Leading Resilient INFJ (Advocate) Personalities
Watch as Darcy the INFJ becomes more resilient at work when her leader makes small but powerful changes in their interactions.
How to spot INFJs (Advocates):
INFJs (Advocates) share the Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, and Judging personality traits.
They often display a quiet determination when facing setbacks. You might notice them withdrawing briefly to process their emotions, then returning with renewed focus and innovative solutions. Their ability to see the big picture helps them bounce back, but they may struggle with perfectionism, taking small failures harder than necessary.
Short on time? Scroll to the bottom for a 2-minute TL;DR summary of today’s article.
At this point, you’ve gotten to know nearly every version of Darcy we have to offer. You saw Darcy the Diplomat hit her breaking point when her boss brushed off her proposal to improve team culture. Then, you dove into how things could play out better for Darcy as an ENFJ (Protagonist), an INFP (Mediator), and an ENFP (Campaigner).
However, there’s still one version of Darcy you haven’t met yet: Darcy the INFJ (Advocate).
What can we do to make sure this INFJ version of Darcy thrives at work, especially when she’s up against situations that challenge her resilience? Let’s rewind and take a closer look!
As a reminder, three main factors contributed to Darcy’s lack of resilience at work:
Feeling that her focus on culture was seen as a distraction
Struggling with mismatched personal values and company priorities
Losing motivation when her emotional connection to work was damaged
Let’s see what a positive experience in these areas might look like for Darcy the INFJ. You’ll come away ready to help the INFJs on your team tackle unwelcome challenges head-on.
Story Time: Helping Darcy the INFJ Develop Resilience
Let’s set the scene:
Darcy the INFJ just presented her proposal for transforming company culture at her workplace. How will her boss respond?
*roll film*
“My boss values my focus on culture.”
After presenting my proposal, I was surprised when my boss didn’t immediately focus on KPIs or dismiss the idea. Instead, he asked, “Darcy, I’d like to understand more about how you arrived at these insights. What patterns or underlying issues did you observe?”
Encouraged by his interest, I explained the subtle tensions in team dynamics and the potential long-term consequences I’d noticed. My boss listened, then said, “I appreciate your ability to see these deeper patterns, Darcy. We can’t act on these ideas immediately due to current priorities, but your insights are valuable. Let’s touch base monthly to discuss your observations about our company culture.”
This simple change in communication – showing interest in my thought process and acknowledging the value of my perspective – boosted my motivation and sense of belonging. It helped me see that my INFJ traits, particularly my ability to perceive underlying patterns and potential future impacts, were indeed valuable to the company, even if they couldn’t always be the top priority. I felt more connected to my role, more understood, and ready to offer up my ideas in the future, knowing my perspective was appreciated.
“My values can align with company priorities.”
A few weeks later, I was in a routine team meeting focused on quarterly KPIs, and I was struggling with the disconnect between these metrics and my values. Near the end, my boss made an unexpected addition: “Before we wrap up, let’s consider how these KPIs might impact our team dynamics. Please jot down your thoughts, and then we’ll have a brief discussion.”
As people started sharing their perspectives, I felt comfortable enough to voice my concerns about the potential strain on team relationships and long-term morale.
To my surprise, my boss nodded appreciatively. “These are important considerations. Let’s make sure we keep these human elements in mind as we pursue our targets.”
My boss’s efforts to create a space to discuss the human impact of our business goals really resonated with me. It showed that my people-focused perspective wasn’t separate from our business goals but an integral part of achieving them sustainably.
Suddenly, I felt more confident about speaking up more, knowing that my opinions were welcomed. As a result, I felt better equipped to handle the challenges of a metric-driven environment while staying true to my INFJ nature.
Finally, my boss wrapped up the discussion with an invitation to discuss this further in our next one-on-ones, if desired. I really appreciated him making the time for us like that, and I believed he really would hear what I had to say.
“My passion for work is growing.”
Although our new practice of discussing cultural impacts in team meetings helped, I still occasionally struggled to see the broader impact of my individual contributions. My boss addressed this during our next one-on-one: “Darcy, I wanted to highlight how your input during last week’s KPI discussion positively affected the team. Your concern about team relationships led us to adjust our approach, improving collaboration. That kind of thoughtful perspective is just what we needed.”
I couldn’t stop the smile that came to my face when I heard that positive feedback about my work! Seeing how my tendency to consider the human element was actually contributing to my team’s success felt uplifting and motivating.
I started to notice that my boss was making it a habit to provide this type of feedback to me regularly, always with specific examples of how my people-focused insights made a difference. This helped me see the tangible results of my efforts, even amidst metrics and deadlines. It rekindled my passion by connecting my work to the broader purpose I craved as an INFJ. It also boosted my resilience because on challenging days, I could now recall these examples to help me push through difficulties.
Story Debrief
Darcy’s journey as an INFJ in the workplace shows how small, thoughtful leadership actions can boost resilience. Let’s look at how these subtle changes addressed Darcy’s main challenges and strengthened her ability to thrive:
Valuing her insight: By asking Darcy to share her thought process, her boss validated her unique perspective. This built Darcy’s resilience against self-doubt, empowering her to continue offering her ideas even when they aren’t immediately accepted or implemented.
Connecting culture to goals: Including cultural impact in KPI discussions helped Darcy see how her people-focused values contribute to business objectives. This developed her resilience against feeling out of place in a metric-driven environment, enabling her to find meaning in tasks that might otherwise seem disconnected from her values.
Highlighting specific impacts: Providing concrete examples of how Darcy’s work made a difference kept her connected to her sense of purpose. This fostered resilience against burnout and demotivation, helping her maintain her commitment and energy even during periods of stress or when facing seemingly mundane tasks.
TL;DR How Leaders Can Help INFJs Develop Resilience at Work
Short on time? Here’s a 2-minute summary of today’s article:
This article outlines three strategies for leaders to help INFJ personality types develop resilience in the workplace, based on the fictional example of “Darcy the INFJ.”
Validate Their Insights: INFJs are insightful and often notice underlying patterns and potential challenges that others miss. Leaders should encourage INFJs to share these observations and acknowledge the value of their perspectives, even if their ideas can’t be implemented immediately. Regularly asking INFJs for their insights, actively listening to their explanations, and providing specific positive feedback about their contributions can build their resilience against self-doubt and empower them to continue offering valuable insights.
Bridge the Gap Between Values and Goals: INFJs are driven by their values and may struggle in environments that prioritize metrics over people. Leaders can help INFJs find meaning in their work by explicitly connecting company goals to their values. For example, when discussing KPIs, leaders can ask INFJs to consider how these metrics might impact team dynamics or customer relationships. By incorporating the “human element” into discussions about business objectives, leaders can demonstrate that they value both people and results, helping INFJs feel more connected to their work and resilient in a metric-driven environment.
Highlight the Impact of Their Work: INFJs thrive on making a positive difference in the world and can become demotivated if they don’t see the tangible results of their efforts. Leaders can help INFJs stay engaged and resilient by regularly providing specific examples of how their work contributes to team success or positively impacts others. During one-on-one meetings or performance reviews, leaders can highlight instances where the INFJ’s insights led to improved collaboration, positive customer outcomes, or other meaningful results. By consistently connecting the INFJ’s work to a broader purpose, leaders can help them maintain their passion and motivation, even when faced with challenging or routine tasks.
Are you an INFJ, or know someone who is? Our other publication, INFJ by 16Personalities, will help you understand INFJs on a whole new level. Full of insights, journal prompts, and tailored action plans, we post three times a week for this rare personality type. Check it out!