ESTJ: Extravert-Sensor-Thinker-Judger
- 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.
An ESTJ at a glance
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, ESTJs are the ones that are most likely to want to be in control.
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 ESTJs to organize activities because they know they will make it happen.
Because they have a strong sense of right and wrong, ESTJs divide 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!
Their probable contributions to an organization
Each personality type has a different set of skills, talents and attributes that they bring to an organization, group or relationship. Here is a list of 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.
On a team
Some people work well on teams, others work best on their own. Understanding the personality types of team members provides information about how individuals are likely to carry out their work and interact with each other. Given the personality preferences of an ESTJ, the following are the strengths (and possible weaknesses!) they will most likely bring to 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
Each personality type has its own leadership style, strengths and blind spots. The following highlights an ESTJ approach to leadership, provides clues as to how an ESTJ will act in a leader role, and pinpoints some of the leadership qualities.
- 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
Effective communication is composed of two elements: how well you listen, and how you express yourself. Good communication skills are at the heart of success. Being aware of how we communicate, how others communicate and how we prefer others to communicate with us, is a significant step in achieving this objective. Your personality style has its own communication strategies that are more effective for you than other’s communication styles.
- Speaks with energy and forcefulness.
- Replies quickly and thinks on his/her feet.
- Prefers communicating in person, not with written reports.
Problem solving
Different people solve problems in different ways. Based on the ESTJ personality type, ESTJ’s will probably use the following methods and skills in problem solving:
- 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 plays a significant factor in our abilities to be effective at work and have healthy sustainable relationships. The greater the stress, the harder it becomes to maintain quality work and quality relationships. Each personality type has strengths and blind spots. Under stress, blind spots emerge and people rely on their least favourite functions to operate.
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
People are usually most effective when their environment matches their preferences and work style. When a good match is not present, it will be more difficult to achieve results. Below are some of the ESTJ’s work preferences and key characteristics that ESTJ’s look for in work, or try to avoid. These key characteristics also indicate how an ESTJ would typically like to be managed or related to.
- 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
For many years it has been known that different personality types have different ways of learning. Knowing how a person learns is a big advantage for structuring on-the-job training or classroom instruction. The ESTJ learning style is as follows:
- 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
As we grow and mature, it is important to pull back from our favourite ways of doing things and build skills in the areas of our least favourite preferences. We thereby become a more balanced and versatile individual. The following suggestions address some of the ESTJ more obvious blind spots and are 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.
