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MBTI Personality Types

ESTP

EXTROVERTED - SENSING - THINKING - PERCEIVING

What is the ESTP Personality?

ESTPs fit the Japanese metaphor of water. They have the ability to be still or flow depending on the terrain—they respond to the changing environment around them. When the environment allows, they can be a mighty force, crashing through mountain passes and altering the terrain around them.

ESTPs are often poised and display a flair for style. They observe the environment outside themselves and create fun and enthusiasm in those around them.

Most ESTPs are not as flamboyant Donald Trump, but they exhibit a flair for style.  They enjoy the pleasures of life--friends, exciting experiences, good food but are not usually about self-indulgence.   As performers, they can read people and situations accurately. 

They enjoy the good life and are quite unashamed of loving clothes, cars, food, interesting people, and exciting outdoor experiences. They are often surrounded by clever people in great settings.


Click on any one of the 16 MBTI types for a full description of your type or descriptions of colleagues, family and friends.

ESTPs as Team Members

ESTPs often have good senses of humor and a clever wit.  They are active problem-solvers and often display their best talents in moments of crisis. They are adept at sizing up situations and working with what is immediately at hand to produce ingenious results.

ESTPs often disdain formal study and theory and want to work in the here and now. When cornered, they will find a way to succeed and excel. ESTPs are more concerned with the desired outcomes than with inflexible rules.

ESTPs are natural troubleshooters and entrepreneurs and turn-around artists. They deal well with difficult situations where wit and ingenuity is required. That might be in a manufacturing situation where a seemingly impossible deadline is looming with huge obstacles to its accomplishment.  ESTPs are effective at negotiating difficult standoffs.

What Are ESTP Issues and Challenges in Groups/Best Alliances?

In organizations where details and minute, repetitious tasks are required, the ESTP may become bored and disconnected. They are not apt to stay long in situations that are void of energy and interest.  The ESTP will do well to ally with those who are motivated by the ESTP’s style and improvisational ability and yet are willing to take on the day-to-day detail.

General George S Patton (1885-1945), an ESTP type,  was an immensely popular, effective,  and controversial World War II general.   He loved both life and war, driving across the German battlefield in a specially designed Cadillac, with his dog at his side. 

When the ESTP forms these alliances, they can contribute their best talents through experiencing and solving issues as they arise.
ESTPs and the Rest of Their Lives

ESTPs create forward momentum and fun. They often fearlessly enjoy outdoor physical sports like motorcycles, skydiving, and mountain climbing. They are likely to cut a wide swath through restaurants where there is good food and service.

ESTP life partners will do well to love the kind of life action that attracts ESTPs. They are unlikely to get the ESTP partner to accept a lifestyle of routine and an environment with great structure. So enjoy the fun they create.