ENFJ Personality profile: The Coach

The ENFJ personality type is the action-oriented, people-centred character looking for and making connections between people.

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The ENFJ personality type is the people organiser, warm, harmonious and an enthusiastic champion of people who just wants to ‘do good.’ They make sure the needs of the people are paramount and taken care of, then they will want to plan and get on with it. They can generally be found at the emotional heart of a group or body and will be the one making sure things get done. Like the ENTJ, they excel at getting on and doing but with a much more people, as well as task focus, but with no less energy, commitment or vigour. Articulate and confident the ENFJ will be persuasive and tenacious; the one voted the leader or committee chairperson. They will look for and make connections between people, be excellent glue for the team, everyone knows they can depend on the ENFJ. An ENFJ will use their considerable energies and enthusiasm to make things happen and these characteristics are infectious and can be excellent at creating a feeling of 'team' and keeping morale high.

The ENFJ personality type has high drive, bundles of energy and a commitment to ‘the cause,’ (whatever that cause is) which borders on the evangelical. Their energy levels increase the more people they have to meet and the more activities they have to arrange. Consummate planners and organisers, they can juggle masses of activities and tasks at any one time, rarely dropping the ball and making sure each activity is given the right amount of attention and loving care. This desire to ‘get it done’ can at times mean that the ENFJ becomes inflexible and a ‘controlling parent’ in their desire to ‘finish what we’ve started.’ Under such pressure they can lose their sense of balance and perspective but will ultimately bounce back because that is just what the ENFJ is built for.

As ‘Thinking’ is their weaker function, the ENFJ may suffer at times from being overly subjective and lacking a cooler, slightly more dispassionate eye on people and situations. This also means the ENFJ may bite off more that they can chew as their first priority is to say ‘yes’ and take the pain away for others. During such times the ENFJ may feel weighed down by the amount of work to which they have committed and so may see themselves as ‘victim,’ feeling overwhelmed and underappreciated. They want to please and make sure things run like clockwork and when others let them down the ENFJ can be very disappointed. This desire to ‘do good’ can also mean that the ENFJ sees pleasing others as far more important than pleasing themselves and so they may run the risk of trading off honesty for harmony, keeping the peace rather than telling it like it is. At times they may also rely too much on their intuitive understanding of individuals, thus failing to make logical, empirical decisions based on objective facts and evidence, and the ENFJ may see good where none exists. Their 'N' perspective also means that the ENFJ may fail to see the smaller 'facts,' focusing instead on 'global harmony.' This would see the ENFJ move too quickly and make decisions based on a scant amount of facts. Their sensitivity can also work two ways. Sure, the ENFJ will be sensitive to the needs of others but this sensitivity can mean the ENFJ is overly reactive to perceived criticism of them. In these instances, the ENFJ may become self-indulgent and feel that their good intentions are being undervalued; but only until they are needed again.

At work with ENFJ

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Communication and collaboration

ENFJs know and appreciate people; they really tune in and ‘get’ other people. Like other ‘F’s they may forget their own needs as they’re so keen to take care of those around them, often taking on far more emotional baggage than they should. They are so keen to take care of people that they may also get taken for granted and feel underappreciated as their focus is always on other people. ENFJs really work hard at relationships and want those around them to be happy.

Whilst an ENFJ will encourage trust and openness they may not be so open about how they are feeling, indeed they might not even think about that so focused are they on caring for, and organising others. They have the dual powers of being insightful and caring with being extremely organised and so they’’ be attuned to what’s happening between people and pick up on the cues and work tirelessly to help solve people issues. Superb networkers, ENFJs will be likeable and popular among their friends and colleagues. ENFJs have incredible discipline and willpower and they’ll love a plan, whether for themselves or for those they’re trying to care for.

ENFJs bring a sense of optimism which is really helpful but it can, at times, mean they try just too hard and flog a dead horse, believing that every people problem has a solution and they work long and hard, thinking ‘if at first you don’t succeed…’ when in fact it’s not going to work. Sometimes, just sometimes, you have to give up and say you did your best, but an ENFJ would struggle with that, even at times becoming a little bossy in their heartfelt desire to make everyone happy. In that sense they’ll find it difficult to say no and would see every lost soul as a personal failure.

ENFJs are consummate harmonisers; they dislike conflict and are extremely adept at smoothing everything over. They make great mediators as they’re so genuine and trustworthy and people will appreciate them. However, this may mean at times they over-harmonise when in fact some friction is OK or even necessary. ENFJs almost see all conflict as bad that must be smoothed over with everyone happy, and life is not really like that all the time, but in the ENFJ world it has to be worked at.

Contribution at work

ENFJS will bring structure and impetus whilst at the same making sure the needs of all the people are taken care of. Often the first to the flipchart they capture ideas giving everyone the chance to contribute. The ENFJ will assume the leadership role simply because they want to drive for closure and ensure that people are happy. They need to satiate their need for action and their passion for people.

ENFJs need clarity, real meaning, a worthwhile output and closure. The ENFJ personality type loves a plan, a clear picture of where they are going, and they will work diligently towards the goal. Indeed, the ENFJ will feel less comfortable with too many options open, as they need closure. ENFJs focus on the organisational and people aspects and so are not primarily creative preferring to work on making sure that what has been agreed is properly planned and that people are happy.

In a work setting, the ENFJ personality type will be the harmonious team builder, good at maintaining group morale, accentuating the positive and encouraging contributions from all team members making the team more open and participative. The ENFJ combines the action orientation and desire to get things moving of the ENTJ with the people orientation associated with ‘F’s. The ENFJ may not be the most creative or the one who has the best ideas but will be the one who drives for closure and bring the people along too.

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