Consul Personality – Definition, Strength, Weakness

In this article, we are going to see a detailed elaboration of the ESFJ Personality which is also known as the Consul Personality.

ESFJ or Consul Personality

ESFJ or Consul personality is one among the “16 personality” types according to the Briggs-Myers Personality Types. ESFJ is an abbreviation used for the Extrovert individuals, Sensing, Feeling, Judging. 

• Extrovert – They are quite energetic, exuberant, gregarious people who love gatherings and unions. They are friendly, cheerful, and jovial people to hang around and interact with friends, family, and acquaintances.
  
  
• Sensing – They are factual, realistic, and believe in concrete facts and a broader perspective. They tend to focus more on the present rather than thinking about the past or the future.
  
  
• Feeling – They are compassionate and astute at the same time. They tend to feel things rather than think and rarely use plain logic. They are governed by their hearts instead of their minds and try to make mindful decisions. 
  
  
• Judging – They are planners and like to follow plans and strategies for even the smallest events. They are highly organized and disciplined and stick to their schedules.

ESFJ or Consul Traits

People with the ESFJ Personality predominantly exhibit certain key traits or characteristics. Some of them are as follows:

• They are meticulous and scrupulous helpers and like to get acknowledged and appreciated for their work.   
• They hate conflicts and prefer a sense of tranquillity, cooperation, and consensus around them.  
• They are very thoughtful of other people’s emotions and also cognizant of the perception that others have about them. 
• They value loyalty, honesty, though they get offended by a snub or indifference. They are good at expressing their emotions and make them obvious rather than hiding them.
• They are people with high moral integrity and social values. They strive to be kind and decent human beings. 
• They consider facts and details over ideas and concepts. Also, prefer planned and organized routine over unpredictable and spontaneous plans.
• They are ‘providers’ because of their sincere efforts to do their best for others in every possible way. They are very sensitive to the needs of other peoples.

ESFJ or Consul’s Strengths and Weaknesses

Consul Strengths

Let’s take a look at the strengths of the people with the ESFJ personality. Some of them are:

• Extrovert and Outgoing – They are the ultimate people’s person as they are really comfortable and outgoing while interacting with people. They are good listeners and don’t just pretend but are genuinely interested in people. Striking a conversation with people is a piece of cake for Consuls, as they are extremely vehement and enthusiastic. This quality makes them confident and drives them to play an active and important role in the community.
  
  
• True-Blue – Consuls are extremely loyal and can always be relied upon. They have the quality of keeping themselves unwavering and committed to a particular viewpoint. They have high values for consistency and steadiness and hence strives to maintain the status quo. This quality makes them trustworthy and reliable people to depend upon.
  
  
• Altruistic – ESFJs are genuinely concerned about others and make sincere efforts to help others in every possible manner. They are kind-hearted, sensitive, and always prefer a sense of harmony and peace. They are thoughtful about other’s feelings and emotions. This quality of being selfless, generous, and altruistic makes them genuine people to look for when in need.
  
  
• Organized and Sorted – Consuls are highly organized and prefer following a routine and a schedule for the smallest of the tasks. Checklists and planners are their best friends, making them quite punctual. This quality ensures the utmost utilization of time and permits them to invest it into productive activities instead of procrastinating.
  
  
• Conscientious – ESFJs are always counted on, for their work is complete to the mark. They are sincerely dedicated to their tasks and responsibilities, leaving no stone unturned to ensure foolproof work. This quality makes them productive and efficient and hence an asset for any organization.

Consul Weaknesses

Let’s take a look at the weaknesses of the people with the ESFJ personality. Some of them are:

• Inflexible – Consuls are mostly inflexible and resistive to changes and adaptability. Their value systems are derived from the world around them and considered socially acceptable rather than from mysticism, philosophy, or inner thoughts. They find it difficult to believe anything unconventional or outside the mainstream and are even critical about the same. This is one of the major drawbacks of the Consuls.  Hence they should always strive to become more flexible and accepting rather than pushing their own belief systems on others.
  
  
• Sensitive Towards Indifferences –  People with the ESFJ personality are vulnerable and sensitive towards criticisms or indifferences. They can be very hurt, and if anyone, especially someone close to them, reprehends or pick holes in their habits or works. Consuls should learn to handle criticisms well and respect the differences in the opinions of other peoples. This weakness could otherwise make it really difficult for them to adjust to people with indifferent opinions.
  
  
• Controlling – Consuls have more of a commanding and controlling approach. They try to rule the roost expecting everyone to follow them without questioning and criticizing them. Though these qualities, on the one hand, makes them excellent leaders but on the other hand, excessive dominance and regulation often lead to autocratic leadership, which is not appreciated nowadays. Thus, they should be less dictating and more accommodating.
  
  
• Extremely Open-Handed – ESFJs are too selfless, altruistic, and philanthropic. It is said that ‘too much of anything is always pernicious, possessing these qualities somewhere unhealthy. Often, they ignore their own needs in the process of helping others. Their personality also insists that sometimes they might help someone who doesn’t even need or want help. Hence, it’s essential for Consuls not to overdo, instead only when it’s really required.
  
  
• Too Needy – People with the ESFJ traits are too needy for compliments and people’s appreciation. They need people’s attention and praise for most of their work, and if it goes unnoticed, they will start seeking it. They need the people to assure them daily that they are valued and appreciated. This could be a major shortcoming in the overall personality of the ESFJs’. 

ESFJ or Consul in Different Roles

We will now take a look at how people with the ESFJ are in the different roles and relations:

• As a Friend – People with the Consul personality tend to be very good friends who are always ready on their toes to help others. They are those whole-hearted, exuberant, and enthusiastic people with large friend circles to hang around who prefer get-togethers and gatherings. Consuls are kind-hearted and altruistic and put sincere efforts into maintaining a relationship. They are honest and loyal and can always be counted on as a friend who can be trusted upon. If you have a friend with a Consul personality, hold on to them because they are absolutely great friends who will stand beside you no matter what, acting as a constant source of help and support. 
  
  
• As a Romantic Partner – People with the Consul personality don’t really believe in casual flings and value stability in relationships. They have ultimate marriage and family goals and are very serious and committed to every step, right from dating to relationship. They highly value honesty and loyalty and build their relationships on the concrete basis of trust, respect, support, and understanding for each other. They are very warm and sensitive people who want their partners to make them feel valued, loved, and respected. They are also very sensual and affectionate and hence great sexual partners.
  
  
• As Parents – Consuls are sensitive yet firm, and hence a perfect balance is required in parenthood. Having children is one of the pinnacles they long for, and they like to cherish every moment of it. As parents, they are a perfect mixture of compassion, warmth, kindness, and love, along with the requisite authority. They tend to understand the fine line between being protective and overly-possessive and trying to provide a sense of freedom to their children. They try to teach their children life lessons at the right time to prepare them for the challenges that lie ahead in their lives.  

ESFJ or Consul Suitable Career Paths

The best possible career paths and opportunities for an individual are the ones that conform to the characteristics and the nature of the individual. As a result, it is essential to get familiar with one’s personality type and choose the most suitable career option. 

People with the ESFJ personality are outgoing, organized, altruistic, providers, and sensible. Thus, the best possible career for Consuls is choosing a job that fulfills all the key requirements, such as which makes them feel appreciated and valued and also makes them realize that they have genuinely helped and supported someone. They are highly organized and hence provide a structure to the workplace, and enjoy working at organizations having a specified hierarchy for the roles and responsibilities. Dealing with predictable and monotonous work is their cup of tea, and they can always be counted on as they are very committed and responsible.  

Social Service and Healthcare Services are the two major field areas where they can excel and find success. Some other professions that they can prefer are: School Teacher, Counsellor, School Administrator, Child Care Provider, all Healthcare sector services, Public Relations Officer, HR Manager, etc. are some of the professions suitable for their personality.

There are some professions that people with the ESFJ personality should avoid. Though, it should be noted here that there is no profession that an individual can’t excel at. Any person with any personality type can be successful in any profession if he/she wants to. But, pursuing a career that demands skills and qualities that are not naturally innate in a person due to the personality type may prove to be stressful and draining. Hence, people with the ESFJ should avoid occupations that demand them to operate outside their natural requirements of being the provider, caregiver, organized, extrovert and enthusiastic. They should avoid Electrical, Mechanical, Software Engineer, Actor, Editor, Economist, Attorney, Investment Banker, etc. 

At last, we can conclude that everyone should first get familiar with their personality type, know their strengths and weaknesses, and then act accordingly. This would ensure increased success and satisfaction of people and eventually help them lead a peaceful and prosperous life. This would thereby fulfill the very purpose of the Myers-Briggs Personality Indicator.

Also read The Commander Personality – Strength and Weaknesses