Friendly with endless energy the ENFP personality type will be at the heart of where the people are, future oriented looking far beyond the obvious often seeing things that others fail to. They are driven by the new and have an insatiable curiosity making them mercurial, fresh and enthusiastic. However, having so many interests can mean that, at times, the ENFP may have trouble keeping still, prioritising and focusing on the task at hand, especially if something more interesting is looming. The routine and detail bore the ENFP who wants life, work and social to merge into one stimulating environment with endless possibilities shared with people.
The ENFP personality type is the heady individual, creative, quick, impulsive who will get up in the morning thinking of how many possibilities the day may bring. They are excellent at devising new ways of doing things and bring a totally unique and fresh perspective to people, projects and situations. People-centred, caring and spontaneous, the ENFP will be excellent at getting things started and they'll do so with energy, enthusiasm and zeal. However, the ENFP may not be so good at follow-through as they are interested in exciting possibilities and may move on to 'the next big thing' before the 'previous big thing' is completed. They can find overwhelming and utterly compelling reasons to convince others of their point of view and will be animated, expressive and full of life.
The ENFP personality type cannot help but see possibilities. Future oriented they will look far beyond the obvious often seeing things that others fail to. They are driven by the new, the complex, the novel and people will see them as mercurial, fresh, and enthusiastic. Friendly with endless energy the ENFP personality type will be at the heart of where the people are, loving fun and a good drama. They will excellent team players and the one who will work hard at maintaining group morale and making people feel special. Unconstrained by rules, regulations or structures the ENFP will be expedient in their search for what pushes their buttons and every day is a big adventure. Being empathetic to the needs of others also means that ENFP can be sensitive the other way and can get hurt by slights or perceived criticism, especially so when they themselves worked so hard at relationships. They will discover, nurture and support talent in others, seeing the good in people and genuinely wanting to see others succeed. And the ENFP will know exactly which buttons to push to motivate each individual.
Having so many interests can mean that, at times, the ENFP may have trouble keeping still, prioritising and focusing on the task at hand, especially if something more interesting is looming. The routine, the detail and the mechanical, bore the ENFP who wants life, work and social to merge into one stimulating environment with endless possibilities and lots of people to share them with. The ENFP is impatient, wanting things to happen now, not comprehending deferred gratification, and usually have the determination to make it so.
Giving an ENFP targets, or rules will only make them think up original, inventive ways of breaking them and they will do this with such charm and ‘jois de vivre’ that others will be very forgiving. The ENFP personality type will see themselves as unique and will revel in this uniqueness finding creative and innovative ways of solving problems and overcoming obstacles. Being part of a group brainstorming possibilities is ENFP territory, but they won’t be the one who takes away the notes to type up as they’ll be off looking for the next thrill. So, follow-through tends to be a problem, as the ENFP will tend to get bored very quickly, especially if a newer, more interesting project comes along. They also tend to be procrastinators, both about meeting hard deadlines and about performing any small, uninteresting tasks that they've been assigned. The ENFP has great energy and enthusiasm but they tend to like the bits they like, which can mean that those issues they don’t like may not get the attention or discipline they require. It also means that the ENFP will be constantly on the look-out for the next adventure and may be tempted from the agreed route by something just a little more fascinating and fresh.
Linking ‘type’ and ‘careers’ would be easy if it was just about listing specific jobs that perfectly fit specific personalities. However in truth it is more difficult than that as ignores other, more important issues, such as the organisation, the values and the culture, which are far better determinants of suitability than a job title. Also individual jobs vary widely from industry to industry, organisation to organisation and person to person. Therefore our focus on ‘type’ and ‘careers’ will be far more on you: your personality, your aptitudes, interests, likes, strengths and weaknesses and then matching these to the sorts of environments, cultures and norms within organisations that will allow you, given your character, to thrive grow and flourish. We spend a lot of our time at work and so it is important to get these issues right or we could spend a lot of working time unhappy, unproductive and unfulfilled.
The ENFP likes to be surrounded: by people, by variety by interests and this drives them and stimulates their energy. They need to be busy, juggling lots and are great in moments of crises and when things are heating up. Their natural flexibility and caring nature means they will be loyal and positive members of staff. Very little will get the ENFP down and they will work tirelessly for the cause, until it becomes tedious then they have to force themselves or go and find something to start. Their positive attitudes are great for engendering enthusiasm and maintaining morale. However sometimes they may get taken for granted and not get the respect or affirmation they feel they deserve. This would be incredibly demotivating for the ENFP who may well withdraw and find their energy has depleted. The ENFP provides such a fresh, creative spark to organisations, with their can-do attitude and ability to see good in everything and everyone. However, they are ‘F’s and so when a value is transgressed it can deflate them and the organisation will not get the best out of them. Fresh, spontaneous and flexible, ENFPs will bring a whole new perspective, enthusiasm and energy to roles and organisations although once it become mundane or getting into the details, ENFPs may want to move onto something more interesting.
As the major strengths of the ENFP are enthusiasm, energy, creativity and a strong caring people focus, they tend to withdraw when those aspects are missing. They love the feed and energy of the new, the different and when it becomes tedious they will look for the next interesting project. ENFPs are broad brush and are not naturally detailed, preferring the creative and ideas to the facts and numbers. Their natural spontaneity means that they are also not really planners preferring to see what comes up and they are often happier flying by the seat of their pants than preparing. They can often ignore hard facts in favour of feelings and vague notions, but to be fair they are often right, as they are so intuitive. But it does mean they may not easily follow protocols and rules, preferring a spontaneous approach. ENFPs are superb relationship builders so that people will take to them quickly and trust them and they tune into how people are feeling, having genuine empathy and really caring. This does however mean they do not like to be on their own as they naturally draw energy from interactions with other people. This trait also means they may have trouble taking tough decisions as they genuinely want to see good in others and in that respect they are great champions of and harmonious developers of people.
ENFPs are at their best in a flexible workplace where relationships are valued, people are taken care of and where there is a strong social element and camaraderie. ENFPs need the feed of lots going on, crises, people chatting and prefer no formal structures. This is where they get energised and are at their best. Their caring and effervescent nature plays nicely to customer contact although the ENFP may not be best at formal follow-through. ENFPs want to be at the heart of things and want to make a difference and they need an outlet for their incredible energy and creativity and not be constrained by tradition. They have a spontaneity that is so original and can bring unique perspectives on even the most difficult problems and they will foster harmony and be a superb motivational and positive influence on the group. Warm and participative ENFPs do not like conflict or aggression but they are superb at diffusing tension as people tend to trust and like them and so, they are often found at the heart of crises, smoothing things over and ensuring harmony is maintained.
ENFPs need variety, stimulus and to be surrounded by people. Solitary tasks, numerical targets or repetition would not be ideal environments for the ENFP to thrive and flourish. The Civil Service is probably not ideal as it is formal, structured and based on hierarchy and the ENFP needs flexibility and the opportunity to be spontaneous and free. However they make excellent organisational people as they care so much about other people and are genuinely creative and come up with unique solutions to problems. However these can only be fostered in a more ‘free spirited’ environment where people are valued and there is lots going on. The mundane, the detail and a lack of context will stifle the ENFP and will not bring out the best in them. The need for freedom means they will not thrive in an atmosphere of competition, being micromanaged or where it is repetitive and lacking a cooperative spirit. The ENFP likes to jump in and do things, they are so tuned in to how other people are feeling and want to respond immediately and so a strict, controlling environment won’t be best for them.
ENFPs are enthusiastic, free spirits and need an organisation that values their ability to respond to whatever comes up, and where there are no silos or divisions (although the ENFP, if given the chance, will tumble these down). They need a people oriented, creative and fun environment. This does not mean ENFPs do not take work seriously, they do. It is just that they need freedom, flexibility and a people focus and do not want to be constrained by what they would see as insignificant details or unnecessary rules which ENFPs will break or work round.
ENFPs are great at maintaining group morale, they take a warm, genuine and in-depth interest in others, they can 'read' people well, and will act as the catalyst for new initiatives and creative methods of solving problems. They are verbally astute, quick-witted and love life.
In a work situation the ENFP personality type will have a radical perspective, looking at newer, better and more interesting ways of doing things. Not for the ENFP the routine of historical convention, but instead fresh new solutions, a healthy challenge to the status quo and risk-taking experimentation.
ENFPs are at their most useful when working in a group with some ‘Js’ to enforce the plans. ENFPs hate bureaucracy, both in principle and in practice and they will always make a point of launching one of their verbose and eloquently argued tirades against it.
ENFPs take a warm, genuine interest in others, they can 'read' people well, and will act as the catalyst for new initiatives and creative ways of solving problems. ENFPs are so insightful and people centric they will be caring leaders taking a genuine interest in those in their care. They may not be so good at giving bad news or creating systems and processes though.
ENFPs do not like bureaucracy or rules and regulations and they will argue long and eloquently defending their reasons. They are quick and nimble, working in short bursts of energy and need flexibility. ENFPs need variety, stimulus and to be surrounded by people. Solitary tasks, targets, repetition, formal structures or hierarchy don’t suit, as they work best in a flexible workplace where relationships are valued. The ENFP is creative, quick, and impulsive. They are excellent at devising new ways of doing things and bring a totally unique and fresh perspective to people, projects and situations.
ENFPs are warm positive, optimistic fun-loving people who would do anything for those close to them. They bring a real sense of togetherness and will be superb at lightening the load and making everyone feel special and valued. They’re charming and excellent icebreakers so that even the most formal and serious people will quickly take to them, whether one-to-one or in groups. Their spontaneity means they’ll be up for anything new and are happy to jump in and be the first one to sample whatever new things come up, and they’ll be genuinely creative and unconventional. ENFPs are affectionate people and so cheerful but this hides someone who is sensitive to criticism and will take it to heart, they also need to be liked and they’re so inclusive that they also need to be part of something and would struggle being left out or ignored.
ENFPs process their thoughts through speaking and so they tend to be animated chatterboxes, great storytellers and so interesting to be around. They are excitable and love the drama of deep personal relationships, wide-ranging conversations and helping people out. They are superb networkers and their dislike for planning or formality means they’re happy to drop what they’re doing and switch tasks and if that task is people-focused and more interesting, then so much the better. They are people-centric and tactile and are totally comfortable in using emotional language, peoples’ names and speaking out and listening to emotional conversations, emotions are an almost intrinsic part of the ENFP vocabulary.
ENFPs have very strong personal values and they base their decisions on these values, on the impact on people and on emotions, which they trust as they have such a super ‘tuning in’ power. They will, however, be more likely to procrastinate and put off decisions that are either less important (to them) or which require a tough call, like giving negative feedback. ENFPs are quite open-ended and don’t like too much structure, or planning, all of which can tie them down and they like to be free to dabble, to go where the action, drama and interest are.
ENFPs want everyone to be happy and they are superb at creating harmony, tuning into others and making sure everyone is OK. They dislike conflict but, because they’re witty and charming, they are very good at diffusing friction and tension and creating peace. The ENFP will be at the beating heart of what’s going on, loving the drama but also very keen to help and support people. They want harmony and everyone to rub along together and will go to great lengths to make that happen. An ENFP will always go the extra mile, and will be there, after everyone else has gone, checking that people are OK and that peace and harmony reign. ENFPs won’t generally fight conflict, they will subtly smooth it all over and make it go away.
Choose another personality type to compare side by side the different approaches work, attitudes to conflict and the way they engage with others.
