The Trailblazer ENTP
Opens up new avenues, so the team always has more than one way forward.
45 work situations, about ten minutes.
What the four letters in ENTP mean
Energy
EExtraversion
Energised by people
Information
NIntuition
Drawn to possibilities
Decision-making
TLogic
Goes where the logic leads
Organisation
PFlexibility
Adapts as things unfold
Each letter sums up a leaning. The test measures each dimension as a percentage, and lots of people land near the middle on at least one of them.
The Trailblazer at work
💪 Strengths
Comes up with fresh ideas and angles just when everyone thought there was nothing left to say.
Knows when it's time to change course, and isn't shy about saying so.
🌱 Environment
Thrives on the new and the unsolved, where nobody has written the rulebook yet.
🤝 Working together
An objection doesn't stop them, it gets them going: it's something to sharpen the idea against.
Picks up other people's ideas and spins new ones out of them.
On Take Your Skills, this portrait sits alongside the recommendations written by people who've worked with you.
The Trailblazer, day to day in a team
In a brainstorm, the Trailblazer comes up with three ideas where one was expected, then pokes holes in them out loud to find the weak spots. A constraint everyone treats as fixed becomes a question: what if we did it differently? That energy opens up options the team hadn’t considered, especially early in a project, when nothing is set in stone and almost anything is still possible.
When something unexpected happens, the Trailblazer often sees an opportunity before seeing a problem, and suggests a workaround in the same breath. When a decision needs making, they like to argue it through out loud, switch perspectives and rephrase the question. Informal conversations matter a great deal: a chat by the coffee machine can turn into a prototype the following week, and then into a whole new project for the team.
The work this profile thrives on
Dreaming up a new offer
Exploring uses, business models or markets that few have tapped yet, and putting forward several concepts to test before settling on the most promising.
Getting a prototype out
Turning an idea into a first testable version within days, gathering reactions and then changing tack without clinging to the original.
Breaking a deadlock
Finding the option nobody had put on the table when two sides have dug in, by reframing what each of them really wants.
Rethinking an old process
Taking a fresh look at a way of working that’s been in place for years, and proposing something simpler or better suited to how people work today.
Running the ideas phase
Leading the workshops where a team goes looking for ideas: keeping the conversation going, bringing different viewpoints together and pushing each suggestion a step further.
When this profile leads a team
With the Trailblazer in charge, ideas flow freely: everyone is invited to suggest, question and test, whatever their seniority. Meetings often feel like open working sessions where the answers are built together. Quick experiments are encouraged, and it’s accepted that some won’t come off, as long as the team learns something from them.
The team gets a stimulating place to work and a lot of freedom to start things. People who love learning find plenty of variety and regular chances to work beyond their usual remit. To make sure new ideas turn into results, the Trailblazer is happy to bring in people who enjoy follow-through and finishing, and to hand them responsibility for delivery.
What wears this profile out
- Work that’s mapped out down to the last step, where suggesting a different approach is neither expected nor allowed.
- Long stretches of admin and monitoring, all readings, updates and reports, with no new question to explore.
- Meetings where an idea is shot down with “we’ve always done it this way”, and nobody takes the time to discuss whether it actually has merit.
Working with a ENTP
Engage with the substance of the Trailblazer’s ideas, even if it’s to disagree: a genuine debate is worth far more to them than polite nodding.
Help them choose. When several ideas are in play, suggest criteria for picking the one to see through.
Agree together on when an idea moves from exploring to doing, and on who will look after it day to day.
Give them the problems the team thinks can’t be solved, and leave room to experiment.
Complementary profiles
- The StrategistINTJBoth love new ideas and both decide on logic. The Trailblazer opens up possibilities in conversation; the Strategist picks one and builds it into a plan to see through quietly. One brings the options, the other the staying power.
- The EnergiserESFPBoth get their energy from other people and enjoy the unexpected. The Energiser grounds the Trailblazer’s ideas in the here and now, and in colleagues keen to get going straight away, while the Trailblazer gives that enthusiasm fresh directions to run in.
Which pillar of your team are you?
Work through 45 real-life work situations and find out what you're really like at work.
Frequently asked questions about the ENTP profile
Why do ENTPs like to argue?
For ENTPs, debate is a way of working: testing an idea against objections shows how solid it is and leads to a better version. It isn’t contrarianism or a love of conflict. The clearest sign is how a good counter-proposal is received: with enthusiasm, and the discussion immediately picks up again on new ground, usually firmer than before.
What work environment suits an ENTP?
Open problems, new subjects and freedom in how to tackle them. Variety keeps the energy up: switching between projects, working with other teams, trying approaches nobody has tried before. A light framework, with clear objectives and help with follow-up, is what turns that energy into results. Talking to the person is still the best guide.
What’s the difference between ENTP and ENFP at work?
Both open up new avenues and enjoy novelty. The Trailblazer (ENTP) judges an idea first on its logic and feasibility, and is happy to test it through debate. The Connector (ENFP) judges it first by its effect on people, and rallies them around the project. Reasoned exploration on one side, shared momentum on the other. The test describes a tendency, and most people draw on both depending on the situation.