ENFP Ability and Job Satisfaction Characteristics!

You are ENFP, Extraverted with Intuition, Feeling and Perceiving, with ENFP ability, or you are interested in someone who is, and you are perhaps seeking information regarding how the ENFP personality type and associated ENFP ability gleaned from the Myers Briggs Test can perform optimally and at their very best in the workplace. You may also be seeking information as to how ENFP ability can be maximally used in the workplace and how all this knowledge of ENFP ability can increase workplace motivation and job satisfaction for you, and your organization.

You can also learn how knowledge of ENFP strengths and weaknesses in the workplace, that is ENFP ability, can insure that the ENFP will not fall victim to job dissatisfaction which has been termed “Falsification of Type” and which is the core reason an estimated 70% of all the workers in the world dislike (or hate) their jobs!

ENFP Workplace Strengths

ENFP ability and strengths are many and would mean for you in the workplace that you:

• are someone who reaches understanding through interaction and discussion, someone who wants to talk it through
• are energetic, enthusiastic, and prone to take action
• move around and may “do business” in various locations
• participate, often speaking up right away, letting others know what you think or feel
• regard meetings as places to build relationships and as vehicles to get work done
• are aware of the impact of what’s going on in the larger organization and the outside world
• focus first on and are most interested in the big picture, global issues, future possibilities; you notice the “forest” before noticing the “trees”
• are speculative and work toward “what if.”
• work in bursts, await inspiration, may skip around, pursuing what “strikes your fancy;” may work on several things at the same time
• elect to acquire new knowledge that is interesting even if there is no apparent use for it
• want a team to have an engaging vision and mission; initiate and enjoy consideration of possibilities or theoretical matters
• arouse energy and zeal, especially for pursuing the mission and for innovations
• are amiable and approachable; are sensitive to others, sometimes at the cost of being direct
• often want to spend some time getting to know others and build relationships before getting to the work at hand
• are naturally appreciative of people’s ideas and contributions
• believe that how a group works together is equally important as what is accomplished; expect the best ideas and solutions to emerge from cooperation; may experience give and take as disruptive arguments
• are sensitive to how others will react or be affected; promote harmony, conciliation, and well-being; seek win/win results
• are spontaneous, “go with the flow,” open to new experiences and not wanting to miss out on anything, fun loving
• bring in new information, perspectives, and options; are adaptable and often devise flexible or innovative approaches to work
• like to start things-motivation and interest may decline when it’s time to finish
• are comfortable proceeding without a definite plan; take a “let’s wait and see what rolls out” approach; may frustrate others by bringing up new information or possibilities after a decision seems to have been made
• are comfortable not having something definite to work toward, and may feel constrained by what you perceive to be narrow or rigid goals and deadlines; focus on processes and want a team to organize around the ways they will work
• initially welcome a new assignment or project, thinking there’s lots of time to get it done-and later feel pushed to fit everything in

Basically those jobs/careers that would allow the ENFP to use the strengths listed above, ENFP ability, as a natural part of doing the job would be the jobs/careers providing maximum workplace motivation for the ENFP. With increased workplace motivation normally follows increased job satisfaction. Likewise, jobs/careers not allowing the ENFP ability to be used will provide much less workplace motivation and consequently much less job satisfaction for the ENFP personality type.

ENFP Workplace Weaknesses

ENFP personality and ENFP ability would include a tendency toward the following workplace weaknesses:

• may need to be more logical in the workplace and “feel” less at times
• may have difficulty in environments where work relationships are not valued
• will have difficulty seeing in the present truth and being realistic and in-the-moment only
• may have difficulty with non-theoretical brain storming activities
• may have difficulty with non-person centered decision making
• will be uncomfortable to troubled proceeding with strict plans
• hesitancy to finish things may be viewed as negative
• may have difficulty with others who are not willing to take risks
• may struggle with others who do not present a natural “personal” approach to things
• may be troubled in an isolated work environment, need people and newness on the job

Now take a few moments and consider how ENFP’s behave and perform in the workplace from the following seven aspects:

What Others Might Observe First

• are lively and often full of excitement, stimulate activity, and get others excited
• generate a lot of ideas and options, seem to be surrounded by possibilities, are expansive and imaginative
• are expressive, articulate, and communicate a lot
• are people-oriented, engaging, and optimistic

Work Style

• are most drawn to work that has meaning and value for them and which fosters human growth
• are cooperative and are natural net workers who do best when they have contact with/stimulation from others (and who don’t usually like working alone)
• work from inspiration, not a plan, and like to develop new approaches and create new things; are flexible and prefer not to have routines, a lot of structure, or tight schedules
• like challenges and a variety of people and tasks, want to continue to learn and develop, and work in bursts of energy

On Work Teams/In Groups

• are catalysts, initiators, and motivators who get things going, and are energized by starting something new
• attend to the “people” and group process aspects of the team, notice and encourage the gifts in others, want and give recognition, and work to develop and maintain harmonious, inclusive relationships
• are fun loving, bring and stimulate energy and gusto
• are adaptable and dexterous-willing to jump in wherever needed (without being particularly concerned about “authorship” or who gets credit

Facing Change

• are natural change agents who are energized and captivated by change, and often have a “let’s give it a try/go with the flow” posture (especially when change supports their overall vision)
• place high priority on changes which make things better for people, including themselves and their team members
• can brainstorm numerous possibilities
• are motivated to change themselves in response to feedback from someone they trust, or by becoming aware of how their behavior affects or is perceived by others

During Conflict

• value interpersonal harmony, emphasize areas of accord and unity, and de-emphasize points of contention
• are peacemakers and accommodators who may be asked to plan-or put themselves in-the role of conciliator
• want to consider and incorporate everyone’s viewpoint in order to craft a solution that is fair, and can help move the team toward consensus
• under stress, may be direct or confrontational, compulsive about small tasks or details, or take a rigid stance

Workplace Contributions

• visionary and idealistic-especially in regard to possibilities for people-want the organization, team, and individuals to pursue the vision and make a difference for people
• willing to try new things and take risks, impart a sense of adventure
• have a strong people orientation-people are drawn to them and they can draw people out and fire them up
• promote establishing and adhering to team or organizational values

May Be Experienced As

• visionary dreamers and sometimes as appearing to lack direction and focus
• having a lot going on and sometimes as being over-committed (“having too many balls in the air”), moving from one project or cause to another when a more intriguing possibility arises, leaving others to follow through or wonder what happened to the previous project or cause
• generating a lot of alternatives and sometimes as having difficulty deciding among all the alternatives they generate so they seem to “waffle” or appear “wish washy”
• disarming, having ready and plausible explanations for most occurrences

The Myers Briggs Test can be looked upon sometimes as an ability and personality test. Once you have identified your personality type via the Myers Briggs Test and have some understanding of the associated strengths, weaknesses, abilities and behaviors of your type you can better determine the kind of work environment and associated factors that provide the maximum workplace motivation and job satisfaction for you. Again, view the results of the Myers Briggs Test concerning work as a kind of ability and personality test.

If you would like to study a different personality type link here and go back to the Personality and Work page to find links to the other 15 personality types, follow those links and enjoy!

If you have questions regarding your personality type in the workplace as it relates to using the Myers Briggs Test as an ability and personality test, please do not hesitate to use the Support/Contact Request form on the navigation bar to the left. We would enjoy hearing from you and will try to answer any questions you may have about the Myers Briggs Test and its uses and/or the Myers Briggs focused consultation services offered by Solid Rock Consulting Group, LLC.

Return from ENFP Ability to Personality and Work Page