ESTJ personality type

By Dr. Edwin van Thiel

Updated on May 20, 2022

An ESTJ at a glance

Being a true sentinel, the ESTJ, or The Director, manages and guards either things or people, in line with a general protecting nature of the associated types ISTJ, ISFJ and ESFJ. An ESTJ is one of life's natural organizers. They are down-to-earth, straightforward and direct. People know exactly where they are with an ESTJ. ESTJs are take charge kind of people. They are results driven, organized, sociable, hold firm opinions and are likely to be traditionalists. Of all the different types of personality, ESTJ are the ones that are most likely to want to be in control.

Am I the ESTJ type?

Are you a taking charge ESTJ?

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ESTJs have a strong motivation to create and preserve a comfortable, secure and organized life. If anybody's going to get it right, they are! They work hard and play hard. They are good company because they are able to balance being both earnest and responsible with being friendly and entertaining. People are likely to rely on an ESTJ to organize activities because they know they will make it happen.

Because they have a strong sense of right and wrong, an ESTJ divides the world between the good guys and the bad guys. Right or wrong. Correct or incorrect. Their life philosophy could be WYGIWYS - What you get is what you see! There are in total 16 types of personalities defined, of which the ESTJ is one. The MBTI test of Myers-Briggs is known as one of the first indicator for these personality types.

ESTJ workstyle and contributions to an organization

Interacting and contributing to an organization, group, or relationship vary between personality types. Listed below are those most commonly associated with personality types like ESTJ:

  • Believes that deeds matter, words do not.
  • Masterfully creates efficient systems.
  • Is the one that get things done.

An ESTJ on a team

Involving in teamwork helps some personality types make the right decision in tackling any problem. While it doesn't work for some in the same approach, they tend to be distracted. One has to note this between individuals in a team to determine the kind of task they are to handle. Considering the ESTJ personality type, the following strengths and possible weaknesses are attributed to them when present in a team:

  • Brings a driving force to the team for planning and accomplishment.
  • Enjoys working on a team.
  • Runs efficient meetings, sticks to the agenda and wants everything accomplished on time and on schedule.

ESTJ leadership style

Leaders are the drivers of their team to success or not, depending on the capability of their personality type. Listed below are ideas on how an ESTJ personality type plays a leading role:

  • Is a born organizer of resources, people and projects.
  • Prefers to concentrate on the work, not the people conducting the work.
  • Is direct and resolute in getting to core issues.

Communications style

Communication is effective when two key elements are present: how well you listen and how well you communicate. To get an accurate interaction, you need an excellent communication. Taking note of how you and others communicate and how you want them to communicate with you is very important in achieving an effective communication for your personality:

  • Speaks with energy and forcefulness.
  • Replies quickly and thinks on his/her feet.
  • Prefers communicating in person, not with written reports.

Problem solving

Problems can be solved swiftly or not depending on individual personality type. Here are the ESTJ personality type ways of solving problems:

  • Wants to know the risks of not acting.
  • Defines problems exactly; wants to know all the data and collects all the facts.
  • Seeks to understand what others are currently doing about a particular issue.

Stress Profile

Stress affects individuals' well-being and physical emotion, leading to great working ability side effects. The Stress profile of each personality type varies according to their resulting difference in strength and blind spots.

Stress triggers
  • A prized principle has been ignored, compromised or transgressed.
  • Accused of being cold, uncaring, or being seen as too harsh with someone.
  • Surprising expressions of strong emotion from someone they care about.
Stress profile characteristics
  • Loses their realistic, pragmatic, and factual Sensing abilities.
  • May be easily fatigued and find it difficult to maintain their logical thinking.
  • Taking effective action becomes hard to do.

Motivators

Motivation varies between personality types and helps unlock a person's real potential. Motivation is usually increased when individuals' surrounding match their preferences and workstyle. Considering the ESTJ personality type, the following are the work preferences and how they would typically like to be managed or related:

  • Seeks opportunities to work with hard-working people who follow through.
  • Seeks opportunities to be responsible, set things right and preserve the organization.
  • Prefers efficient systems that allow everyone to achieve personal goals along with the organization's goals.

ESTJ Learning style

Personality types have different learning styles. It's easy for some to learn through reading while some through audio or other means. Having a clear understanding of how individuals achieve their learning goals makes it easy to structure an on-the-job training or classroom instruction. Here are the learning styles of the ESTJ personality type:

  • Likes learning as long as it is structured and with a purpose.
  • Desires schedules, agendas and time frames to support his/her planning nature.
  • Learns best with hands-on, concrete and visual activities - workbooks, drills and memorization are the most helpful.

Opportunities for Growth

At times in life, opportunities come in our area of least favorite preference. But as we mature, it's a great option to acquire more knowledge in these areas to be balanced, versatile, and ready. Here is the list of some of the evident ESTJ personality type blind spots and areas to pay attention to:

  • Be attentive to developing people skills.
  • Be less blunt and take into account people's needs, desires, feelings and values more frequently.
  • Be more patient with others - not everyone is capable of your driving energy.

ESTJ: Extravert-Sensor-Thinker-Judger

Jung type ESTJ

  • Extraverts are outgoing, energetic and action-oriented. They are enthusiastic and expressive
  • Sensors live in the present. They rely on facts, handle practical matters well and like things to be concrete and measurable.
  • Thinkers make decisions using logic and impersonal analysis. They think with their heads rather than their hearts.
  • Judgers prefer a lifestyle that is decisive, planned and orderly. They like a life that is organized and controlled.

Jung personality types

There are sixteen Jung personality types. Take a free Jung personality test or learn more about the Jung typology.