TEMPERAMENT PROFILE: ENTJ (Te-Ne-Si-Fi)
Choleric/Choleric (C/C) = Decisive Strategist
Tim LaHaye
Choleric is the hot, quick, active, practical, and strong-willed temperament. C/C is often self-sufficient and very independent. He tends to be decisive and opinionated, finding it easy to make decisions for himself as well as for others.
C/C thrives on activity. In fact, to him, “life is activity”. He does not need to be stimulated by his environment. No, he stimulates the environment with his endless ideas, plans, and ambitions. His is not an aimless activity, for he has a practical, keen mind, capable of making sound, instant decisions or planning worthwhile, long-range projects. He does not vacillate under pressure of what others think. He takes a definite stand on issues and can often be found crusading against social injustice or unhealthy situations.
He is not frightened by adversities; in fact, they tend to encourage him. He has dogged determination and often succeeds where others fail, not because his plans are better than others, but because he is still “pushing ahead” after others have become discouraged and quit. If there is any truth in the adage “Leaders are born, not made” then the C/C is a born leader. He always lands on his feet.
C/C’s emotional nature is the least developed part of his temperament. He does not sympathize easily with others, nor does he naturally show or express compassion. He is often embarrassed or disgusted by the tears of others. He has little appreciation for the fine arts; his primary interest is in the utilitarian values of life. He is so optimistic, rarely anticipating failure, that he seldom fails, except at home. Love is not usually high on his priority list.
He is quick to recognize opportunities and equally as quick at diagnosing the best way to make use of them. He has a well-organized mind, though details usually bore him. He is not given to analysis but to quick, intuitive appraisal; that means he tends to look at the goal toward which he is working without seeing the potential pitfalls and obstacles in the path. Once he has started toward a goal, he may run roughshod over individuals that stand in his way. He tends to be domineering and bossy and does not hesitate to use people to accomplish his ends. He is often considered an opportunist.
C/C hates yard work. When he does it at all, it is with a vengeance. He is not mechanical by nature and detests repairs or pruning because, quite frankly, he is not very good at it. When he does take on the yard, he works at a frenzied pace to get the job done, but neatness is not his hallmark. In fact, the family of a C/C should never let him prune bushes, trees, or hedges, for he has only one idea in mind: “If you have to do it, you might as well do it once for the whole year!”
C/Cs might consider careers that require leadership, motivation, and productivity, provided they do not require too much attention to details and analytical planning. Committee meetings and long-range planning bore the C/C, a doer. Rarely will you find a C/C as a surgeon, dentist, philosopher, inventor, or watchmaker. Although not usually craftsmen (requiring a degree of perfection and efficiency usually beyond their capability), C/Cs often supervise craftsmen. They usually enjoy construction work, because it is so productive, and will frequently end up being foremen or project supervisors.
C/C is a developer by nature. When he drives through the countryside, he cannot share his passenger’s enjoyment of the “beautiful rolling hillsides,” for he envisions road graders carving out streets and builders constructing homes, schools, and shopping centers. Most of today’s cities and suburbs were first envisioned by a C/C. You can be sure, however, that he hired a Melancholic as the architect with the analytical and creative ability to draw the plans he outlined. He can’t fully understand why a few lines on the back of an envelope aren’t sufficient to gain the city planning department’s approval. No one fights city hall harder than a C/C, who bitterly laments “Why all this business of detailed plans, anyway? I’ve built enough projects to know that the best plans have to be modified during construction, so why not make up your mind as you go along on the little issues? I know what I want to accomplish!”
So a wise C/C hires a Melancholic assistant or goes into business partnership with a Melancholic. Together they make an unbeatable team.
Most entrepreneurs are C/Cs. They formulate the ideas and are venturesome enough to launch out in new directions. They don’t limit themselves to their own ideas either but sometimes overhear a creative idea from someone not sufficiently adventurous to initiate a new business or project. Once C/Cs start a new business, however, they are likely to get bored soon after its success. There are two reasons for this. First, as the business grows it creates more detail work. But since C/Cs are not by nature good delegators of responsibility (although with proper training they can learn) and like to see the fruits of their own productive and capable industry, they tend to evaluate negatively the efforts of others. Consequently, they end up trying to do everything themselves. Second, when C/Cs discover that they are “just too busy” they look for someone to buy their businesses. So the average C/C can be expected to start four to ten businesses or organizations in a lifetime.
Once C/Cs learn to delegate responsibility to others and discover that they are able to accomplish more through other people, they can complete an amazing amount of work. Other people cannot believe that C/Cs can be involved in so many things and keep their sanity. Well, here’s how they do it. Since they are completely performance-conscious and have no perfectionist hang-ups, they reason “I’d rather get a number of things 70 to 80 percent finished than a few things 100 percent completed”.
C/C is a natural motivator of other people. He oozes self-confidence, is extremely goal-conscious, and can inspire others to envision his goals. Consequently, associates may find themselves more productive by following the C/C’s lead. His primary weakness as a leader is that he is hard to please and tends to run roughshod over other people. The C/C subconsciously thinks that approval and encouragement will lead to complacency; he assumes that an employee’s productivity will fall off if he is too complimentary. So he resorts to criticism in the hope that this will inspire greater effort (unfortunately it doesn’t).
Western civilization has henefitted much from its C/Cs. But it has suffered much from them also. The world’s greatest generals, dictators, and gangsters have been predominantly C/C. What made the difference? Their moral values and motivations. If there is such a thing as a “success tendency”, C/Cs have it. That doesn’t mean they are smarter than other people, as is often assumed, but that their strong will and determination drive them to succeed where other, more gifted, people are prone to give up.
Unwritten Grace
Ever come across someone who is clearly a born leader, a doer who seems unshakable when it comes to getting things done? If so, you are already familiar with at least one C/C. C/Cs are the task-oriented extraverts, whose main subconscious motive is “to lead”. Despite the potentially negative implications, this is not necessarily a bad thing; these people are simply pre-programmed to achieve, to get things done and to just make their point. The above choleric traits mean that this temperament’s main weakness is anger. If these people feel rivalled, impatient or undermined in any way, you will certainly know about it!