Donald Trump ESTP Hillary Clinton INTJ - Leadership Styles
Presidential Politics and Personality Type
Presidential Politics and Personality Type
By Ross
Reinhold September 2016
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The first
Presidential Debate is over. Clinton's natural management style, emphasizing
planning and preparation, served her well. She seemed well-prepared for the questions
and comments that came her way. Trump, whose style emphasizes flexibility,
spontaneity, and making things happen, wasn't on his game. Like an all-pro
gunslinger quarterback, you sometimes miss a wide-open receiver or throw an
untimely interception.
Watching
the debates and media coverage of the candidates offers some insight into the
contrasting personality and styles of the two Presidential candidates. But we
also get a good deal of partisan spin, portraying what ought to be more neutral
mannerisms and characteristics into something unflattering or negative.
What I
endeavor to do here is contrast the leadership styles of the two candidates
using the lens of Personality Type to better understand the character,
temperament, and behavior of the two candidates in an unbiased and
non-political way.
Hillary
Clinton - INTJ - Director
In another article, I suggested and examined what I believe is Hillary Clinton's Personality Type: INTJ. While I am not aware of Hillary Clinton "owning up" to a particular personality type, I believe most experienced "Type Watchers" would agree with my speculations. So for the purposes of this article, I'll be speaking as if these designations are accurate.
In another article, I suggested and examined what I believe is Hillary Clinton's Personality Type: INTJ. While I am not aware of Hillary Clinton "owning up" to a particular personality type, I believe most experienced "Type Watchers" would agree with my speculations. So for the purposes of this article, I'll be speaking as if these designations are accurate.
Donald
Trump - ESTP - Entrepreneur
I've also opined that Donald Trump's Personality Type is ESTP and I believe
most students of Personality Type would agree with that assessment.
INTJ vs
ESTP
Only one letter of the Type Acronym is shared between them (T for Thinking) and as I'll reference later, there is a difference here too in that Hillary extraverts her Thinking (making it more apparent to others) whereas Donald introverts his Thinking, making it less apparent to others and in particular in the media and in public situations. As anyone who has watched both candidates on TV we know that their personality styles are quite different from one another and this difference is indeed reflected in their Personality Type.
Only one letter of the Type Acronym is shared between them (T for Thinking) and as I'll reference later, there is a difference here too in that Hillary extraverts her Thinking (making it more apparent to others) whereas Donald introverts his Thinking, making it less apparent to others and in particular in the media and in public situations. As anyone who has watched both candidates on TV we know that their personality styles are quite different from one another and this difference is indeed reflected in their Personality Type.
If the
reader is not familiar with these Myers- Briggs type letter designations (They
refer to mental processes and mental orientations first identified by
psychologist Carl Jung and later more fully developed by Isabel Myers and later
many psychologists and students of Personality Type who were inspired by Myers
work.) I recommend a review of our articleIntroduction
to Personality Type.
To follow
is an examination of the differences in these two types and the degree each
candidate seems to represent classic characteristics of each of these
personality types.
Hillary
is an Introvert (I), Donald is an Extravert (E)
This one polar opposite primary orientation greatly affects a person's leadership and management style. And I believe the contrast is more magnified because Trump seems very Extraverted and Clinton is clearly Introverted. Her biological introversion is why Hillary tends to play her cards close to the vest, is guarded, and more cautious. His biological extraversion is why Donald seems to lack a filter on voicing his thoughts. Extraverts, particularly those we'd describe as "very extraverted," have trouble examining thoughts until they are voiced out loud - in the public domain as it were.
This one polar opposite primary orientation greatly affects a person's leadership and management style. And I believe the contrast is more magnified because Trump seems very Extraverted and Clinton is clearly Introverted. Her biological introversion is why Hillary tends to play her cards close to the vest, is guarded, and more cautious. His biological extraversion is why Donald seems to lack a filter on voicing his thoughts. Extraverts, particularly those we'd describe as "very extraverted," have trouble examining thoughts until they are voiced out loud - in the public domain as it were.
Hillary
is an Intuitive (N), Donald is a Sensor (S)
Hillary's Intuition is the centerpiece of her personality. In INTJs, their dominant Intuition is Introverted so it is not easily seen by others.
Hillary's Intuition is the centerpiece of her personality. In INTJs, their dominant Intuition is Introverted so it is not easily seen by others.
Introverted
Intuition reflects on patterns, relationships, symbols, meanings, and
perspectives on matters from complex phenomena to magical connections to
practical problems. The Introverted Intuitive mind typically creates a unique
vision and arrives at unique insights about things, phenomena, or people. It
strives to discover the essence of things and fill in the missing pieces of a
puzzle. Introverted Intuitive types frequently will have complex visions or
perspectives that they are unable to explain with clarity to others.
Donald's
Sensing is the centerpiece of his personality. In ESTPs, their dominant Sensing
is extraverted so it is easily seen by others.
Extraverted
Sensing is about seizing the moment, becoming immersed in the here
and now, pleasurably and spontaneously interacting with people, things, and
situations of interest. It is being aware of, fully tuned into, and energized
by the options and impulses of the moment. It is making "work" into
play, learning by doing, and enjoying the creative process. It is being attuned
to the variety, quality, and esthetic appeal of sensory experiences.
Extraverted Sensing notices tangible realities and relates to them in a
pragmatic fashion.
Hillary
has a Judgement (J) Style, Donald has a Perceiving (P) Style
Hillary's
default orientation in dealing with the outside world emphasizes planning and
being organized, looking before leaping. The fact that she extraverts her
Thinking makes her even more methodical in how she approaches people, things,
and situations. As an Introvert, her Thinking is subordinate to and a tool to
support the visions of her Introverted Intuition.
A typical
INTJ leadership style would emphasize competence in Planning, Organizing,
Directing and Controlling. Being Prepared and Being Competent are important to
doing one's best work. That's why Hillary isn't a fan of press conferences as
it is difficult to control what might happen and because it usually is a TV
recorded event any missteps will be recorded in posterity eroding confidence in
competence. Being spontaneous and interacting competently in front of large
groups are learned skills for an INTJ and mastery of them is challenging
because it's the flip side of their strengths which are tied to Introversion.
Drawing
upon her strengths, we can expect a huge amount of preparation and organization
will go into preparing for Presidential Debates. She'll need to create an
organized mental collection of touchstones to draw upon, a huge data base of
responses for a variety of questions and situations.
Hillary's
inner vision is her energizer but what the outside world sees of her leadership
style is her planning, organizing, directing, and controlling nature. Her
website articulates well her Vision for America as well as demonstrates her
comprehensive & organized management style (note the bullet points in each
of 38 issue content sections).
Donald's
default orientation in dealing with the outside world emphasizes
tuning into the moment, being flexible, adapting, and spontaneous. This
orientation draws upon his dominant Sensing, experiencing and interacting with
the outside world of people and things. This interaction, with all of his
senses, is Donald's life blood. It is how he works best, talking and being
engaged with others, and physically moving from place to place. A person like
Donald Trump would die as desk jockey.
So Donald
loves press conferences, loves public events, and loves sparing with people.
This sort of interaction is his life blood. Spending an inordinate amount of
time in relative isolation planning and preparing for a debate isn't the cup of
tea for an ESTP. While Hillary's preparation will be building that important
database of potential responses, Donald's debate preparation will be more like
sharpening skills, warm-up exercises, and working from general game plan. While
Donald's advisors and handlers certainly want him "prepared" for a
wide variety of questions, he could not temperamentally tolerate the kind of
extensive and detailed preparation that Hillary will go through.
As
mentioned earlier, Donald's Thinking is introverted so it is hidden as well as
being subordinate since Donald is a clear extravert. Facts, ideas, opinions
need to be aired out-loud, hear and experience them before they can be digested
by his Introverted Thinking. However, the media reinforces the idea that
expressed thoughts ought to be well-thought out before being expressed. In this
manner, the media biases expectations towards Introverts.
Trump's
leadership style will be highly interactive, engaging the thoughts and ideas of
lots of people. Negotiation and coming to agreement are important components to
this style. But once things have been aired out, some shape has appeared, and
has passed testing of his inner Thinking, he's ready for action.
Potential
Liabilities INTJ Leadership Style of Hillary Clinton
According
to Danielle Poirier Dominant Introverted
Intuitives (INTJ and INFJ) have:
". . . perceptive minds that travel the breadth and depth of universal mysteries, contemplating its multilayered complexity, seeking the trends that will define the future. With time, clarity of vision comes. When it comes, they are propelled towards the vision and all their actions lead to it."
". . . perceptive minds that travel the breadth and depth of universal mysteries, contemplating its multilayered complexity, seeking the trends that will define the future. With time, clarity of vision comes. When it comes, they are propelled towards the vision and all their actions lead to it."
Hillary's
Vision on how things are and how things should
be, are both deep and complex. They involve sophisticated concepts, full of
nuances. They've been formed and sculpted over a long period of time. Her
introverted Feeling adds an emotional commitment to these understandings, a
loyalty to and belief in her own vision. Hillary's introverted Feeling also
adds the "idealistic" component to her Intuition; helps explain the
roots of her "idealism."
Flip side
of Loyalty to the Vision.
In the Tech world we see lots of examples of innovative, visionary INTJs who had the right vision, combined with perseverance and command of the logic, details, and organizational skills to achieve the vision. But there is a flip side to this key success combination of the INTJ personality pattern. It happens when The Vision is wrong or when circumstances have changed to make The Vision no longer accurate. That emotional inner Feeling connection to the vision, that helps propel and energize action towards achieving it, can keep an INTJ on the wrong course far too long. INTJs are most effective when they are task focused, laser-like on an objective. Unfortunately, this strength can create tunnel vision. Things that ought to be noticed aren't due to the focus.
In the Tech world we see lots of examples of innovative, visionary INTJs who had the right vision, combined with perseverance and command of the logic, details, and organizational skills to achieve the vision. But there is a flip side to this key success combination of the INTJ personality pattern. It happens when The Vision is wrong or when circumstances have changed to make The Vision no longer accurate. That emotional inner Feeling connection to the vision, that helps propel and energize action towards achieving it, can keep an INTJ on the wrong course far too long. INTJs are most effective when they are task focused, laser-like on an objective. Unfortunately, this strength can create tunnel vision. Things that ought to be noticed aren't due to the focus.
If
Hillary surrounds herself only with people whose strength is competently
completing the mission there will be no built-in check to plunging in the wrong
direction. The lemmings will plunge well-organized and confidently into the
sea!
Skill in
negotiation, persuasion, and other "extraverted people skills" can be
valuable Presidential Leadership Skills. While she has been working on
developing the "people" side of her personality, it's not her natural
strength. Her choice of Tim Kaine as her VP running mate shows evidence she understands
the need to supplement her natural strengths through using others on her team.
Potential
Liabilities of ESTP Leadership Style of Donald Trump
According
to Danielle Poirier Dominant Extraverted Sensors (ESTP and ESFP) have:
". . . Always on the alert for what needs immediate attention or what might provide a bit of action, excitement or entertainment, they engage quickly with their environment. They seek and enjoy freedom, are good-natured, direct, and tolerant and are often the ones who provide levity. . . They have a way with dealing with people on a very equal platform and are not easily star struck. Rank, celebrity and status mean little when they are face to face with another individual."
". . . Always on the alert for what needs immediate attention or what might provide a bit of action, excitement or entertainment, they engage quickly with their environment. They seek and enjoy freedom, are good-natured, direct, and tolerant and are often the ones who provide levity. . . They have a way with dealing with people on a very equal platform and are not easily star struck. Rank, celebrity and status mean little when they are face to face with another individual."
Trump's
action orientation and tendency to "shoot from the lip" get him in
trouble. When he has thought something out and arrived at a conclusion, he is
quite unshaken in his confidence. To him everything seems logical and ready to
go. But sometimes action-oriented people can confidently launch ships
prematurely. Even with the right kind of people surrounding him, willing to
offer contrary views, and also possessing some more deliberative skills
(similar to what a Hillary would offer), he can be expected to make a few
mistakes. Without the right kind of people surrounding him, the mistakes could
be more costly.
But the
vision of Trump getting his nose out of joint and pushing the nuclear button is
comedic fiction. No action that serious would ever be taken without extensive
involvement of lots of competent people. Despite claims to the contrary, he has
a brain and is a logical thinker . . . not an emotional thinker. In our media
environment we don't see that side of The Donald, but there is plenty of
evidence to infer that it is there.
Trump's
candor and willingness to engage with others (often and spontaneously) has
brought him lots of supporters. But also lots of critics and opposition. Trump
seems to particularly enjoy jousting with the media in general. And when
attacked he responds loud and clear. Those opponents who are among the
intellectual elite and pundits are manageable challenges. The ones that present
the real challenges are more average people who have an emotional and visceral
dislike or distrust of him.
Just as
Hillary needs to surround herself with people who can help her avoid the
downside of her strengths, Trump needs to temper his interactions with the
Press, letting others whose temperament tends towards more diplomacy do some of
his speaking. His ego loves the limelight and he enjoys the game but the
mainstream media is a 1000 pound gorrila you can't afford to have as an enemy.
My intuition
tells me that the guy who considers negotiation a vital leadership skill and is
the champion of the "Art of the Deal" will morph into a kinder,
softer version of what we have seen during the campaign. Up to this point, he's
been in a winner-take-all battle which has brought out all of his competitive
impulses. But the job of President is a different ball game, where things like
consensus, cooperation, negotiation and win-win are important to success. There
is evidence in his past and in what is known about ESTP personality types, that
these skills are within his repertoire. So can he control his mouth and allow
the emergence of Donald Trump 2.0?
Whose
Leadership Style is Right for the Times?
Do you
buy into Hillary's vision of what American should be and value her directorial
skills at marshaling action towards that vision?
Or do you
buy into Donald's vision of what America could be and value his entrepreneurial
skills at getting things done?
