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{<b><p16>ESTP:  Making the Most of the Moment<n><p12> }
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{The ESTP is a somewhat risk-taking, entrepreneurial, give-it-a-go person, a type with a real flair for most things. The ESTP has a fly-by-the-seat-of-the-pants attitude and is pleased to have everyone know about it. With a basic built-in restlessness, these are the hyperactive "doers," who like to keep their hands in a variety of pots, churning as much as they can to keep everyone on their toes and to keep life exciting. 

ESTPs prefer to scan the external world of people, things, and action (Extraversion). They perceive the world in a hands-on, grounded fashion (Sensing), which they use as the basis for objective and impersonal cause-and-effect-based decisions (Thinking). All of this is constantly and immediately translated through a lifestyle that is spontaneous, flexible, and responsive to whatever happens (Perceiving). As a result of being so grounded and so Extraverted, ESTPs tend to be up front and "out there" about life, capitalizing on each moment -- because that's all one can be sure of. You only go around once in life, the ESTP believes, and it is incumbent on each individual to make the most of it. For example, ESTPs can be so wrapped up in the moment that they can tell a story, overload it with exciting and colorful details, keep everyone in stitches, and have no point whatsoever. Clearly, this can be extremely frustrating to those hanging on every word. 

The nonconforming nature of ESTPs can make life especially difficult for females of this type. Like other Thinking women, they can become caught in the tension between social expectations and demands (to be nurturing and interpersonally sensitive) and their natural preferences (to be objective and remain detached from personal involvement). As a result, ESTP females can be quite rebellious, further exacerbating their gender ambiguity in the eyes of most sexist work forces. The combination of Sensing and Thinking -- hands-on, tangible objectivity -- is, by itself, somewhat at odds with expectations of what is "feminine" in our society. It is a straightforward, direct, nonpersonal approach to life. If the ESTP female is capable and effective in living her preferences, then she is apt to work in isolation, shunned by women who may be jealous of her ability to remain objective or by those who simply don't understand her. Men, for their part, find ESTP women's direct, pragmatic approach to life totally incomprehensible. Being a direct, witty, competent, and somewhat risk-taking female, no matter how refreshing, can leave old-fashioned colleagues aghast. 

Like other Thinking types, ESTPs separate work and home, public and private, personal and impersonal, and everything else. If the ESTP female can accept these separations, she will likely affirm that she is no less feminine and that her contribution to the workplace can be significant. Still, she will be faced with the challenge of convincing others that her competency and her femininity can coexist. But this convincing will be best accomplished when starting from a position of self-confidence. 

Male ESTPs have a somewhat easier situation - but only "somewhat." Because their restlessness, love of the moment, and "fly-now-pay-later" lifestyle can cause them trouble when dealing with the structured, deadline-oriented, follow-through, focused workplace. So, while it may be more acceptable for males to be ESTP, it is still a type that will receive inordinate pressure to conform to the overall organizational type. ESTP males will resent such pressures and may react with disdain and rebellion. 

The nonconforming nature of both male and female ESTPs often results in their prematurely tiring of the structured workplace, sticking around only long enough to master some skill. Ultimately, in their impatience, if they have not yet reached retirement, they will take their skill from job to job or engage in some form of independent work, either of which will offer the ESTP more immediate rewards. 

The ESTP's overall work style is a potpourri of many things, largely driven by whatever works for the moment. Given the right incentives or deadlines, they may dig in and be both productive and dynamic. When the pace slows or the incentives disappear, it may be time to put up one's feet and shoot the breeze with colleagues. Rarely are they restrained by procedures or protocol. The sum total of this is unpredictability: When an ESTP is around, expect a spontaneous argument or a sudden burst of enthusiasm that leads the rest of the organization into some new adventure. Such apparent leadership notwithstanding, don't look to an ESTP for direction; they are less likely to take charge than to get wholeheartedly behind others' programs. 

ESTPs are masters at getting to the heart of matters. Don't try to baffle an ESTP with flowery ideas and words; they not only see through it immediately, but your credibility will be lost with your own eloquence. Getting on with things -- giving something a try, even a less-than-perfect idea -- is better than debating it endlessly or studying it into submission. Doing something is always better than doing nothing -- that's the Sensor's motto -- and if you're a Perceiver, you can always change horses in midstream if things aren't going well. No matter that you didn't follow rules and regulations. If you get it done, the mere accomplishment will mend any people or policies that got bent out of shape along the way. For the ESTP, tomorrow is a new day, and most of today's stuff will already be passe or irrelevant. As a result of this devil-may-care attitude, ESTPs are usually controversial leaders or workers. 

One of the significant contributions of ESTPs to the workplace is their appreciation of the present moment. If we learn anything from SPs generally, and ESTPs most of all, it's that the only moment we can be sure of is the present one. Guilt over the past won't undue what has been done, and fear or even anticipation of the future is fruitless. ESTPs believe that focusing guilt, fear, or other such emotions upon the past or future only tends to make us less effective in the present. Get what you can and move on. For the ESTP, you work hard, and when it's time, you play hard. Don't bother with work that is intended to fulfill some long-range goal or requirement; that's all a waste. If the present is less than satisfying, don't avoid it or wish it away -- change it now. 

A second contribution of ESTPs is their ability to bring options to immediate situations and move beyond the routines that might otherwise stifle productivity. For the ESTP all life is an option, and if your bent is to try almost anything once, something good is bound to come of it. Everything is negotiable, and there are alternatives to whatever is hindering a particular situation or action. So try, and try again. The trying not only gives you something to do, but it will inevitably create other options. 

A third strength of ESTPs is the grounded pragmatism that surrounds them in the workplace. Working one project at a time is akin to living one day at a time, and that's where one focuses the energy of the organization. The ESTP has a sense of precision and attention to detail that is profound and can be very helpful when teamed up with another type whose absence of detail could stymie the project. ESTPs' social gregariousness makes them generally good team players, and, as such, quite willing to be sure the specifics of a job are covered. 

It's this same live-for-the-moment attitude that can engender ESTPs with a laissez-faire mindset toward dependability and direction. Just when one is counting on them, they can be "somewhere else," either physically or mentally. It's a classic ESTP excuse to say, "I really intended to be here to help, but at the last minute . . . ." As a last-minute type, "last minutes" become excuses for ESTPs to be anywhere other than where one expects them to be. Such apparent flakiness is not only frustrating to more structured types, but can be downright disastrous to productivity. 

Another weakness is the ESTP's proclivity for getting lost in the details of the moment. Their love of facts and figures can lead them to gather information for information's sake, ultimately inundating everyone with data for which there is no meaning or purpose. Thus, when a colleague or superior is seeking results, the ESTP's response could be, "I'm working on it" or "What's your hurry?" both of which may be accurate albeit unhelpful. At their worst ESTPs can get so wrapped up in details that it can become difficult for them to sort out what's necessary to complete a project. 

A third weakness of ESTPs is their highly visible restlessness when it comes to routines and other mundane details of life. You can tell in a second whether ESTPs are bored with something; they wear their restlessness and impatience on their proverbial sleeves. One can see how such impulsive behavior carries with it a win-big-or-lose-big price tag, with very little in between. Feeling types are apt to personalize this impatience, assuming it's their own problem, not the ESTP's. Other Thinking types tend to dismiss ESTPs variously as hyperactive, immature, or someone who needs their hind quarters kicked for their own good. Clearly the ESTP would be wise to attempt to lengthen his or her attention span. Similarly, other types would be wise to try to help the ESTP see that routines, even at their worst, are necessary evils; at best, they can become a challenging and productive way for the ESTP to move through the day.

<b>Workplace Contribution:<n>
Goes with the flow, takes the unexpected, allows variables and delivers what needs to be delivered

<b>Pathway to Professional Growth:<n>
Must learn to be patient with routines and to be aware that others may find comfort in structure, rules and reflecting about future possibilities

<b>Leadership Qualities:<n>
Keeps themselves and others on their toes by being open and responsive to the unexpected and abandoning rules of hierarchy and tradition in the name of expediency

<b>Team Spirit:<n>
Teams can be fun; however, without constant action and variation, they can run aground in dull meetings}