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Leadership and the Intuition–Thinking (NT) Process Pair

People with NT preferences (INTJs, INTPs, ENTPs, ENTJs) typically take a “what else can we do” approach to leadership. They tend to consider new ways to address tasks and projects, and often have an innovative mind-set that is about changing things up to make a situation better.

If NT informs your leadership style, you may want to consider how this approach is affecting members of your team. Some of them may appreciate your open approach to new ideas and possibilities, but others may find what they see as change for the sake of change too impractical and lacking consideration of how it’s affecting others. Remember, changing things just because you are bored doing them the same way all the time can be very aggravating to people who appreciate stability and consistency.

If NT informs your leader’s leadership style, try to remember that this approach can be really helpful when you feel stuck in a rut and not sure what to try next. Don’t take it personally or assume your NT leader doesn’t appreciate your work just because every solution you offer is not met with rapt attention or accepted.

Now that we’ve talked a bit about those two middle letters, let’s look at leaders with each of the four-letter MBTI personality types that contains that process pair:

INTJ Preference Leaders

We find a moderate number of leaders of this type not just in the U.S. but all over the world. People who prefer INTJ make up almost 6% of leaders, while representing only 2% of the general population. Their preferences may help them prepare for long-term possibilities and then organize decisions logically. During initial stress, however, they may start to imagine patterns or connections where they don’t exist.

INTP Preference Leaders

We find a moderate number of leaders of this type. People who prefer INTP make up almost 6% of leaders, while representing only 3% of the general population. Their preferences may help them analyze the pros and cons of a situation and then to anticipate the long-term outcomes. During initial stress they may become overly critical of others and can come across as feeling superior.

ENTP Preference Leaders

We find many leaders of this type around the world. People who prefer ENTP make up over 8% of leaders, while representing only 3% of the general population. Their preferences may help them come up with a variety of short-term possibilities as they make decisions. During initial stress they may become hypercritical and impatient with people they deem incompetent. They may also get distracted by too many options and have difficulty focusing on one thing at a time.

ENTJ Preference Leaders

We find many leaders of this type. People who prefer ENTJ make up almost 9% of leaders, while representing only 2% of the general population. Their preferences may help them organize big-picture ideas logically and efficiently. During initial stress they may become a bit pushy and inconsiderate of others’ feelings, which can discourage buy-in from others and in the end, doom a project. Like others who prefer TJ, these leaders usually like a “get-it-done” attitude from those on their team.