The entrepreneur (Estp-A)
(Extroverted, Observant, Thinking, Prospecting, Assertive)
ESTP personality types always have an impact on their immediate surroundings – the best way to spot them at a party is to look for the whirling eddy of people flitting about them as they move from group to group. Laughing and entertaining with a blunt and earthy humor, ESTP personalities love to be the center of attention. If an audience member is asked to come on stage, ESTPs volunteer – or volunteer a shy friend.
Theory, abstract concepts and plodding discussions about global issues and their implications don't keep ESTPs interested for long. ESTPs keep their conversation energetic, with a good dose of intelligence, but they like to talk about what is – or better yet, to just go out and do it. ESTPs leap before they look, fixing their mistakes as they go, rather than sitting idle, preparing contingencies and escape clauses.
Strengths
► Bold – People with the ESTP personality type are full of life and energy. There is no greater joy for ESTPs than pushing boundaries and discovering and using new things and ideas.
► Rational and Practical – ESTPs love knowledge and philosophy, but not for their own sake. What's fun for ESTP personalities is finding ideas that are actionable and drilling into the details so they can put them to use. If a discussion is completely arbitrary, there are better uses for ESTPs' time.
► Original – Combining their boldness and practicality, ESTPs love to experiment with new ideas and solutions. They put things together in ways no one else would think to.
► Perceptive – This originality is helped by ESTPs' ability to notice when things change – and when they need to change! Small shifts in habits and appearances stick out to ESTPs, and they use these observations to help create connections with others.
► Direct – This perceptive skill isn't used for mind games – ESTPs prefer to communicate clearly, with direct and factual questions and answers. Things are what they are.
► Sociable – All these qualities pull together to make a natural group leader in ESTPs. This isn't something that they actively seek – people with this personality type just have a knack for making excellent use of social interactions and networking opportunities.
Weaknesses
► Insensitive – Feelings and emotions come second to facts and "reality" for ESTPs. Emotionally charged situations are awkward, uncomfortable affairs, and ESTPs' blunt honesty doesn't help here. These personalities often have a lot of trouble acknowledging and expressing their own feelings as well.
► Impatient – ESTPs move at their own pace to keep themselves excited. Slowing down because someone else "doesn't get it" or having to stay focused on a single detail for too long is extremely challenging for ESTPs.
► Risk-prone – This impatience can lead ESTPs to push into uncharted territory without thinking of the long-term consequences. ESTP personalities sometimes intentionally combat boredom with extra risk.
► Unstructured – ESTPs see an opportunity – to fix a problem, to advance, to have fun – and seize the moment, often ignoring rules and social expectations in the process. This may get things done, but it can create unexpected social fallout.
► May miss the bigger picture – Living in the moment can cause ESTPs to miss the forest for the trees. People with this personality type love to solve problems here and now, perhaps too much. All parts of a project can be perfect, but the project will still fail if those parts do not fit together.
► Defient – ESTPs won't be boxed in. Repetition, hardline rules, sitting quietly while they are lectured at – this isn't how ESTPs live their lives. They are action-oriented and hands-on. Environments like school and much entry-level work can be so tedious that they're intolerable, requiring extraordinary effort from ESTPs to stay focused long enough to get to freer positions.
