If you know anything about the ESTJ, you’ll know they’re seen as supervisors or executives. While this is a widely known fact about the ESTJ, you can sometimes be hard-pressed to figure out just what their personalities are like.
The ESTJ is principled, responsible, and inclined to lead due to their extraversion. This means that they are the total opposite of shy. Their strong personality and diligence make them seem unlikeable to some; however, they make great police officers, lawyers, and judges.
If you’re itching to know about the social habits and mechanisms behind this personality, look no further than this comprehensive guide!
How Do ESTJs Act?
ESTJs are categorized by the Myers-Briggs Test Indicator (MBTI) as having the traits of Extraversion, Sensing, Thinking, and Judging. This means that the ESTJ’s key trait regarding levels of interaction and energy source is Extraversion, meaning that they are best suited to environments with people.
Goal-oriented and committed, the ESTJ will not shirk their responsibilities and work. They tend to be rigid traditionalists who seek to create and maintain order and hierarchy. They are also pragmatic, realistic, and objective and often occupy positions that oversee others.
They are also brilliant at taking the lead role and directing the actions of other people, which is an ability that requires being around other people for long periods. This would be detested by MBTI archetypes with the trait of Introversion as they recharge by being on their own.
Therefore, especially regarding social relationships in the workplace or amongst friends, it is very unlikely that the ESTJ personality will shy away from being with others or meeting new people. They find their sense of purpose in leadership and engaging in social situations.
The Workplace And The ESTJ
The ESTJ is perhaps one of the most principled and rule-abiding personalities, so it is no surprise that they are often excellent bosses. Their commitment to their goals and order can sometimes seem almost overwhelming to others, to the extent that they can often miss details others brought up.
They are dedicated to planning and organizing their environments to the extent that they categorize others and assign positions to them, even if unwarranted and occasionally annoying. This makes them seem rigid, controlling, and overreaching at times.
However, they are also incredibly hardworking themselves without complaint or resistance. They rarely procrastinate or avoid what they feel needs to be done. They are a reliable source of work, especially when it comes to upholding traditions and adhering to authority.
Since they are bound by logical and objective thinking and tend to think they are always right, they often overlook or ignore the emotions and input of others. In the workplace, this can quickly make them the dreaded colleague or boss that others find can be too difficult to engage with in a measured manner.
Are ESTJs Naturally Quiet?
The essence of the ESTJ boils down to the governance and guidance of others, so to typecast them as quiet or reserved is an incredible misjudgment of this personality. This is because leadership usually requires one to be extraverted, which the ESTJ is, and then some.
ESTJs, despite their behavior in their workplace, actually tend to be gregarious, attention-seeking, and the life of the party when it comes to situations where the goal is to relax and have fun. They will rarely if ever, pass up the opportunity to attend parties, reunions, gatherings, and other social events.
Their self-confident and assured personality often makes the ESTJ well-loved and accommodated amongst friend circles. They also often tend to engage in sports that require a team effort, specifically for the opportunity to lead and sustain order.
Why You Might Not Get Along With ESTJs
The ESTJ is a pragmatic and objective personality who makes inferences from these areas of information. This low emotional intelligence often means that they ignore or unintentionally overlook the feelings of others which causes them to be seen as insensitive, cold, or unreachable.
They are also quite stubborn when changing things as they construct strategies to achieve specific goals they have in mind. This is also because of their traditionalistic mindset that never errs from how things were done in the past, especially concerning the positive results it yielded.
Extroverted and very high energy, the ESTJ is also sometimes disliked by introverted personalities with lower energy levels. The ESTJ almost commands attention and interaction with people, so this trait can make the more introverted MBTI avoid them.
If you’re laidback when it comes to work, this is another way you could encounter conflict with the ESTJ. They hate disruptions to productivity, efficiency, and order effectiveness, so it’s best to keep this in mind if anyone you know is an ESTJ personality.
What Careers Are Best Suited For The ESTJ?
Structure, organization, and authority are deeply entrenched in the ESTJ’s personality; therefore, you can expect them to be happy in working environments that embody these principles. They also love to work systematically on things that concern and produce physical effects or outcomes.
They also require stability, established roles, and boundaries in their working environments. Therefore they would not fair well in something involving freelance work, traveling, or self-employment.
Due to this, the ESTJ is perfect for careers such as being a judge, accountant, systems analyst, police officer, technician, paralegal, auditor, real estate agent, dentist, pharmacist, teacher, or principal.
Fascinating Facts About ESTJs
The ESTJ personality is one of the most common, as it is present in 9% of the general population. They occur in men more commonly, at 11%, whereas women are represented at nearly half the rate as men at 6%.
ESTJs are more likely to exhibit Type A personality traits than other MBTI personality types. These rigid and conservative traits are further evident when you take a look at their personality traits most frequently measured in tests which include being practical and prejudiced.
The values the ESTJ appreciates and chooses to maintain according to personality tests include financial security, personal health, and reputation. This is much in line with their self-assured and secure nature.
Conclusion
Once you’ve engaged with and read up on the traits of the ESTJ, you’ll find that they can be quite likable and personable at times. Just because they like to stick to the rules and maintain order doesn’t mean they can’t have fun!
