Leading ENTJs: Change Leadership Series

See where ENTJs’ change strengths – and blind spots – lie, and learn what the best change leadership approach is for these ambitious personalities.

Aug 15, 2024

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A female ENTJ professional stands in front of a strategic planning board. She wears a purple outfit and is holding a pointer, gesturing towards various diagrams and symbols on the board. Three grayscale colleagues watch attentively, two sitting men and one standing woman. Behind them, the letters "ENTJ" are prominently displayed on a sign. — Image from 16personalities.com

How to spot ENTJs (Commanders):

ENTJs (Commanders) share the Extraverted, Intuitive, Thinking, and Judging personality traits.
They embrace the novelty of change, voicing strong opinions, challenging the status quo, and pushing for ambitious goals. You’ll notice ENTJs taking initiative in meetings and proposing innovative strategies. Even without a formal leadership title, they’ll likely step up, take control, and lead the change – or the resistance to it.

On the job, ENTJs are likely to work hard to meet their own high standards. (At times, they might even prioritize their goals over yours as the team leader.) 👇

A purple character icon with a speech bubble sits above the text: “Insight of the Day. ENTJs (Commanders) are the most likely personality type to say they meet their own expectations.” — Image from 16personalities.com

ENTJs are driven by a desire for excellence and achievement, and meeting their own expectations is a point of pride and a core part of their identity. How does this apply to change leadership? Well, ENTJs can be highly productive and reliable team members, but they may also feel frustrated when organizational changes don’t align with their personal standards or expectations.

Here are three leadership strategies you can apply when guiding ENTJs through change:

Clearly communicate the why behind changes: ENTJs respect logic and will adapt more readily if they understand the reasoning.
Involve ENTJs in the change process: Give them opportunities to contribute ideas and shape how they’re implemented.
Recognize their achievements and high standards: Acknowledge when their work exceeds expectations to reinforce their self-perception as high performers.

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Now let’s take this deeper. For bold, imaginative, and strong-willed ENTJs, change can be a welcome problem. But even though they’re prepared to dive headfirst into workplace transitions to prove themselves, ENTJs still face unique challenges during times of change. Let’s look at where their strengths – and blind spots – lie and see what the best leadership approach is for these ambitious personalities.

Next, we’ll cover:

The special strength that ENTJs bring to navigating workplace change
The greatest hurdle that ENTJs encounter during periods of uncertainty
A key leadership strategy for supporting ENTJs through transitions

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