How to Help Diplomat Personalities Think Critically

Human-Centered Tips to Help INFJs, INFPs, ENFJs, and ENFPs Strengthen Their Thinking

Image from 16personalities.com

TLDR:

• Diplomat personalities (INFJ, INFP, ENFJ, ENFP) excel at understanding people and values but can struggle with objective analysis

• Their deep empathy and idealism can create blind spots when hard data contradicts their values-based instincts

• These team members benefit from guidance to incorporate objective analysis alongside their natural empathy

• Each Diplomat personality type has different thinking patterns that call for tailored approaches to help them expand

• Simple approaches can help them balance heart and head without compromising their authentic selves

---

Diplomat personalities (INFJ, INFP, ENFJ, and ENFP) tend to think with their heart rather than their head. They’re quite cooperative and imaginative, and will often play the role of harmonizers in the workplace.

But their deep empathy and values-driven thinking can sometimes work against them. They might avoid difficult but necessary decisions or ignore warning signs that contradict their optimistic view of people or situations.

Today, we’ll cover:

• How to spot Diplomat team members

• Why their people-focused strengths can create thinking blind spots

• How to help them balance empathy with objective analysis

• A specific leadership tip for each Diplomat personality type

How to Spot Diplomat Team Members

Your team member might be a Diplomat if they:

• Make decisions based on values and how choices affect people

• Focus on harmony and building consensus in teams

• Get energized by meaningful work that helps others

• Avoid conflict or difficult conversations when possible

• Always consider the human impact of business decisions

• Care deeply about authenticity and staying true to their principles

For more tips on how to recognize and work effectively with all Diplomat personalities, check out our past Identifying Personalities at Work series.

How the Diplomat Role Shapes Thinking Styles

Diplomats share the Intuitive and Feeling personality traits.

The Intuitive trait means they tend to imagine the past and future potential of what they see in the world around them. They spot potential in people and situations that others may miss.

The Feeling trait makes them values-driven. They trust their heart when making choices and they want decisions that align with their principles and help their colleagues succeed.

Together, these traits make Diplomats excellent at understanding human dynamics. They build trust (relatively) easily with colleagues. They spot team morale issues before others do. They bring authentic care to their work relationships.

But Diplomats’ empathy can make them ignore warning signs about projects or people when the data conflicts with what they want to believe. Their idealism might cause them to underestimate risks or dismiss practical constraints when proposing solutions. Or they may hesitate to share concerns that could hurt someone’s feelings, even when speaking up would prevent bigger problems. (Think about a Diplomat team member who doesn’t flag a colleague’s declining performance because they “see potential” in that person.)

Type-Specific Approaches to Building Critical Thinking

While all Diplomats share the Intuitive and Feeling personality traits, how these traits combine with others creates different thinking patterns for each type.

Here’s one leadership tip for each Diplomat personality type to help them audit their default thinking patterns: