What Is the ENFJ Personality Type?

People with the ENFJ personality type are known as Protagonists due to their natural leadership abilities and strong sense of purpose. Charismatic and persuasive, ENFJs often inspire others to follow their lead and work together to bring positive change to the world.

Despite their nickname, ENFJs don’t usually perceive themselves as the main characters in life. Being compassionate and altruistic, they prioritize other people’s well-being and derive immense pleasure from helping them grow and tap into their true potential.

Most importantly, even though ENFJs are highly idealistic, they don’t just dream about a better future. Endowed with unwavering determination and strong organizational skills, they make every effort to achieve their goals and bring their visions to life.

What Does ENFJ Stand For?

ENFJ stands for:

• Extraverted. ENFJs enjoy being around other people and find social interactions exhilarating.
• iNtuitive. People with the ENFJ personality type process information by focusing on the big picture, patterns, and possibilities rather than details.
• Feeling. ENFJs prioritize feelings, values, and social harmony over facts and logic when making decisions.
• Judging. Being highly organized, people with the ENFJ personality type prefer planning to leaving room for spontaneity.

How Rare Is the ENFJ Personality Type?

Thought to make up less than 3% of the general population, the ENFJ personality type is among the rarest personality types in the world.

It is particularly uncommon among men, with only 1.6% of men believed to belong to this personality type.

ENFJ females, on the other hand, are a bit easier to come by than ENFJ males. Still, that doesn’t mean they are common—just 3.3% of all women are thought to fall into this personality type.

5 Crucial ENFJ Personality Characteristics & Traits

The most prominent characteristics of the ENFJ personality type are:

Persuasiveness

People with the ENFJ personality type are naturally gifted at connecting the dots between their ideas and other people’s needs. Needless to say, this helps them express themselves clearly and compellingly. In turn, they usually have no trouble getting others to see their point of view and accept their ideas.

While some may use this ability to manipulate people and get ahead in life, most ENFJs have rock-solid values and morals.

This, coupled with their altruistic spirits, means that Protagonists generally use their persuasion skills to inspire positive change and help others thrive. Besides, personal gain isn’t nearly as gratifying to the ENFJ personality type as being of service to others and making a difference in the world.

Leadership Capabilities

Charismatic and organized, people with the ENFJ personality type are blessed with a natural talent for leadership. Thanks to their innate warmth and charm, they tend to be people magnets and flourish in situations where they can gather and lead others toward common goals.

Rather than managing others, ENFJs prefer to guide, mentor, and teach. Being very thoughtful, they usually have a people-centric approach to leadership and lead by example rather than force.

Most importantly, ENFJs have a knack for identifying potential—be it in people, business, or elsewhere—and can easily determine the steps needed to unlock and realize it. Given that they’re also very persuasive and inspiring, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that ENFJs tend to be rather influential and make natural leaders.

Strong Communication Skills

Outgoing and talkative, people with the ENFJ personality type thrive in social settings and enjoy sharing their thoughts and ideas with others.

Thanks to their great communication skills, ENFJs easily connect with people one-on-one, but they’re also skilled at public speaking. Even when they’re speaking in front of a large crowd, ENFJs usually excel at making each person feel as if they’re talking specifically to them.

That said, people with the ENFJ personality type also make great listeners. Active listening comes easily to them, and they rarely, if ever, let their minds wander while someone is talking to them. After all, ENFJs bear a deep love for humanity and want every person they meet to feel heard, accepted, and understood.

Empathy

People with the ENFJ personality type are highly attuned to the feelings and emotions of those around them. Since they care deeply about people and want to leave a positive mark in their lives, ENFJs often use their empathy to encourage others to grow and live up to their full potential.

Caring and generous, ENFJs go to great lengths to help their loved ones work through their problems. Although they strongly dislike conflict, they excel at defusing it and maintaining harmonious relationships with others. After all, empathy enables them to see different points of view and understand where others are coming from.

However, sometimes, their boundless compassion causes them to take on other people’s pain and issues as if these were their own. In turn, it’s not uncommon for ENFJs to prioritize other people’s needs over their own, which may lead to self-neglect.

Idealism

Being highly idealistic, people with the ENFJ personality type don’t see the world for what it is. Instead, they see it for what it could be, which underpins their deep-seated desire to make the world a better place. In other words, ENFJs are more focused on the potential rather than the reality of a situation.

Even though their vision of a better tomorrow is inspiring, it’s undeniable that this idealism has its shortcomings. For the ENFJ personality type, it is often both a blessing and a curse.

Many ENFJs have trouble accepting the fact that the world isn’t (and may never be) perfect. They also find other people’s suffering, injustice, and similar things deeply upsetting and may put too much pressure on themselves to solve world problems.

Cognitive Functions of the ENFJ Personality Type

Each of the 16 personality types identified by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®) uses a set of four distinct cognitive functions. These functions, first described by the Swiss psychoanalyst Carl Jung, explain how different personalities process information and make decisions.

Each personality type’s cognitive functions are organized hierarchically according to their influence, with the dominant function being the most impactful and the inferior one being the weakest.

Extraverted Feeling

Since extraverted feeling is the dominant ENFJ cognitive function, people with this personality type value social harmony above all else.

Naturally, they are very concerned with how their actions and decisions affect others. Striving to make everyone happy, they often involve others in their decision-making process and appreciate their input.

As extraverted feelers, ENFJs intuitively understand other people, which helps them form and maintain close relationships with them.

However, they may have difficulty understanding themselves. It’s not uncommon for them to identify with others to the point where it becomes hard for them to tell apart their own needs, feelings, and wishes from those of others.

Introverted Intuition

As the auxiliary ENFJ cognitive function, introverted intuition drives Protagonists to focus on the future and the grand scheme of things. It is thanks to this function that ENFJs are so gifted at recognizing people’s potential and mapping out ways for them to achieve it.

While ENFJs may not be very attentive to detail, they are perceptive and insightful, as introverted intuition helps them read between the lines. They can easily pick up on non-verbal communication cues, which enables them to better understand others.

This cognitive function also determines that ENFJs crave to lead meaningful lives. They aren’t happy with a mundane existence—instead, they want to find their higher purpose, follow their own vision, and create a brighter future.

Extraverted Sensing

Unlike introverted intuition, extraverted sensing focuses on the here and now. Since it’s their tertiary function, also known as the “Child,” ENFJs tend to express it rather playfully and often find comfort in it.

Simply put, even though ENFJs are future-oriented, they find joy in being grounded in the present moment and experiencing all that life has to give. They usually have great situational awareness and are generally open to new experiences.

More often than not, ENFJs also have a sophisticated taste in food, fashion, art, and so on. Since they possess not only excellent organizational skills but also a good aesthetic sense, they often enjoy creating beauty in their surroundings.

Introverted Thinking

Introverted thinking is the inferior function of the ENFJ personality type, meaning it’s their weak point.

This cognitive function is mainly concerned with internal, subjective logic, and this is one area where ENFJs tend to lack confidence and clarity. Since ENFJs favor feelings over logic, they may not always consider whether their decisions make logical sense.

While independent thinking comes naturally to personality types that have well-developed introverted thinking, this isn’t quite the case with ENFJs. More often than not, they feel uncomfortable making decisions by themselves, which causes them to be indecisive and seek other people’s approval.

5 Growth & Advancement Tips for the ENFJ Personality Type

Here’s what ENFJs can do to mitigate their weaknesses and cultivate their strengths:

#1. Master Dealing With Conflicts

Understanding and tactful, ENFJs excel at mediation, finding compromises, and defusing tense situations.

However, much of their diplomacy stems from the fear of conflict. Oftentimes, ENFJs put out the fire but don’t necessarily resolve the situation. Since this can cause problems to pile up, ENFJs should learn to face conflict head-on rather than sweep things under the rug to maintain harmony.

#2. Learn to Enjoy the Process

Being future-oriented, ENFJs often focus too much on the end result. It’s not uncommon for them to dream about success without taking any action to achieve it. Some ENFJs, on the other hand, get so caught up with their goals that they have trouble dealing with setbacks.

Staying in the present moment and celebrating victories can help ENFJs learn to enjoy the process and realize that the journey is no less important than the destination.

#3. Avoid Overcommitment

ENFJs love exploring new possibilities so much that they often commit to new endeavors without considering whether they fit into their schedule. Sure, they’re great at managing their time, but there’s only so much one person can handle!

Needless to say, ENFJs should learn to carefully consider things before committing to them, as overcommitment can eventually lead to burnout.

#4. Prioritize Self-Care

Since ENFJs can be selfless to a fault and tend to soak up people’s emotions like sponges, they should learn to attend to their needs and embrace occasional solitude. After all, there’s nothing selfish about making time for yourself—it’s simply a way for ENFJs to reconnect with themselves and avoid running on an empty tank.

#5. Seek Leadership Roles

ENFJs thrive in leadership roles, but their desire to help others achieve their potential often causes them to neglect themselves. To realize their own potential, ENFJs should focus on their career growth and seek leadership opportunities. Besides, their example could also inspire others to reach for the stars!

Best and Worst Career Paths for the ENFJ Personality Type

People with the ENFJ personality type generally derive satisfaction from meaningful work that enables them to empower others and help them grow. Unsurprisingly, they usually gravitate toward people-oriented careers. Mentoring, guiding, and training people is especially appealing to them.

Generally speaking, ENFJs can flourish in any organization as long as its mission and vision align with their values. Ideally, though, they should work in a people-centric environment that embraces collaboration, innovation, and creativity.

Best Careers Paths

People with the ENFJ personality type excel at careers that enable them to put their strengths, such as emotional intelligence, organizational abilities, and communication skills, to good use.

Some of the most suitable career paths for ENFJs include:

• Coach
• Event Planner
• Fundraising Manager
• Human Resources (HR) Manager
• Human Rights Lawyer
• Marketing Manager
• Mental Health Counselor
• Personal Assistant
• Psychologist
• Psychotherapist
• Public Relations Manager
• Rehabilitation Specialist
• Social Worker
• Sociologist
• Teacher

Careers to Avoid

Since ENFJs love working with people, they should generally avoid jobs that require little to no social interaction. Also, given that they’re big-picture thinkers, they should steer clear of detail-oriented jobs.

Here are some of the least popular career paths among ENFJs:

• Accountant
• Automotive Mechanic
• Data Analyst
• Database Administrator
• Engineer
• IT Technician
• Lab Technician
• Librarian
• Medical Records Technician
• Medical Transcriptionist
• Statistician

How ENFJs Perceive Work

People with the ENFJ personality type usually perceive work as more than just a source of income. To these altruistic spirits, it is primarily an opportunity to improve people’s lives.

Naturally, whether they’re working at a non-profit organization, marketing agency, or a local supermarket, Protagonists remain dedicated to making a positive impact at work.

However, if there’s one thing that could dampen their spirits, it’s working alone. Because of this, most ENFJs prefer working from the office than from home. Despite being driven and results-oriented, ENFJs need to feel connected to their colleagues to sustain their motivation, avoid feeling lonely, and let their strengths shine.

ENFJs as Leaders

As leaders, ENFJs work equally hard to create a positive work environment and achieve business goals.

Still, they tend to put people before profit, believing that good company culture paves the way for excellent performance and results. Inclusivity, empathy, vision, and integrity are all values most ENFJ leaders possess and strive to lead with.

Unsurprisingly, ENFJ leaders tend to treat their team members as equals, and they’re typically more comfortable assuming the role of a mentor than a manager or a boss.

Bossing people around or managing their every move isn’t in their nature—they’re much more excited about guiding their team members toward professional and, if possible, personal growth.

ENFJs in Teams

Team-oriented and supportive, ENFJs genuinely enjoy collaborating with others. They see teamwork as yet another opportunity to unite people and encourage their growth.

That said, most ENFJs find overly competitive and conflict-ridden team settings very stressful. Still, thanks to their empathy, charisma, and focus on fostering group harmony, they usually excel at bringing people—even those with clashing personalities or ideas—together.

While this makes them great assets to any team, their people-centric approach can, at times, become a liability. It’s not uncommon for ENFJs to invest more time and effort into cultivating close relationships with their colleagues than into executing tasks, which could affect their performance.

ENFJ Personality Advantages & Frailties in Relationships

Without a doubt, relationships hold a special significance in Protagonists’ lives.

People with the ENFJ personality type are deeply invested in cultivating harmonious relationships with others. Unlike many other extroverts, they don’t surround themselves with dozens of people just to escape loneliness.

Instead, they crave to form meaningful connections with those around them. As such, ENFJs go above and beyond to foster emotional intimacy with their loved ones, which is one of the many reasons why they make wonderful friends, romantic partners, and parents.

ENFJs as Romantic Partners

When it comes to love and dating, people with the ENFJ personality type have high standards and expectations. Unsurprisingly, it isn’t always easy for them to meet the right person.

However, once they see the potential for a long-lasting, happy, and healthy relationship, they typically fall in love fast and hard.

ENFJs don’t hesitate to make their feelings known, believing that emotional vulnerability opens the door to emotional depth and intimacy. While this may come off as too intense for some people, ENFJs don’t mind it. They simply couldn’t imagine being in a relationship with someone without sharing their innermost feelings and secrets.

Although ENFJs make dependable and supportive partners, they can become too preoccupied with helping their significant others realize their dreams and potential. As such, they should focus more on growing together as a couple—this way, they can satisfy their need to be of service to others without neglecting themselves.

ENFJs as Friends

For ENFJs, friendships are no less important than romantic relationships—they’re essential to their happiness. As such, Protagonists put a great deal of effort into forging close, unbreakable friendships, and they expect the same of their friends.

ENFJs regard their friends as their soul family, not just acquaintances they can have fun with.

Caring and attentive, they enjoy learning what makes their friends tick and figuring out ways to support them, and they pride themselves on always being there for them. Needless to say, people with the ENFJ personality type make loyal and incredibly dependable friends.

ENFJs strive for emotional intimacy in all of their relationships, and friendships are no exception. As chatty as they are, they know when it’s time to sit back and listen, and they usually do a great job of validating their friends’ feelings.

However, sometimes, their eagerness to help causes them to give unsolicited advice, which can make them come off as pushy or condescending.

ENFJs as Parents

Supportive and compassionate, ENFJ parents strive to help their children bloom into virtuous, kind, and successful adults.

Rather than strictly disciplining their kids and expecting obedience, parents with this personality type gently guide their children through life, sharing their insights, life lessons, and values.

While they want their children to learn how to distinguish right from wrong, ultimately, they aim to instill moral values in their kids instead of intimidating or forcing them to do the right thing.

Focused on helping their children realize their full potential, ENFJ parents may place very high expectations on their kids. Although this can, at times, result in too much pressure for the children, parents with the Protagonist personality type are always there to provide their kids with the emotional support and guidance they need to grow and succeed.

ENFJ Compatibility With Other Personality Types

Warm and dedicated, Protagonists can find common ground and build enduring friendships and romantic relationships with just about anyone.

Still, while they effortlessly form close bonds with certain people, they inevitably run into communication problems with others. Looking into the subtleties of ENFJ personality type compatibility with other types can explain this phenomenon.

ENFJ Best Matches

ENFJs are most compatible with personality types that are similar to them in terms of values and aspirations yet different enough to complement them.

Some of the best matches for ENFJs are:

• ENFP. ENFPs and ENFJs both crave deep, meaningful relationships. Most importantly, ENFPs can help ENFJs embrace spontaneity, whereas ENFJs can help ENFPs become more organized.
• INFP. Both ENFJs and INFPs are thoughtful, empathetic, and selfless. As such, they tend to build balanced relationships based on mutual respect, loyalty, and emotional closeness.
• ENTJ. ENTJs and ENFJs are drawn to each other’s drive and resourcefulness. Since both of them have exceptional leadership skills, at best, they can encourage one another to reach their personal and professional goals.

ENFJ Worst Matches

As a general rule, ENFJ compatibility is lowest with sensing-thinking (ST) personality types, as they have vastly different approaches to nearly everything in life. Specifically, their worst matches are:

• ISTP. ENFJs and ISTPs are complete opposites, which makes it a struggle to get along. More often than not, ISTPs aren’t emotionally expressive enough for ENFJs, whose company ISTPs may find emotionally draining.
• ISTJ. Like ISTPs, ISTJs would rather keep their feelings to themselves and thus usually find it difficult to fulfill ENFJs’ emotional needs.
• ESTJ. ESTJs and ENFJs are both natural-born leaders. However, while ENFJs put people first, ESTJs tend to focus solely on results and efficiency, creating tension between the two.

Interests & Hobbies of ENFJ Personality Types

People with the ENFJ personality type typically spend their free time with their friends and loved ones. Whether they’re going out for a night on the town or having a heartfelt one-on-one conversation, there’s no doubt they’re having the time of their lives—after all, Protagonists thrive on social interaction!

Despite leading active social lives, ENFJs usually make time for their hobbies and interests in their busy schedules. While they often have a wide range of interests, most ENFJs gravitate toward social and creative hobbies, such as:

ENFJ Celebrities & Famous People

Despite the rarity of the ENFJ personality type, quite many celebrities are thought to belong to this type. This isn’t surprising—thanks to their drive, charisma, and people skills, ENFJs can captivate an audience and gain public recognition fairly easily.

Some celebrities with the ENFJ personality type include:

• Oprah Winfrey. Oprah Winfrey is one of the most famous and influential talk show hosts of all time. She’s beloved not only because of her charisma and communication skills but also because of her generous, philanthropic nature.
• Bono. Bono’s impact on the world extends far beyond his music. The leader of the Irish rock band U2 is also famous for fighting poverty, the HIV/AIDS crisis, and many other problems that plague society.
• Maya Angelou. Maya Angelou, the award-winning author, composer, and singer, has bravely challenged the status quo throughout her life. To this day, she remains one of the most prominent civil rights activists.