INFJ Leadership

INFJ the dearest and most misunderstood out the MBTI types. For those who don't know what an INFJ is or MBTI is or cognitive functions, I suggest doing a quick google search.

This is an analyses of leadership styles, thoughts, and a personal reflection on the way INFJs lead and on my own leadership style. I am doing this analyses to reflect but also to tell to others the processes and ideas that go on in the head of an INFJ that's in charge.

Despite different backgrounds and ideological and moral backgrounds, I have found and know there to be patterns in the the mind of INFJ whose job is to take command of others and to must make demands of others. First and foremost, most INFJs do not deliberately take charge unless they themselves feel it necessary. Most INFJs would rather sit quietly and listen to what the group has to say rather than take control of it. However, when an INFJ does have to take it upon themselves to be in charge of the group, it can be both exciting and taxing on them. It can be exciting for them because they are able to go forth and make their ideals for society a reality. It can be taxing because INFJs don't enjoy taking on so many executive responsibilities. INFJs do not typically care for the minor details, having a preference for seeing the bigger picture. This can be quite the Achilles heel for the INFJ because often these minor details can become huge hiccups in their overall plans and they will focus so much on these minor details that they will exhaust every personal and resource to ensure that every single detail in secured. Because most INFJs have a distrust for the majority of society, not because they don't like society, but rather they are always able to see every single flaw a society and a person has, and due to this distrust the INFJ will often have a very dictator like leadership style. This isn't to say that they are ruthless leaders though. What it means is that they have high and often unrealistic ideals and expectations that they are trying to achieve with a very low tolerance for mistakes, from both their underlings and most importantly themselves. If an INFJ feels they have not done to the excellency that they expect from themselves they will often bottle up those feelings until they explode which is typically very aggressive or melancholic. INFJs are visionaries and care for the end game first and foremost. They have very little time when it comes to dealing with every single issue a person might have. However, they are also a people person and want their workers to come to them if they have a serious issue that needs to be taken care of. They are after all, only doing what they believe to be best for society as a whole and each individual with in it. The ideals that an INFJ has are ones that are rooted in living in the hardships and outskirts of society, often living emotionally charged households and being abused in one way or another by societal norms. By living in the outskirts an INFJ has incredible empathy for the underdogs. The problem arises when they get too attached to an inferior worker. Meaning that a particular worker is, although trying their best, is underperforming in comparison to the INFJ's conceptualization of that person's ideal self. Meaning that if that person isn't working to the same capacity that an INFJ envisions for them, then INFJ will increasingly put pressure on them. The INFJ does this typically because most INFJs have grown up an environment that has forced them to pressure themselves in order to achieve what is necessary. To the mind of an INFJ, this is tough love. The INFJ, however, plays in the extremes so they can often be seen outwardly as being too tough cause the other person to be worn down in such a way that they will never be able to work at their fullest potential.

The biggest issue with INFJ leadership is the cognitive dissonance between their ideals and bringing those ideals to reality. If the INFJ is younger and hasn't had time to understand fully the physical demands those ideals have, they will often stress themselves out everyone around them. These ideals or visions are the mission that the INFJ sets out for and if they aren't capable to balance them out with the realities they live in then they are doomed to fail.

Most of this has been a rather negative insight to an INFJ's leadership, but there are many positive skills that an INFJ has as well when it comes to leading. Back to their ideals, INFJs have beliefs so strong that people will either have two reactions; first is inspiration and the second is to loathe. INFJs are great at manipulating words in order to make their ideals everyone's ideals so that everyone will be willing to achieve any goal that the INFJ has set forth for them. In this way the INFJ is great at bringing people together to achieve a single goal. INFJs are also empathetic and intuitive listeners. They will pick up on the emotional state of every person before a word has even been spoken. They care so intensely and deeply that they truly care about what others feel and think. They want to be the ones that their workers come to whenever they have emotional baggage and just need a shoulder to cry on. They want to be the ones that people trust with their deepest and darkest secrets because they themselves have deep dark secrets to tell yet too scared to tell and no the kind of pain it is to keep them in for years on end. INFJs are also capable of seeing an individual's potential and will do anything and be anything that person needs in order grow into their full potential. INFJs have an unwavering loyalty for those that they think deserve it. However, they will quickly dispatch anyone in their lives and within their groups that betray that loyalty. INFJs make it their mission to make sure everyone knows exactly what their job is and and ensures that they are comfortable with it. They are both goal and people oriented and they will utilize each individual's potential to achieve the goal, often making sure that each individual achieve's their full potential a goal in itself. While the INFJ has visions, it's often wise for an INFJ to make someone who's good with the details and that they trust almost exclusively their second in command. INFJs care so much, which is why when they are placed in charge of the group. You know for a fact that what needs to get done is accomplished.