introverted Intuition
- Extroverted Sensing
- Introverted Sensing
- Extroverted Feeling
- Introverted Feeling
- Extroverted Thinking
- Introverted Thinking
Te (Extroverted Thinking) – Dominant
An ENTJ’s dominant cognitive function is Extroverted Thinking, abbreviated as Te. Dominant cognitive functions are used approximately 80% of the time by an individual and are hardly noticed by the user. This function will feel like second nature and “drives” an ENTJ.
10 Signs You’re Te-dominant
- You naturally delegate work
- Fairness is very important to you
- You like your outer world to be organized
- You enjoy planning
- Structure is comforting
- You may feel that others around you are incompetent
- You value credentials
- You enjoy reading and gaining knowledge
- You want others to think well of you
- You can be very sensitive in public settings (when made to feel small or embarrassed)
Positives of Being Te-dominant
- Organizing your outer world
- Having high standards and valuing credentials
- Reading and gaining knowledge
- Valuing fairness and justice
Struggles of Being Te-dominant
- Considering others incompetent
- Sensitivity to personal feedback or criticism
- Being subconsciously susceptible to “group think”
- Needing the approval of others (knowingly or unknowingly)
A note to the ENTJs reading…
Ever wonder why you need to verbally share your thoughts/opinions with others? That’s Te. Ever find yourself naturally leading a group and finding others trusting your decisiveness? That’s Te. Ever start organizing your desk space or office area before you can concentrate properly? That’s Te.
Extroverted Thinking is the reason why you like strategy games and excel sheets. It’s the tool that helps you piece apart data, come up with effective plans, schedule your time well, and learn new information quickly. It can be your secret weapon and your Achilles heel if it isn’t properly balanced with the other cognitive functions.
Ni (Introverted Intuition) – Auxiliary
An ENTJ’s secondary function is Introverted Intuition/Ni. If someone is an extrovert, their dominant function will be extroverted and their auxiliary function will always be introverted. Balance is necessary — especially in the brain! Ni helps bring new insights to the information Te is processing.
10 Signs You’re Ni-auxiliary
- You are driven by inspiration
- You love abstract things
- Spend time day-dreaming
- Love hidden meanings and metaphors
- Strategizing is fun
- Always asking “why”
- You have many insights and hunches
- Living in a world of ideas
- May have trouble focusing
- You try to zoom out and see the big picture
Ni takes a backseat to Te. Because Te is the driver, Ni responds to the information after Te has already acted on it. This is why ENTJs might have a sudden theory or realization that comes out of thin air. Te is working through things in “real time” while Ni subconsciously processes information and later presents it to the ENTJ as an opinion.
ENTJs are fairly extroverted types but might feel more drawn to call themselves introverts because of the social stereotype of extroversion. ENTJs are extroverts because they use Te to interact with new ideas through debate, conversation, brain storms, and categorization. Although they are naturally confident with people, they will not necessarily feel energized by parties or spontaneous group activities. They will feel energized by good conversation, watching lectures, or reading new books — but what makes them extroverted is the fact that most of their stimuli comes from the outer world as opposed to the inner world.
Se (Extroverted Sensing) – Tertiary
An ENTJ’s tertiary cognitive function is Extroverted Sensing/Se. This position as third in the “cognitive stack” means that TeNi is running the show the vast majority of the time. Because of this, Se is a bit underdeveloped and usually starts to show up in an ENTJ’s mid-20s. Tertiary functions usually have the maturity level of a ten-year-old child — they can serve as a strength or a weakness depending on how the user responds to it.
Tertiary Se is ENTJs love connecting with the physical world. They are usually quicker than most to notice details in their environment as they spot and feel subtle shifts. This function helps explain why they love movies, walks in nature, and experimenting with activities like skiing or hiking. Se helps them stay engaged with the physical world while interacting with theories around them. For many ENTJs, they strengthen their tertiary function sooner than other types and it shows up almost as developed as an auxiliary function.
Fi (Introverted Feeling) – Inferior
An ENTJ’s inferior cognitive function is Introverted Feeling/Fi. This function is concerned with authenticity, empathy, and subjective experiences. Inferior functions usually develop in midlife. Because of this late-blooming, there will be many times Fi pops up in uncomfortable, weak, and even self-destructive ways.
Healthy Fi-inferior looks like
- Acknowledging emotions
- Affirming emotional reactions in others
- Holding space for differing opinions
- Acknowledging one’s own opinion as subjective
- Engaging in empathy and using personal antidotes to advise others
Unhealthy Fi-inferior looks like
- Rejecting or distrusting emotions
- Disgust with emotional displays
- Insensitive comments directed at friends and family
- Distrusting subjective experiences when used as arguments
- Viewing one’s own opinion as objective and unbiased
Personality City 