Bosses, much like human beings in general, come in all shapes and sizes. Some bosses, however, are much easier to work under than others.

Whether they are passionate, open-minded, or extremely straightforward – each boss has a different leadership style. But are there a select few personality types that are naturally better at leading than others? Let’s talk about it!

These are the ten personality types suited to be the best bosses according to Myers Briggs:

 

1 | ENFJ | Extraversion (E), Intuition (N), Feeling (F), Judgment (J)

2 | ENTJ | Extraversion (E), Intuition (N), Thinking (T), Judgment (J)

3 | ENFP | Extraversion (E), Intuition (N), Feeling (F), Perception (P)

4 | INTJ | Introversion (I), Intuition (N), Thinking (T), Judgment (J)

5 | ENTP | Extraversion (E), Intuition (N), Thinking (T), Perception (P)

6 | ISTJ | Introversion (I), Sensing (S), Thinking (T), Judgment (J)

7 | ESFP | Extraversion (E), Sensing (S), Feeling (F), Perception (P)

8 | ESTJ | Extraversion (E), Sensing (S), Thinking (T), Judgment (J)

9 | ESFJ | Extraversion (E), Sensing (S), Feeling (F), Judgment (J)

10 | INFJ | Introversion (I), Intuition (N), Feeling (F), Judgment (J)

Which Personality Types Make the Best Bosses According to Myers Briggs?

ENFJ

Extraversion (E), Intuition (N), Feeling (F), Judgment (J)

ENFJs bosses are known for being outgoing and enthusiastic. Bringing the entire workplace together, ENFJs make sure that everyone feels like a strong team. ENFJs bosses work hard to ensure every person in the group feels valued and is skilled at delegating work to the side.

ENFJs bosses have very high expectations for their employees as they work extremely hard and are often capable of juggling many jobs at once- this leads them to be somewhat demanding.

Because of their abilities to excel in the workplace, ENFJs usually expect the same level of effort from everyone else. ENFJs may push others to achieve goals, but that comes from a place of support.

ENFJs don’t respond well to challenges that threaten their leadership, and it may make them angry at their workers.

ENTJ

Extraversion (E), Intuition (N), Thinking (T), Judgment (J)

ENTJs take on a leadership role like a duck to water. ENTJs readily understand how to manage others with ease and are aggressive and willing to do what it takes to get the projects up and running.

Due to their passionate drive, ENTJs can be seen as overbearing and domineering. ENTJs have little patience for inefficiency and lack of loyalty and will respond negatively to workers who possess those qualities.

If you’re a hard-working person, the ENTJ boss will be very outgoing and enjoyable to be around.

ENFP

Extraversion (E), Intuition (N), Feeling (F), Perception (P)

Inspiring ENFPs are enthusiastic and imaginative bosses. ENFPs have a way of bringing people together and inspiring a positive attitude that makes people put in the extra effort.

ENFPs are not comfortable being dictators and dislike the feeling of bossing others around. As bosses, Warm and welcoming ENFPs want to work alongside their employees and motivate them to feel like they can achieve their goals.

ENFP bosses aren’t driven by a need to make rules and regulations, but rather fuel their workers with a sense of mutual respect.

ENFP bosses may struggle with workers who require a stricter type of boss, or when reprimanding is necessary.

INTJ

Introversion (I), Intuition (N), Thinking (T), Judgment (J)

INTJs may be reluctant to approach a leadership role since given a choice; they much prefer to stand back and observe. Although they aren’t always the apparent boss, they make excellent and natural leaders.

INTJs often know just how to strategize a goal and bring a team together to achieve it. INTJs are very open-minded and are willing to hear out their worker’s ideas and value their opinions.

They are skilled at figuring out who to delegate specific responsibilities to and understand what actions are needed. In some cases, the INTJ may be seen as aloof and can appear insensitive to sensitive employees.

The INTJ makes for an excellent boss to an understanding employee.

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ENTP

Extraversion (E), Intuition (N), Thinking (T), Perception (P)

ENTPs are open-minded and eager bosses. They are very willing to allow their workers the room to explore new possibilities and enjoy giving them creative freedoms.

They are excited to discuss their ideas with their workers and want to hear from them to debate the opportunities. At the end of discussions, the ENTP is often good at figuring out the best ideas to implement and are good at inspiring others to do so.

ENTPs may lack focus sometimes and get lost in building plans rather than organizing them. If they can come together and work with others who are goal-oriented, they can make for excellent and well-liked leaders.

ISTJ

Introversion (I), Sensing (S), Thinking (T), Judgment (J)

ISTJs have a powerful sense of duty, and because of this, they make excellent leaders. They may not be outgoing or expressive, but ISTJs are capable of defining the goals and achieving them.

They are very good at dictating responsibility to others, and often know who they can trust to deliver excellent work. They have very high standards and dislike when their workers are slackers or do not try hard enough.

They may not express emotion often, which allows them to keep their feelings out of their leadership. This will come across as insensitive to some employees but ultimately makes for an organized workplace.

ESFP

Extraversion (E), Sensing (S), Feeling (F), Perception (P)

As bosses, the ESFP is fun and enthusiastic. They want to make sure that the workplace is an enjoyable environment, where everyone feels involved and included.

Their gregarious and outgoing personalities make them exciting leaders. They aren’t great at doing the dirty work but are very good at showing others what needs to be done.

They are skilled at creating a positive work environment, where everyone is understood and appreciated.

ESTJ

Extraversion (E), Sensing (S), Thinking (T), Judgment (J)

ESTJs are natural leaders and enjoy the opportunity to dictate to others. They are often very organized and know how to put together a team.

They are outgoing and enjoy being able to get along with their workers, although that is not vital. They can be seen as overbearing and tough on their employees because they do not have the patience for inefficiency.

They are very willing to put in hard work to make sure that the workplace is managed well and enjoyable. They may be quick to criticize if they feel like others are not living up to their full potential.

They are good at setting strict rules and are willing to make sure that others achieve the goals at hand. A workplace run by an ESTJ is usually very efficient and organized.

ESFJ

Extraversion (E), Sensing (S), Feeling (F), Judgment (J)

ESFJs have the potential to make excellent bosses. They are very willing to lead others and do not mind dictating tasks and managing a group.

They are skilled at bringing together a team and making everyone feel like an integral member of the group. They want to make everyone feel appreciated and are good at listening to their workers.

ESFJs are not fans of conflict and may become frustrated if their leadership role is not respected. They value traditions and want everything to run smoothly, but also expect that their employees will not take advantage of their warmth.

INFJ

Introversion (I), Intuition (N), Feeling (F), Judgment (J)

An INFJ makes for an excellent boss since they have high expectations but are also caring and warm.

INFJs can be perfectionists, and while this generally makes them hard on themselves, it can make them somewhat demanding bosses. INFJs as bosses often enjoy allowing their workers enough creative space and room to figure things out.

They can be very considerate and warm, but as bosses, they tend to hold very high standards for their workers. Because they tend to see their employees as equal to them, they also expect them to perform at the same level of excellence.

They are also very understanding and willing to hear out their workers and come to comfortable conclusions. 

Can the Remaining Myers Briggs Personality Types Be Good Bosses?

ESTP

Extraversion (E), Sensing (S), Thinking (T), Perception (P)

ESTPs are very skilled in a leadership position. ESTPs aren’t the most traditional types and dislike setting strict guidelines. They enjoy making the workplace an enjoyable environment where everyone can explore new ideas.

They are often disorganized and may make for a somewhat hectic boss, but counteract this by consistently accomplishing goals. They have a way of seeing what needs to be done and can show their workers how to do it.

As long as their employees respect their leadership role, the ESTP will make for a fun and exciting boss.

INFP

Introversion (I), Intuition (N), Feeling (F), Perception (P)

Although INFPs don’t typically seem like the ideal boss type, they are very capable of the job.

They have a way of seeing goals and bringing together the best group to achieve them. They are imaginative and have an idea of thinking outside of the box that makes them good bosses.

Their ability to be open-minded makes them capable of allowing their workers the room that they need to get their work done. They are capable of dictating tasks but do tend to avoid giving appropriate criticism.

Sometimes their inward personality can hold them back in a boss situation, but if they can overcome this, they can be great bosses.

INTP

Introversion (I), Intuition (N), Thinking (T), Perception (P)

INTPs don’t naturally enjoy leading others, and often find it exhausting and frustrating to dictate. With the right set of employees, they can make excellent bosses.

They dislike setting strict guidelines and prefer to give their workers creative freedoms. They allow their employees to explore new possibilities and work out issues on their own.

Although they enable many privileges and dislike micromanaging, the INTP also has incredibly high standards. When they are in the work mind, they are often harsh and quick to criticize.

It is always constructive criticism and is meant to make the workplace better, but might come across as rude to sensitive workers.

ISFJ

Introversion (I), Sensing (S), Feeling (F), Judgment (J)

Managing others isn’t necessary the ISFJs favorite thing to do. They would much rather work hard themselves and be able to do their job without dictating to others.

Ultimately their warm personalities and excellent listening skills, making them outstanding bosses. They are incredibly organized and are often very willing to hear out their workers when they make mistakes.

They are good at working alongside their employees, which makes for a comfortable and inspiring work environment. They may become frustrated if there is disagreement within the workplace, and want to maintain harmony.

ISTP

Introversion (I), Sensing (S), Thinking (T), Perception (P)

ISTPs aren’t necessarily natural leaders. They like the freedom to make their own decisions, but also do not enjoy having to manage others.

They give their employees space to figure things out and expect a fair amount of space in return. They aren’t easy to provide positive feedback but can be very helpful in implementing ideas.

They know how to get things done and figure out how to problem solve very well. They work best with a team of workers who are good at figuring things out and observing.

They aren’t the warmest bosses but are often very fair.

ISFP

Introversion (I), Sensing (S), Feeling (F), Perception (P)

ISFPs are not natural leaders, and often do not feel comfortable setting rules for others. They aren’t fans of planning or setting goals, and dislike controlling others.

As long as their workers are not eager to step over the ISFP, they can make for excellent bosses. They can listen to others easily and are open-minded, which makes them capable of implementing new ideas.

ISFPs prefer working alongside their employees rather than being seen as overbearing and controlling. ISFPs prefer to live in the moment and take on problems as they come, which is a useful skill for a boss.

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