The Commander Personality
WHO IS A COMMANDER (ENTJ)?
A Commander (ENTJ) is someone with the Extraverted, Intuitive, Thinking, and Judging personality traits. They are decisive people who love momentum and accomplishment. They gather information to construct their creative visions but rarely hesitate for long before acting on them.
Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.
STEVE JOBS
Commanders are natural-born leaders. People with this personality type embody the gifts of charisma and confidence, and project authority in a way that draws crowds together behind a common goal. However, Commanders are also characterized by an often ruthless level of rationality, using their drive, determination and sharp minds to achieve whatever end they’ve set for themselves. Perhaps it is best that they make up only three percent of the population, lest they overwhelm the more timid and sensitive personality types that make up much of the rest of the world – but we have Commanders to thank for many of the businesses and institutions we take for granted every day.
Striving for Greatness
If there’s anything Commanders love, it’s a good challenge, big or small, and they firmly believe that given enough time and resources, they can achieve any goal. This quality makes people with the Commander personality type brilliant entrepreneurs, and their ability to think strategically and hold a long-term focus while executing each step of their plans with determination and precision makes them powerful business leaders. This determination is often a self-fulfilling prophecy, as Commanders push their goals through with sheer willpower where others might give up and move on, and their Extraverted (E) nature means they are likely to push everyone else right along with them, achieving spectacular results in the process.
At the negotiating table, be it in a corporate environment or buying a car, Commanders are dominant, relentless, and unforgiving. This isn’t because they are coldhearted or vicious per se – it’s more that Commander personalities genuinely enjoy the challenge, the battle of wits, the repartee that comes from this environment, and if the other side can’t keep up, that’s no reason for Commanders to fold on their own core tenet of ultimate victory.
The underlying thought running through the Commander mind might be something like "I don’t care if you call me an insensitive b*****d, as long as I remain an efficient b*****d".
If there’s anyone Commanders respect, it’s someone who is able to stand up to them intellectually, who is able to act with a precision and quality equal to their own. Commander personalities have a particular skill in recognizing the talents of others, and this helps in both their team-building efforts (since no one, no matter how brilliant, can do everything alone), and to keep Commanders from displaying too much arrogance and condescension. However, they also have a particular skill in calling out others’ failures with a chilling degree of insensitivity, and this is where Commanders really start to run into trouble.
A Worthy Challenge
Emotional expression isn’t the strong suit of any Analyst type, but Commanders’ distance from their emotions is especially public, and felt directly by a much broader swath of people. Especially in a professional environment, Commanders will simply crush the sensitivities of those they view as inefficient, incompetent or lazy. To people with the Commander personality type, emotional displays are displays of weakness, and it’s easy to make enemies with this approach – Commanders will do well to remember that they absolutely depend on having a functioning team, not just to achieve their goals, but for their validation and feedback as well, something Commanders are, curiously, very sensitive to.
Commanders are true powerhouses, and they cultivate an image of being larger than life – and often enough they are. They need to remember though, that their stature comes not just from their own actions, but from the actions of the team that props them up, and that it’s important to recognize the contributions, talents and needs, especially from an emotional perspective, of their support network. Even if they have to adopt a "fake it ‘til you make it" mentality, if Commanders are able to combine an emotionally healthy focus alongside their many strengths, they will be rewarded with deep, satisfying relationships and all the challenging victories they can handle.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Commander Strengths
Efficient – Commanders see inefficiency not just as a problem in its own right, but as something that pulls time and energy away from all their future goals, an elaborate sabotage consisting of irrationality and laziness. People with the Commander personality type will root out such behavior wherever they go.
Energetic – Rather than finding this process taxing Commanders are energized by it, genuinely enjoying leading their teams forward as they implement their plans and goals.
Self-Confident – Commanders couldn’t do this if they were plagued by self-doubt – they trust their abilities, make known their opinions, and believe in their capacities as leaders.
Strong-Willed – Nor do they give up when the going gets tough – Commander personalities strive to achieve their goals, but really nothing is quite as satisfying to them as rising to the challenge of each obstacle in their run to the finish line.
Strategic Thinkers – Commanders exemplify the difference between moment-to-moment crisis management and navigating the challenges and steps of a bigger plan, and are known for examining every angle of a problem and not just resolving momentary issues, but moving the whole project forward with their solutions.
Charismatic and Inspiring – These qualities combine to create individuals who are able to inspire and invigorate others, who people actually want to be their leaders, and this in turn helps Commanders to accomplish their often ambitious goals that could never be finished alone.
Commander Weaknesses
Stubborn and Dominant – Sometimes all this confidence and willpower can go too far, and Commanders are all too capable of digging in their heels, trying to win every single debate and pushing their vision, and theirs alone.
Intolerant – “It’s my way or the highway” – People with the Commander personality type are notoriously unsupportive of any idea that distracts from their primary goals, and even more so of ideas based on emotional considerations. Commanders won’t hesitate a second to make that fact clear to those around them.
Impatient – Some people need more time to think than others, an intolerable delay to quick-thinking Commanders. They may misinterpret contemplation as stupidity or disinterest in their haste, a terrible mistake for a leader to make.
Arrogant – Commander personalities respect quick thoughts and firm convictions, their own qualities, and look down on those who don’t match up. This relationship is a challenge for most other personality types who are perhaps not timid in their own right, but will seem so beside overbearing Commanders.
Poor Handling of Emotions – All this bluster, alongside the assumed supremacy of rationalism, makes Commanders distant from their own emotional expression and sometimes downright scornful of others’. People with this personality type often trample others’ feelings, inadvertently hurting their partners and friends, especially in emotionally charged situations.
Cold and Ruthless – Their obsession with efficiency and unwavering belief in the merits of rationalism, especially professionally, makes Commanders incredibly insensitive in pursuing their goals, dismissing personal circumstances, sensitivities, and preferences as irrational and irrelevant.
Career Paths
It is in the world of careers that Commanders’ boldness and drive are truly at their best. No other personality type is better suited than Commanders to be the respected leader of an organization or team, and no other personality type enjoys it quite so much. Combining their vision, intelligence and determination to push ideas through to completion no matter the obstacles, Commanders are a force to be reckoned with.
A Singular Vision
In the world of business, the sometimes overbearing level of self-confidence that Commanders (especially Assertive ones) too often mishandle in their personal relationships is transformed into an admirable authority, keeping people on track and getting things done. Naturally the best careers for people with the Commander personality type make the fullest use of these qualities, and many would describe executive positions and entrepreneurialism to be ideal lines of work – any position high enough that they can clearly see the horizon.
For Commanders, failure is not an option – they conceive a vision of the future, formulate a strategy to achieve that vision, and execute each step with ruthless precision.
Structure and order are key, and if someone gets sloppy, or holds things back with incompetence, laziness or inefficiency, Commanders will not hesitate to come down, hard. Commander personalities pursue their goals with singular vision, and have strict standards for themselves and others that are designed above all else to be effective. This makes Commanders excellent corporate strategists, and their objectivity and clarity of thought make them respected lawyers and judges.
None of this could work if no one could understand what Commanders were thinking, and they have the good fortune of being clear and concise communicators, especially in person, making business administration a comfortable fit – so long as their tasks don’t stray too far into routine maintenance and upkeep. Commanders also have a thirst for knowledge, and they aren’t afraid to use a principle once they’ve grasped its underlying mechanisms. Combining this with their leadership makes Commanders trying, but effective, university professors.
Great Expectations
The only problem is, it takes time for Commanders’ skills to be recognized, and stagnating as low-level employees will have them bouncing off the walls and deeply unhappy. People with the Commander personality type crave leadership and responsibility, growth and opportunity, and genuinely enjoy managing others to get a job done. Commanders are visionaries and leaders, not grunts or day-to-day administrators. Getting that to be recognized is not always easy, but Commanders are probably up to the task.
Workplace Habits
For people with the Commander personality type, the workplace is all but a natural habitat. Commanders’ efficiency and clear communication are valued, their leadership is admired, and their ability to simply get things done is unrivaled. That being said, some situations are more appropriate for Commanders than others – these qualities all point to a managerial or executive role, making any position of comparative powerlessness highly undesirable.
Commander personality types are strident ones though, able to adapt themselves to just about any hierarchical relationship by doing what they do best: asserting their opinions, taking the initiative, and accomplishing feats that others thought impossible.
Commander Subordinates
Subordinate positions are challenging for Commanders, and it takes active management to ensure their satisfaction and engagement. Ever the high achievers, Commander subordinates set out to learn new skills and to seek out new challenges and responsibilities, eager to prove that nothing is impossible with a little hard work. If things get a little slow, Commander personalities may slip into periods of absentmindedness, but when they feel involved in the projects around them, they prove well organized and well prioritized.
Commanders hold themselves to very high standards, but a lot of what sets this tone is feedback from their environment – namely, criticism from their managers. Objective, rational statements about what is done right and what can be done better are helpful to Commanders, and far from resenting such criticisms, they appreciate them. Opportunities for growth keep people with the Commander personality type engaged and productive, and so long as their managers recognize this as their primary responsibility, it will be a fruitful and satisfying relationship.
Commander Colleagues
Among colleagues, Commanders are sociable and greatly enjoy sharing ideas and critiques in their frequent brainstorming sessions. Natural leaders that they are, Commanders tend to assert themselves into positions as representatives and project leads, considering their objectivity and charisma the perfect qualities for these roles. Commander personalities enjoy working with equals, but people must demonstrate that they are equals – anyone Commanders view as being less competent or driven will see only condescension and arrogance.
Commanders are strong-willed, even dominant, and though they enjoy inspiring and tutoring others, the energy they bring to the process can seem overbearing. When these roles are reversed, Commanders’ mentors should bear in mind that their students are very rational and respect firm confidence – hand-holding, emotional appeals or wavering indecision will likely burn the bridge then and there. In a partnership, what is best is what is most effective, and time wasted sugarcoating reality is just that – time wasted.
Commander Managers
Commander managers are confident, charismatic communicators, and they communicate but one vision: to get the job done as efficiently as possible, and to the highest standard of quality. All else is subordinate to that objective, but the means by which Commanders achieve it cause others to adopt this cause as their own. Commanders are natural leaders, and their ability to formulate a strategy and to identify the strengths of each member of their teams, incorporating those abilities into their plans so that each individual fills a unique and important role, makes them able motivators.
But while these efforts boost morale and satisfaction among Commanders’ likeminded subordinates, they are still crafted to achieve that ultimate goal of timely and exceptional work. Those seen as inefficient by their Commander managers, or who demonstrate themselves to be lazy or to produce shoddy work will know in no uncertain terms of their failure to impress. The only way to recover is to comply, the only alternative is to find a new manager to impress, somewhere else.
Conclusion
Armed with a powerful intellect and strategic thinking, Commanders can overcome or outmaneuver obstacles that seem unbeatable to most. At the same time, their many quirks, such as often unconstrained rationalism, lead to many misunderstandings. Those misunderstandings end here. What you have read so far is just an introduction – we have a great deal more to tell you about the Commander personality type.
At some point in reading through your results, you probably hit a tipping point. You went from trademark Commander skepticism to “huh...” to “wait, what?” You may even be a little uncomfortable because you are really not used to being understood, even by the people you’re closest to.
Chances are, you’ve accepted that as part of who you are, and maybe even grown proud of it. But embracing that disconnection isn’t a requirement for Commanders. It’s a misused defense mechanism, leading you down a lonely, inefficient path – gaining insight into yourself and others is so much more rewarding.
This is no date-of-birth gimmick, and no, we did not spy on you – rather, we’ve spent years studying Commanders’ life stories, experiences, and patterns in hundreds of our surveys. Step by step, insight by insight, we discovered how those who share your qualities and outlook have overcome the challenges they’ve faced. You are a unique individual, but you are not alone in this. It’s wise to learn from others’ experiences – and we’d really like to share those insights with you.
As you move forward into the e-books and interactive courses we offer, we go much deeper into the Commander mind. We answer not just “what”, but “why?”, “how?” and “what if?” Why do you act the way you do? How do you find motivation and inspiration? What if you moved beyond fear to pursue what you secretly want to achieve in life?
We can show you how to use your strengths to unlock your exceptional potential and avoid common pitfalls, while also staying true to who you are – after all, that’s the point. To see how you can grow to be the person you know you’re capable of being, in ways that finally feel right – read on, Commander.