People with Extraverted, Sensing, Feeling, and Perceiving Personality traits are more commonly referred to as ESFPs and sometimes called the Entertainer. ESFPs love being the center of attention and are frequently likened to the class clown. They get caught up in the excitement of the moment very easily and want everyone around them to do the same. This can mean spontaneous singing, jokes, and so on, hence the label of entertainer. Whatever the situation, the ESFP wants to be at the heart of it all. They love the spotlight, but they are also very observant and are particularly sensitive to the emotions of others. It is this emotional intelligence that is especially useful when dealing with others.

ESFPs in Teams

As enthusiastic, outgoing team members, ESFPs have much to offer to the team environment and can make positive contributions in many situations. They like to complete tasks fun, and that can be beneficial to overall morale, but they also encourage individuals and bring people together, promoting collaboration, so they are also extremely valuable in building team cohesion and getting the best out of the group.

This ability can come with a cost, though, as if left to their own devices, ESFPs can become too focused on the fun, resulting in tasks needing to be completed and their guidance and input seeming vacuous and shallow. The spontaneity that makes them so much a focus of attention can also lead to trouble, with ESFPs often favoring improvisation over preparation, and that can cause problems too. They get distracted easily as well and are not suitable for long, drawn-out tasks as they get bored easily and lose focus.

As people who love to be the focus of a group, ESFPs often seem like ideal leaders, and they are able to bring people together to boost collaboration. With emotional intelligence that allows them to pick up on other people’s emotions and needs, they make great motivators, leading with compassion and sympathy. They also love structure and, as leaders, will provide clearly defined roles to aid productivity. However, that need to be the center of attention can lead to issues with ESFPs as leaders, often over-personalizing situations to bring the focus back on them. As leaders, spontaneity can mean acting before understanding the full implications, too, which can lead to major issues that are difficult to remedy. ESFPs need to work on that as leaders and learn to take a step back and either assess all outcomes or seek advice and guidance from others to do the same.

In stressful and challenging situations, ESFPs tend to fall back on humor and enthusiasm to help the team, but they do recognize when others are struggling and often seek to satisfy the immediate needs of others in these difficult situations. They also seek consensus for solutions to challenges, wanting to hear all opinions and possibilities, which does help identify the best approach to overcome problems. In times of stress, their upbeat outlook provides a positive influence on the team, and their encouragement of others is a significant assistance to the overall team in dealing with such stress too.

Perhaps the biggest challenge any team faces on a regular basis is change, and here the spontaneous, positive nature of ESFPs can be an asset. Because they bring such positivity and like to live in the moment, change is something that doesn’t really phase the ESFP, they embrace new things, and change is itself a series of new things. However, that desire to push forwards can mean issues with change management, as they fail to respect timelines or plans in a rush to achieve that change. They often focus on the new and fail to prioritize the importance pr preparation for change, and this is something they must work on. ESFPs should be encouraged to prioritize the important aspects of change, even if it is the less exciting parts, to avoid these issues.

Sympathetic and friendly, practical and energetic, clever and down-to-earth. ESFPs enhance the team environment and can be essential in maintaining a positive outlook in challenging times. However, their emotional intelligence means that there is always a danger of getting carried away with the fun and spontaneity, leaving a team missing goals and not following plans. It is this side of the ESFP that needs to be tempered just a little, and with the right guidance, that can be achieved.