Workplace Weaknesses: 16 Flaws Each Personality Type May Unknowingly Show

It’s tough to discuss the less lovely potentials of personality types – I don’t want anyone to feel bad about themselves or get defensive. Yet every personality type has some behavioral tendencies that could cause problems at work. That’s important, because how you perform and are perceived on the job affects your future. Of course, whether any such issues surface depends on the person – group likelihoods aren’t individual certainties. So, why have such a discussion?

Because objectively examining yourself can be a powerful step toward becoming a stronger, happier, more successful person. Nosce te ipsum. Know thyself. So, in the hope of sparking some useful self-awareness, let’s look at some troublesome (yet forgivably human) behaviors that are more likely for certain personality types. And while we’re at it, let’s also consider how each personality type can turn them around. Sometimes exercising wisdom in how you express your personality traits can help you get awesome results at work – and in life.

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Analyst Personality Types

Architect (INTJ): Smugness

Having a passion to understand everything but not necessarily the same zest for social interactions, Architects can signal a detached superiority that irritates coworkers. These personalities often seem to dismiss other people’s opinions and ideas out of hand, fueled by either confidence or defensiveness about their own views. They may verbally express doubt or just give an uncaring shrug. Smugness, even if it’s more perceived than heartfelt, can quickly overshadow an Architect’s positive qualities and turn people off.

Fortunately, Architects like nothing better than to put a good idea to work. When Architects actively apply their thoughts and opinions to the benefit of an organization or team, people may see their dedication to their own views as having merit. An opinionated person who gets good results can earn respect, even if they lack social grace (a workplace skill that’s still worth practicing).

Logician (INTP): Incomplete Ideas

Logician personalities love to dream up plans and processes, but they don’t always flesh them out properly before committing their enthusiasm or acting on their ideas. This can result in false starts, halting progress, or (embarrassingly) having others find the hidden flaws in their plans once they’ve been proposed or commenced. None of that tends to boost Logicians’ success. An incomplete idea, even a promising one, can make the most innovative person seem careless – not a great impression to give at work.

Logicians may not always be detail-oriented, but that depends on whether those details are assumed to be rote (and therefore avoided as boring) or seen as subuniverses to be explored and engaged. When they have the latter mindset, Logicians find that they’re quite adept at crafting the details of a plan – and that understanding minutiae can be as fascinating and exciting as the bigger picture. The mental reward that they get from venturing into theory can be found regardless of scale or subject.

Commander (ENTJ): Being Domineering

Having a similar love of their own opinions as do Architects, these Extraverted personality types express it much more boldly, pushing their ideas as much as dismissing others’. That’s not always a bad thing, but among coworkers of diverse personality types, Commanders can come off as intellectual bullies. Whether it’s expressed with charisma or not, an overbearing attitude can make other people feel devalued, as if their voices don’t matter. They may stop engaging with Commanders as a result.

But as much as Commanders love to run with their ideas (or whatever they see as the best option), they also thrive on the spirited exchange of ideas. It helps them think, innovate, and refine their own opinions – and it’s just plain stimulating to their Extraverted minds. Given that, it’s in Commanders’ best interests to keep those channels of communication open by finding ways to encourage others to engage with them – even if it means moderating their own output a little.

Debater (ENTP): Argumentativeness

Debaters’ love of adversarial debate, whether serious or whimsical, can produce some scintillating conversations and amazing ideas. But in a typical workplace where much is routine, it can also slow progress down and bother other people. When every little decision or action is debated as though it’s a vigorous intellectual exercise, others may find it exhausting – and outright distracting from their productivity.

Debating is as natural for Debaters as breathing – it’s why we gave them that name. But in a workplace, these personalities discover that their talent for mental mayhem can be profitable as well as fun – when it’s aimed at the right targets. They do well when they save their arguments for high-value subjects where they can effect positive changes. Then, they’re seen more as trailblazers than mischief-makers.

Diplomat Personality Types

Advocate (INFJ): Sanctimoniousness

Having a desire to establish clarity in their hearts and minds, Advocates follow their own moral compasses to some distinct positions. They may intend to express those high-minded views helpfully and kindly, but when they differ with others (as they inevitably will), these personality types can easily come off as disapproving. No one likes to feel judged, and even the perception that Advocates are being critical can irritate coworkers.

Advocates usually have a purposeful intent behind their thoughts and actions, and when that purpose is truly positive, it tends to show. Advocates can help prevent misunderstandings by verbalizing their good intentions, which makes it harder for others to fill in the blanks with any negative assumptions. Everyone’s entitled to an opinion, and when those opinions are hopeful and accessible, they tend to appeal more than repel – even if they reflect a challenging moral standard.

Mediator (INFP): Being Indecisive

Many coworkers have no idea that when Mediators avoid expressing firm opinions (or hedge them right after doing so), it’s often partly because they’re trying to be considerate of the people around them. But from the outside, it can just look like indecisiveness. People have a harder time trusting someone who they don’t see as being committed to a course of action, and unreliability is a bad reputation to have at work – even if it’s undeserved.

Luckily, even when they hesitate to commit verbally, Mediators are often sitting on a wave of enthusiasm. Just because they don’t always speak firmly doesn’t mean that they don’t have a direction in mind – they just don’t want to steamroll anyone else before proceeding. So their bright, active engagement with ideas often speaks more about their abilities than their words do – something that can bring them great success in the workplace.

Protagonist (ENFJ): Overconcern

Little matters more to these personality types at work than building rewarding relationships with others. But not everyone shares that sense of reward for deep engagement – something that Protagonists may interpret as a deficiency needing to be “fixed” (especially when dealing with Introverted personality types). Protagonists may ask for too much in terms of sincere emotional engagement, causing people to withdraw or even provoking friction.

Concern for coworkers’ well-being is an attractive quality, and common protocols of the workplace help Protagonists keep their deeper instincts focused in appropriate ways. Even so, not everyone has to share close bonds to work well together. Giving people some space and privacy can be an admirable form of stewardship that Protagonists can feel good about, appreciating respectful affability at work as much as intimacy.

Campaigner (ENFP): Boisterousness

Energy is good at work, but if it’s not directed productively, it can raise eyebrows or even irritate others. Campaigners have bright, curious imaginations, and if they spend too much energy trying to engage with (or discuss) everything that pops into their heads, they may not be able to accomplish the goals required for long-term success. Personable, clever energy only goes so far if it doesn’t produce the results that any given job demands.

Campaigners’ value of warm, supportive personal connections creates a great work resource for these personality types. Leaning on other people can help them keep their energy going in the right direction, whether it’s task-minded supervisors or more narrowly focused coworkers. Being part of a team means that Campaigners can benefit from the structure around them, helping them live up to their full potential while still letting them express their exuberance.

Sentinel Personality Types

Logistician (ISTJ): Rigidity

Logisticians thrive on perfecting systems, but this can sometimes make them inflexible or far too routine-dependent. When their sense of order breaks down, their performance may suffer without a familiar structure to support their momentum. This can also apply to their thinking, making it hard for them to accept new directives and procedures in a changing work environment.

In most cases, it merely takes a little time for Logisticians to adapt their minds and habits when the routines and parameters around them change. Leveraging their methodical natures can be the key to success. It isn’t always comfortable, but they can rebuild the reliable order that they love by patiently practicing new things until they become familiar. This goes a lot faster once they release their frustration and apply their logical minds to figuring out a new routine.

Defender (ISFJ): Complacency

Defender personalities often settle into a job role and do it extremely well, yet they may not adequately project their desire or ambition outward. Often they think that merit alone will bring them the career advancement that they deserve, and sometimes they don’t want to be seen as demanding. (They may also become too comfortable where they are to seek something more.) But dedication and humility don’t necessarily get them noticed, and that can mean many missed opportunities.

Despite their gentle nature, Defenders tend to have firm visions for themselves and their futures – they prefer to walk a clear path and want what’s best for themselves, like anyone. When they fairly express those internal work goals to others – and dare to point out their abilities and accomplishments – they’re more likely to be noticed and make career progress. They don’t have to be demanding to be rewarded, but they do have to admit to themselves that they both want and deserve something more – and make it known.

Executive (ESTJ): Being Autocratic

Like Logisticians, Executives tend to favor established practices and routines. But as Extraverts, they can be much more forward about seeking to impose them on the people around them. Even if their position doesn’t include authority over others, these personalities can be exacting with their opinions and expectations, insisting that rules be followed without question. That can have a dampening effect on creativity and morale – and can also annoy their coworkers.

Doing things the right way brings Executives a sense of pride, and when these personalities decide to set an example rather than display a controlling or critical stance, they often find that they get more traction. Effective procedures that serve a good purpose can be made more appealing through practical demonstration than force. And it’s likely more affirming when people gravitate toward Executives’ preferred ways of their own accord rather than merely complying with them.

Consul (ESFJ): Gossiping

A focus on social relationships and an overtly specific set of personal views can give Consuls a lot to say – especially about other people and their actions. These personality types may invest more energy and time than most others in discussing workplace social politics. At the very least, this can reduce productivity, or worse, foster adversarial attitudes. Team cohesion is valuable, and it can’t be formed around the views of just a few individuals.

Nothing makes Consuls happier than when they can create harmony among people, and when they prioritize that goal over their own opinions and perceptions, they can easily create an inclusive social environment in the workplace. They may naturally seek a central position in that world, but when they also accept that everything can’t be the way they want, they tend to find rewarding mutual acceptance with those around them.

Explorer Personality Types

Virtuoso (ISTP): Unsociability

These personality types can be comfortable without much investment in social niceties, but to others in the workplace, that kind of emotional independence can be off-putting. People want to feel needed, and Virtuosos’ casual sense of detachment can send the message that other people are optional at best. These personalities are unlikely to put great effort into being personable, and unless they make up for that in other ways, this may hurt their career advancement.

That said, many Virtuosos do make up for their blunt social disinterest with other abilities, and even a socially disinterested attitude can be a cooperative, amiable one. When they don’t hold or broadcast any real negativity, these personalities can find their place at work, even if they end up being known as independent and detached. Ultimately, the quality of their work will make them valuable to a team or organization.

Adventurer (ISFP): Scattered Attention

Focusing on finishing one thing properly before another thing catches their attention is a struggle for Adventurers, and their warm, gentle nature isn’t always enough to compensate for that at work. Depending on the job, there may be hard limits and deadlines that demand attention, making open-minded curiosity a liability to their performance. Over time, this can result in a sense of personal failure or even poor reviews.

Despite their often changing interests, Adventurers enjoy a hands-on approach to whatever captures their focus, which can help them follow through. That tangible, real-world engagement can help keep them on task because they won’t find it as easy to move in a new direction as they might with mental engagements. A new idea may occur, but the physical realities of the current task ask that it be continued, helping Adventurers reach goals as well as seek new ones.

Entrepreneur (ESTP): Abrasiveness

Entrepreneurs are free-minded thinkers who like to act spontaneously, and they have little regard for those who would hamper them with rules and restrictions. When they’re bold about saying and doing what they want – which they often are – others may take it as brashness or even rudeness. Anyone not equipped to handle these personalities’ rough-and-ready style may be rubbed the wrong way, resulting in workplace conflict.

Even with an audacious style of thought and speech, there’s a difference between acting against people and acting with them. When Entrepreneurs take care to keep the common goals and interests of coworkers in mind, they can balance people’s reactions. It’s kind of like a calculated transaction that buys them leeway. And if their actions are truly productive and beneficial, there’s a limit to how much Entrepreneurs should restrain their manner – although tact is always a good thing at work.

Entertainer (ESFP): Social Distraction

Maintaining happy relationships with coworkers is certainly a good thing, but Entertainers may enjoy socializing at work a little too much for their own good, in many cases. Their love of social interaction can interfere with productivity, and that can harm their careers even if they are well-liked otherwise. Obviously, work is work, and some degree of focused technical effort is required to succeed in many workplaces.

When you have a talent, it’s sometimes good to follow it into a career path that makes the most of it. For Entertainers, seeking job positions with a lot of social contact can be a career boost. That could be anything from a managerial position that tasks them with motivating a team to a sales position where they can meet and befriend many new people. It may also be possible to seek a more people-focused set of duties within an existing professional role.

Conclusions

Let’s be honest – any personality type may show many of the above behaviors and benefit from a little self-examination. (I know I can relate to several of them.) But given their traits, those are some good places for each type to start looking. (Hint, hint.) Heck, why not be brave and let us know in the comments below which of the above applies to you? No shame here, just a bunch of people trying to be their best selves.

And if something about your personality isn’t working well for your career, keep in mind that you probably don’t have to be something you’re not in order to improve the situation. Chances are you can tweak your natural expression slightly to get a better result. You may have a few personality-related tendencies holding you back, but your traits also hold the key to success – if that wasn’t true, you wouldn’t have come this far, so props on that.