At Their Best 
People with ENFJ preferences are highly attuned to others, using empathy to quickly understand emotional needs, motivations, and concerns. Their focus is on supporting others and encouraging their growth.

ENFJs are friendly persuaders who can often build consensus among people whose interests and motives are quite diverse. They often act as catalysts, including everyone and drawing out the best in others. They can be inspiring leaders as well as loyal followers. 

ENFJs can be considered the Insightful Contributors. They use Extraverted Feeling (Fe) as their core approach to work and living. This outward, collaborative, results-oriented approach tends to accomplish results using the best talents of the people involved.  

Insightful Contributors thrive in situations where they can harness the energy of a group of people toward a mutually beneficial goal. They often take on and enjoy leadership roles. If you are an Insightful Contributor, you are likely at your best when you are working with others cooperatively to accomplish goals. To avoid moving down the wrong path or making inaccurate decisions, Insightful Contributors tend to think internally about, and incorporate ideas and models into, their plans. They want to consider multiple options and look at long-term possibilities, implications, and consequences of actions. This perspective helps the Insightful Contributor create changes to make things better for people in the future.

Characteristics of ENFJs 
ENFJs base decisions on personal values. They use their Feeling primarily externally, radiating warmth and energy. They look for and find the best in others and prize harmony and cooperation. They are warmed by approval, responding with energy and devotion, and are especially sensitive to criticism or tensions. ENFJs are likely to be:
  • Warm, compassionate, and supportive
  • Loyal and trustworthy 

ENFJs see meanings and connections and can be very insightful about others. They are curious about new ideas and stimulated by possibilities for contributing to the good of humanity. ENFJs are likely to:
  • Be imaginative and creative
  • Like variety and new challenges

ENFJs naturally see the potential for growth in others and devote energy to help others achieve it. They are sensitive facilitators. ENFJs take responsibility for organizing interactions of colleagues, friends, or family so that all are involved, harmony prevails, and people have fun.

ENFJs are typically imaginative HARMONIZERS, workers with people; expressive, orderly, opinionated, conscientious; curious about new ideas and possibilities. Having Extraverted Feeling as their strongest mental process, they are at their best when responsible for winning people’s cooperation with caring insight into their needs.

They typically value:
  • Having a wide circle of relationships
  • Having a positive, enthusiastic view of life
  • Seeing subtleties in people and interactions
  • Understanding others’ needs and concerns
  • An active, energizing social life
  • Seeing possibilities in people
  • Thorough follow-through on important projects
  • Working on several projects at once
  • Caring and imaginative problem solving
  • Maintaining relationships to make things work
  • Shaping organizations to better serve members
  • Sociability and responsiveness
  • Structured learning in a humane setting
  • Caring, compassion, and tactfulness
  • Appreciation as the natural means of encouraging improvements

How Others May See Them
ENFJs are energetic, enthusiastic, and very aware of others. Their genuine interest can usually draw out and involve even the most reserved person. They listen to and support others but also have very definite values and opinions of their own, which they will express clearly. ENFJs are energized by people and are socially adept; however, they also have a strong need for authentic, intimate relationships. They bring great enthusiasm and intensity to creating and maintaining these.

ENFJs like their lives to be organized and will work to bring closure to ambiguous relationships or situations. However, if people’s needs conflict with schedules and rules, they will put people first.

Others usually see ENFJs as:
  • Sociable, personable, congenial, and gracious
  • Expressive, responsive, and persuasive 

Potential Areas of Growth 
Sometimes life circumstances have not supported ENFJs in the development and expression of their Intuitive and Feeling preferences.

  • If they have not developed their Intuition, ENFJs may not see possibilities, making decisions too quickly without taking in enough information or considering factors beyond their own personal values.
  • If they have not developed their Feeling, their decisions may be inconsistent and poorly formulated. They may then accept the judgments of others too readily. 

If ENFJs do not find a place where they can use their gifts and be appreciated for their contributions, they usually feel frustrated and may:
  • Worry, feel guilty, and doubt themselves 
  • Become insistent and controlling in their desire for harmony 
  • Be overly sensitive to criticism, real or imagined 

It is natural for ENFJs to give less attention to their non-preferred Thinking and Sensing parts. If they neglect these too much, however, they may:
  • Make decisions based solely on personal values when logic is needed also
  • Find it difficult to admit to problems or disagreements with people they care about 
  • Overlook details required to realize their ideals 

Under Great Stress
Under great stress, ENFJs may find themselves suddenly and uncharacteristically critical and fault-finding with others. They generally keep these negative opinions to themselves, but they find such thoughts troubling and upsetting. 

Sources
Introduction to Type, Sixth Edition developed by Isabel Briggs Myers

MMTIC®Murphy-Meisgeier Type Indicator for Children developed by Charles Martin, Elizabeth Murphy, and Betsy Styron

Donna Dunning’s terrific blog