Donald Trump: Personality Type ESTP – The Entrepreneur

If there is one thing that you can be certain of, it is that the governments of every major country around the world, including the last Obama administration, have done a psychological evaluation of President Donald Trump and it is very doubtful that they like what they see.

I found it quite interesting and revealing that, according to CNN, President Obama asked Theresa May, and Australia’s Malcolm Turnbull, “to form a close relationship with [the then] incoming President Donald Trump”. What Obama appears to have understood is that those that have taken a partisan opposition to Trump, by sometimes perpetuating clearly false and bias stories, not only political opposition but also media opposition, have in the process carelessly discarded any influence they might have had over the Trump administration – in exactly the same way that they were no longer able to influence large swathes of the US public who voted for Trump. Which means that when criticism is due and opposition needed – Donald Trump will not listen.

For Theresa May to play any role as a moderating influence on President Trump, she must not be unthinkingly critical.

In the absence of a professional psychological evaluation of Donald Trump, I’ve decided to post extracts from the description of Trump’s likely personality type ESTP – The Entrepreneur. Further exploration of that personality type  can be found HERE.

As the BBC’s Crimewatch always used to conclude, “Don’t have nightmares, do sleep well“

 

Introduction

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.

ESTPs are the likeliest personality type to make a lifestyle of risky behavior. They live in the moment and dive into the action – they are the eye of the storm. People with the ESTP personality type enjoy drama, passion, and pleasure, not for emotional thrills, but because it’s so stimulating to their logical minds. They are forced to make critical decisions based on factual, immediate reality in a process of rapid-fire rational stimulus response.

This makes school and other highly organized environments a challenge for ESTPs. It certainly isn’t because they aren’t smart, and they can do well, but the regimented, lecturing approach of formal education is just so far from the hands-on learning that ESTPs enjoy. It takes a great deal of maturity to see this process as a necessary means to an end, something that creates more exciting opportunities.

Also challenging is that to ESTPs, it makes more sense to use their own moral compass than someone else’s. Rules were made to be broken. This is a sentiment few high school instructors or corporate supervisors are likely to share, and can earn ESTP personalities a certain reputation. But if they minimize the trouble-making, harness their energy, and focus through the boring stuff, ESTPs are a force to be reckoned with.

With perhaps the most perceptive, unfiltered view of any type, ESTPs have a unique skill in noticing small changes. Whether a shift in facial expression, a new clothing style, or a broken habit, people with this personality type pick up on hidden thoughts and motives where most types would be lucky to pick up anything specific at all. ESTPs use these observations immediately, calling out the change and asking questions, often with little regard for sensitivity. ESTPs should remember that not everyone wants their secrets and decisions broadcast.

Sometimes ESTPs’ instantaneous observation and action is just what’s required, as in some corporate environments, and especially in emergencies.

If ESTPs aren’t careful though, they may get too caught in the moment, take things too far, and run roughshod over more sensitive people, or forget to take care of their own health and safety. Making up only four percent of the population, there are just enough ESTPs out there to keep things spicy and competitive, and not so many as to cause a systemic risk.

ESTPs are full of passion and energy, complemented by a rational, if sometimes distracted, mind. Inspiring, convincing and colorful, they are natural group leaders, pulling everyone along the path less traveled, bringing life and excitement everywhere they go. Putting these qualities to a constructive and rewarding end is ESTPs’ true challenge.

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.
• Defiant – 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.

Career Paths

Restrictions, rules, highly structured environments – these are great ways to drive ESTPs crazy. People with this personality type live life on their own terms, and this makes them brilliant entrepreneurs and freelancers. These roles also allow them to delegate the more tedious aspects of work, the accounting, meticulous research and so forth, to those better suited.

ESTPs are curious, energetic people with a taste for action. There are those who analyze and manage the logistics of public safety resource distribution, and there are those who drive the ambulances, patrol the streets, and save lives with their own two hands – ESTP personalities are the latter. They are highly observant yet impatient, enabling them to take in the whole of a situation at a glance, and act. Any emergency response role is great for ESTPs, whether it be as paramedics, police officers, or soldiers.

Work Place Habits

Management positions are where ESTPs are usually most comfortable, as they often give the most flexibility. Rules and traditions are a bother for people with the ESTP personality type – they’d rather try a bunch of new ideas with a chance of getting things done faster or better than to pay attention to “the way things have always been done” or subordinates’ comfort with experimentation. ESTPs are practical, with a focus on what does, or could, work best.

This can make for a chaotic environment, but ESTPs’ inspiring cult of personality makes them well-suited to handling such a thing. ESTPs enjoy living in the moment. Rather than some broad, intangible future accomplishment like “making customers happy”, ESTP personalities set small, clear, measurable, and attainable goals that keep things on track day-to-day, and hearty congratulations can always be relied on for a job well done. ESTPs keep their eyes on the finish line, but they get there step by step.

Conclusion

Few personality types are as charming and attractive as ESTPs. Known for their ability to improvise and focus completely on the present, ESTPs are great at finding exciting new things to explore and experience. ESTPs’ creativity and down-to-earth attitude are invaluable in many areas, including their own personal growth.

Yet ESTPs can be easily tripped up in situations where their focus on practical matters is more of a liability than an asset. Whether it is finding (or keeping) a partner, reaching dazzling heights on the career ladder, or learning to plan ahead, ESTPs need to put in a conscious effort to develop their weaker traits and additional skills.