How would someone who is described as an ESTJ on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator best be described

What is the ESTJ personality type (The Commander)?

People with an ESTJ personality type tend to be organized, loyal, and hard-working in their behavior. They are good, law-abiding citizens with a desire to lead. They are very principled and thrive when they are helping and encouraging others to follow a set of beliefs and values.

ESTJ Personality Traits

ESTJ types are very high energy. They’d rather spend their time with other people than alone.

They tend to pay more attention to the details of a situation. They make decisions based on what they see right now.

Commanders base their decisions on what makes sense, rather than what feels right. They listen to their head, not their heart.

They are responsible and like to plan ahead. They hold themselves accountable by making lists and following set processes and rules.

In summary, ESTJ personality types tend to...

• Follow rules and listen to authority figures
• Absorb the specifics of a situation
• Enjoy time spent around other people
• Create and abide by schedules
• Listen to their logic when making decisions

ESTJ Meaning

• (E) EXTROVERSION: Extroverts tend to draw energy from spending time around other people.
• (S) SENSING: Sensing types usually prefer to experience new things and focus on the reality of the situation.
• (T) THINKING: Thinking types tend to follow their head and consider facts when making decisions.
• (J) JUDGING: Judging types tend to be very structured and organized.

16-Personality is a personality framework that can help you understand other people and why they behave in certain ways.

Explore the 16 personality types here:

ESTJ Slide Show

Click through the slides below to learn more about ESTJs:

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Related Personality Types

Below are the DISC and Enneagram types that are similar to 16-Personality Type ESTJ. 

DISC Type CD, Dc, D, or Di

Enneagram Type 6 or 8

You can find your DISC, Enneagram, and 16-Personality types by taking Crystal's free personality test.

Are you an ESTJ? Take the 16-Personality test to see

Complete the 16-Personality test below to find your 16-Personality type

Portrait of an ESTJ - Extraverted Sensing Thinking Judging(Extraverted Thinking with Introverted Sensing)

The Guardian

As an ESTJ, your primary mode of living is focused externally, where you deal with things rationally and logically. Your secondary mode is internal, where you take things in via your five senses in a literal, concrete fashion.

ESTJs live in a world of facts and concrete needs. They live in the present, with their eye constantly scanning their personal environment to make sure that everything is running smoothly and systematically. They honor traditions and laws, and have a clear set of standards and beliefs. They expect the same of others, and have no patience or understanding of individuals who do not value these systems. They value competence and efficiency, and like to see quick results for their efforts.

ESTJs are take-charge people. They have such a clear vision of the way that things should be, that they naturally step into leadership roles. They are self-confident and aggressive. They are extremely talented at devising systems and plans for action, and at being able to see what steps need to be taken to complete a specific task. They can sometimes be very demanding and critical, because they have such strongly held beliefs, and are likely to express themselves without reserve if they feel someone isn't meeting their standards. But at least their expressions can be taken at face-value, because the ESTJ is extremely straight-forward and honest.

The ESTJ is usually a model citizen, and pillar of the community. He or she takes their commitments seriously, and follows their own standards of "good citizenship" to the letter. ESTJ enjoys interacting with people, and likes to have fun. ESTJs can be very boisterous and fun at social events, especially activities which are focused on the family, community, or work.

The ESTJ needs to watch out for the tendency to be too rigid, and to become overly detail-oriented. Since they put a lot of weight in their own beliefs, it's important that they remember to value other people's input and opinions. If they neglect their Feeling side, they may have a problem with fulfilling other's needs for intimacy, and may unknowingly hurt people's feelings by applying logic and reason to situations which demand more emotional sensitivity.

When bogged down by stress, an ESTJ often feels isolated from others. They feel as if they are misunderstood and undervalued, and that their efforts are taken for granted. Although normally the ESTJ is very verbal and doesn't have any problem expressing themself, when under stress they have a hard time putting their feelings into words and communicating them to others.

ESTJs value security and social order above all else, and feel obligated to do all that they can to enhance and promote these goals. They will mow the lawn, vote, join the PTA, attend home owners association meetings, and generally do anything that they can to promote personal and social security.

The ESTJ puts forth a lot of effort in almost everything that they do. They will do everything that they think should be done in their job, marriage, and community with a good amount of energy. He or she is conscientious, practical, realistic, and dependable. While the ESTJ will dutifully do everything that is important to work towards a particular cause or goal, they might not naturally see or value the importance of goals which are outside of their practical scope. However, if the ESTJ is able to see the relevance of such goals to practical concerns, you can bet that they'll put every effort into understanding them and incorporating them into their quest for clarity and security.

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