As the beloved and ingenious extraverted intuitive thinkers of the 16 personality types, the ENTJ and ENTP make great leaders and mentors. They enjoy high-risk, high-reward activities in different ways, and lead with confidence.
Wondering if you are an ENTJ or ENTP? This article will analyze the similarities and differences between these two personality types.
Before we jump in, you might also want to check out this post: how to tell if you are a judging or perceiving type?
A Quick Overview
Both personality types are known to be particularly direct, outspoken, and assertive. Their major difference is that the ENTJ wants a structured approach to business, which makes them natural managers. ENTPs, on the other hand, have a dozen ideas they enjoy working on simultaneously—and function best as entrepreneurs.
Functional Stack: ENTJ vs. ENTP
The “stack”, or preference order of cognitive functions, describes how each personality type approaches their world. Check out our post about this topic for more info.
ENTJ:
- Extraverted Thinking (Te)
- Introverted Intuition (Ni)
- Extraverted Sensing (Se)
- Introverted Feeling (Fi)
ENTP:
- Extraverted Intuition (Ne)
- Introverted Thinking (Ti)
- Extraverted Feeling (Fe)
- Introverted Sensing (Si)
Execution vs. Imagination (Te vs. Ne)
ENTJs thrive on execution and aim to put their work out in the world—through blogs, podcasts, and seminars. They prioritize their day-to-day tasks and enjoy learning how to better manage their time, finances, and resources. ENTJs always come prepared with meeting notes, an agenda, and a list of ideas to discuss with their team. They feel best after a long day (or night) of hard work and see their efforts unfold smoothly and efficiently.
ENTPs are more scattered and have several plates of ideas they work on at the same time. They bounce ideas off others and create new connections in their minds this way. Hybrid restaurants and oddly satisfying ice-cream flavors may have been created by ENTPs experimenting with their different ideas. ENTPs are tireless brainstormers and enjoy debating all sides of an issue as the devil’s advocate, just to test the waters with everyone’s point of view during a discussion.
Big Picture vs. Systems Thinking (Ni vs. Ti)
ENTJs think in large-scale terms and see the bigger picture. This makes them extraordinary visionaries and predictors for businesses, market trends, and so on. They excel in economics and many facets of business because of their uncanny intuition on how a situation will pan out. They may discredit or downplay their teammates who point out specifics that may be disastrous in the long-term if not solved immediately—thus ENTJs can develop “tunnel vision” as a result of their Ni.
ENTPs prefer an internal framework to wax their logical thinking. They question incoming information and test if it “fits” with their fluid internal framework of how the world works. ENTPs are troubleshooters and can identify when there’s a glaring problem in a system, whether it be through code, a societal law, or business structure. They’re happy to discuss their findings with others and share constructive feedback (preferably a team of intuitive thinkers) to solve an issue with technical finesse.
Experiences vs. Charisma (Se vs. Fe)
ENTJs value first-hand experiences and possess strong spatial awareness. They are physically strong and enjoy teaching, playing, and watching competitive sports. ENTJs value strength and bravery, and encourage their children and significant other to practice goal-setting and self-efficacy. They prize dedication, perseverance, and power—this is seen through their room or office filled with accolades, trophies, and certifications.
ENTPs, when well-developed, can use their tertiary extraverted feeling (Fe) to charm their way through any networking event, even if they know no-one there. By socializing, they discover more to love about people and can effectively mimic their mannerisms to create a great first (and lasting) impression. ENTPs, when less developed, can see their Fe as a people-pleasing crutch. They may want others to like them as view them as “cool” to feel accepted in a group.
Deep Feelings vs. Deep Memories (Fi vs. Si)
ENTJs have a secret soft side they show only to their most trusted loved ones, due to their inferior introverted feeling (Fi). They will go above and beyond to keep the people most dear to them happy, even if it means they have to work on expressing their feelings that run deep. ENTJs under extreme stress will re-evaluate their core beliefs and feel unappreciated. They will question the relationships they have with people and start suspecting that others are taking them for granted.
ENTPs under stress will revisit their comfort foods, favorite places, and watch re-runs of their childhood shows to feel a sense of familiarity and safety. Usually, they’re daring and willing to venture out to try new activities—but ENTPs will avoid interaction to propel their projects and sometimes self-isolate to enclose themselves in a sort of social safety net instead of meeting new people. ENTPs heal best by talking out their jumbled thoughts with a trusted therapist or mental health specialist.
Career Differences: ENTJ vs. ENTP
As previously mentioned, ENTJs are more comfortable leading people and organizations, while ENTPs function better as entrepreneurs who wear multiple hats at once.
ENTJs can satisfy their professional drive and find their career satisfaction in management consulting, executive sales, marketing—generally any position that requires vision and leadership. (view a full list of ENTJ career ideas here)
ENTPs, with their open-mindedness and endless ideation, can find their jive in higher education, film directing, entrepreneurship, and acting. (view a full list of ENTP career ideas here)
