In this article, we’ll get to know more about the ESTJ personality type. We’ll take you through the fundamentals of the personality, the distinction between its two subtypes – the ESTJ-A and the ESTJ-T, the career paths, and popular interests among these people.
What Does ESTJ Stand For?
ESTJ means and stands for extraverted, sensing, thinking, and judging. This personality type takes the persona of the Director or the Executive. About 8-12% of the US population are known to be ESTJs, which makes it one of the more common personality types.
The ESTJ is known for his confidence, decisiveness, and pragmatism in dealing with situations.
The Executive, as it’s aptly called, is a reliable and tough figure who often finds himself in authority or in fields that demand much structure and discipline.
ESTJ Personality Traits and Characteristics
ESTJ personality traits: the value of order, structure, and organization. Their strengths lie in efficiency, productivity, and organizing systems.
They have a high regard for the existing social order and clearly defined roles and responsibilities. Because of their preference for stability and familiarity, people can rely on them to uphold traditions and enforce rules.
ESTJs display strong convictions and decisiveness – traits that lead them to assume leadership positions. They can easily take charge in situations. And they are known to set goals and organize resources effectively. When in a leadership capacity, the ESTJ’s personality also allows them to help others to meet or even exceed expectations.
They are methodical thinkers who approach problems through a realistic and logical lens. They rely on conventional, factual proof to make informed decisions. And once they form an opinion, they are assertive about it and don’t shy away from sharing them.
In general, ESTJs are known to be predictable, goal-oriented, systematic, and pragmatic. They can often be found in civic duties, government branches, and community organizations.
Cognitive Functions of The Executive Personality Type
Dominant: Extraverted Thinking
The most prominent asset of ESTJs is that they are analytical and practical thinkers. They enjoy hard, concrete information instead of abstract concepts.
They always seek objectivity in decision-making, and can easily prioritize facts and logic over subjective feelings. Because of their pragmatic perspective of the world, they appreciate things that have real-world applications and high tangible utility.
Auxiliary: Introverted Sensing
ESTJs are good at recollecting past experiences. They have a sharp sense of memory, and remembering the details of past events allows them to effectively form connections with present events.
However, because the sensing function is directed inward, they would much rather stick to what’s tried and tested rather than seek novelty.
Their affinity for routines and habits allows for stability and predictability, but it may sometimes give them an air of stubbornness and rigidity.
Tertiary: Extraverted Intuition
This personality type refers to a person’s urge to explore novelty and feed their creativity. This is not a strong suit for the ESTJ, but they may learn to delve into new information and meanings as they connect pieces of information.
As they attempt to spot patterns in their environment, they become more open-minded in processing new information.
Inferior: Introverted Feeling
The least used function of the ESTJ is the consideration of feelings in decision-making. This is manifested when the ESTJ finds the urge to rely on his “gut feelings” in certain situations. In this case, the ESTJ bases its choice on strong internal valuations instead of pure logic. Generally, ESTJs process their feelings largely on an unconscious basis.
ESTJ’s Strengths and Weaknesses
The Executive Personality Strengths and Positive Features
Practical
ESTJs prefer a more realistic approach to problems. They turn to data, facts, and sound logic to make informed decisions. Making impartial and rational decisions comes easily to them. Moreover, the value concepts that have immediate, real-world applications rather than vague, abstract ones.
Dependable
ESTJs are fast and decisive, which makes them reliable and action-oriented. They also usually have strong habits and routines that help them get things done. They are naturally hardworking and rarely complain about the task at hand.
Self-confident
ESTJs have a strong belief in their competencies and their principles. Because of their tough-mindedness and strong convictions, they exude a great deal of confidence even in tough or unique situations.
Strong leadership skills
Because of their fortitude and sensibility, ESTJs make great leaders who exhibit level-headedness and stability. They are able to provide solid direction despite adversity.
ESTJ’s Weaknesses and Where They Struggle the Most
Insensitive
Because of their strong opinions, ESTJs are sometimes less inclined to listen to others. They have a bossy tendency and can appear to be too aggressive and critical of those who may not be able to meet their expectations.
Inflexible
ESTJs prefer familiarity over novelty. They tend to stick to rules and routines because it gives them a sense of stability and predictability. But such an attitude may sometimes make them seem stubborn and rigid to others.
Not good at expressing feelings
ESTJs don’t do well at communicating their feelings, which could be a source of frustration for their partner.
Argumentative
ESTJs stick to their convictions. When push comes to shove they can stand their ground and aren’t afraid of conflict. They don’t shy away from sharing their thoughts, and this sometimes inevitably leads to confrontation or harsh criticism.
Jobs and Career Paths of ESTJs
ESTJs thrive in roles where order, structure, and procedure are fundamental to the continuity & success of the organization. In a corporate setting, these are usually supervisory or management roles where they can use their strict and assertive nature to maintain rules and procedures.
They would also perform well in law enforcement roles, and in specific disciplines such as manufacturing and applied technology.
10 Best Jobs & Careers for ESTJs
The following list of jobs indicates the most recommended ten work occupations for ESTJs.
- Police officer
- Military
- Judge
- Politician
- Teacher
- School administrator
- Business manager
- Accountant
- Banker
ESTJ Interactions and Behaviors
Friendships
As extroverts, ESTJs are social butterflies who enjoy activities with friends. What they value most in friendship is dependability and the ability to stick to one’s commitments.
Parenting
ESTJs raise their children to be responsible and goal-directed like they are. ESTJ parents instill in their children the value of routines and habits. It is important for their children to feel secure and guided.
Relationships
The ESTJ in a relationship doesn’t take commitment lightly, so they often make loyal partners. They aren’t skilled at expressing their feelings, which makes it quite difficult for the other side. But rest assured, their behavior will reflect their beliefs and emotions.
They display the same level of commitment for family and would take pains to fulfill their familial obligations.
Workplace
You can count on ESTJs to be hardworking, disciplined, and dependable. They focus on delivering work on time and in full, and they seldom complain. They’re good at following instructions. And they ensure that they show respect towards their higher-ups.
Interesting Facts About Myers Brigs’ ESTJs
- Inclined to demonstrate Type A behavior
- Scored highest in coping resources alongside ENFPs
- 3rd highest in marital satisfaction among all types
- Lowest suicidal tendency in college among all types
- Among the top four personalities in college GPA rankings
- High probability of staying in college
- Displays healthy satisfaction with work
- Top personal values include: health, financial security, achievement, and prestige
- Can be usually found among bank officers, financial managers, and business owners
- Popular hobbies & interests include being handy at home, gardening, volunteering, community service, and playing and watching sports
ESTJ Personality FAQ
What are the weaknesses of ESTJ?
Being too focused on their work is indeed the greatest weakness of ESTJs. People with this personality are often described as workaholics. They never leave work early and always try to fulfill all the responsibilities they have as soon as possible.
This can be considered a weakness because being too focused on professional life disrupts their ability to have a fulfilling social life. Besides, ESTJs are very judgemental and stubborn people. They just hate it when others don’t agree with them and consequently, they appear narrow-minded.
How common are ESTJ personalities?
ESTJs are very common among the general population. In fact, they make up approximately 9% of the general population, which makes them the most common personality type after ISFJ, ESFJ, ISTJ, and ISFP.
Among them, about 11.2% tend to be men, while only 6.3% of ESTJs are females. This means that it’s very likely that many of your acquaintances have this personality type.
Is ESTJ personality good?
No MBTI personality type can be regarded as completely good or bad, but we can say that ESTJs have plenty of strengths and positive sides. In particular, ESTJs are very good at organizing and planning things.
They are excellent team players and often thrive as leaders too. Besides, ESTJs are very sociable people who enjoy being in the company of friends. As romantic partners, ESTJs are reliable, stable people who tend to be rational instead of expressing too many emotions.
Final Word
All in all, ESTJs are passionate individuals who are steadfast in their goals, principles, and relationships. They take pride in their work ethic which allows them to deliver on their plans. People look up to them for how they emanate a sense of stability and familiarity when things are up in the air.
They are also trusted to make sound, logical decisions – a person who can remain impartial when objectivity is of the essence.
In the same way that Henry Ford revolutionized the automobile industry with his ambition and systematic thinking, the ESTJ personalities of today have much potential to lead in their own organizations and disciplines.
