INTJ
The INTJ is the patient visionary with a clear view of how the future should look and will work with quiet and logical determination to make it happen.
INTJs make decisions based on rational logic rather than emotion, and they will be quite measured in their approach to other people. They generally have strong opinions, are independent of thought and action, and have no need to verbalize these, other than to declare their conclusions. This economy of information can be a handicap, as it may leave members of the team feeling that they are “on the outside.”
The INTJ’s dislike of basic facts may, at times, work against them. They can make decisions based on their theories and concepts and, at times, overlook the obvious, seeking the complex solution instead.
However, they generally trust their own judgments, especially as these have been considered, chewed-over, and processed for a long time prior to being announced.
Do you want to learn more about your type? Register for our online course: Best Practices for Leveraging INTJ Strengths. Personality type expert, Penelope Trunk, will show you how to get around the common roadblocks INTJs face, and leverage your unique strengths to accomplish more in your life.
Characteristics
- Interested and innovative
- Single-minded concentration
- Unimpressed with authority
- A naturally high achiever
Areas of Growth
- Be sensitive to others’ needs
- Take care of routine details
- Take time to smell the roses
- Be more empathetic in relationships
Attitude
INTJs need and want to know why things are the way the are. They cannot accept any phenomenon at face value. Even though their basic attitude is one of skepticism, they insist upon clarity.
Energizers
- A flexible work schedule
- Maximum autonomy
- Clarity in role definitions and responsibilities
- An organized, structured environment
Stressors
- Dealing with details
- Working under irrational or illogical people
- Too much extroverting
- Lack of follow-through from coworkers
To function at their best
INTJs need support for their ideas and projects. They require freedom from routine and mundane details. They need problems to solve and to see solutions worked out and applied.
Relationships
For INTJs, everything has a scientific base. Getting close would be difficult initially, as they don’t see the need for emotional connection. Their engagement tends to come via intellectual arguments with like-minded people. For INTJs, emotion doesn’t compute, so they may not understand their impact on others or gauge the emotional reactions of others. This can make them appear insensitive or cold.
INTJs are private and can often be naturally impassive as well, which makes them easy to misunderstand. INTJs are perfectionists and may also find it difficult when other people or projects do not meet their high expectations and standards. This can make them seem a little superior, and some people may love it if they trip up, but this would be unusual for INTJs. Perhaps the most fundamental problem, however, is that INTJs really want people to make sense.
Although quietness pervades, INTJs are capable of being real chatterboxes, but not in general or with small talk—only on issues that are important to them or that stimulate them. Only when an idea is fully formed are INTJs prone to wax lyrical about it, even to the extent of becoming an expert bore.
INTJ at work
INTJs love intellectual challenges and will come to the fore when there are difficult problems to solve, such as those that require a complex understanding of many disparate issues. They love to deep dive, a solitary pursuit; then they come to life when the team is stuck. They are superb at cutting through the extraneous problems and getting to the real meat of the problem.
INTJs are genuinely free and radical thinkers with an incredible ability to pull together all the disparate strands into one cogent whole. They will overturn established practice by being forward-thinking.
INTJs will be at their best when they are able to work for long periods on their own. They are perfectionists, with an endless capacity for improving upon anything that takes their interest, but will often find the mundane and routine tedious and energy-sapping.
INTJs are ideas people. Anything is possible. They love developing unique solutions to complex problems and, conversely, if it is not complex or interesting, then why should they bother?
Do you want to learn more about your type? Register for our online course: Best Practices for Leveraging INTJ Strengths. Personality type expert, Penelope Trunk, will show you how to get around the common roadblocks INTJs face, and leverage your unique strengths to accomplish more in your life.
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