Jocko Willink MBTI Personality Type
Personality
What personality type is Jocko Willink? Jocko Willink is an ESTJ personality type in MBTI, 8w7 - so/sx - 863 in Enneagram, SCOEN in Big 5, LSI in Socionics.
SO/SP Aggressive/Conscientious 8w7 ESTJ in my opinion. I’ve read four of his books and I do not see how anyone could reach the conclusion that he’s other than a Te-dominant. Especially Leadership Strategy and Tactics: A Field Manual is a Te bonanza. Technical discussions of the scenarios in which it is appropriate to lead from the front vs lead from the rear. Technical discussions of how to lead a team comprised of people with more subject matter expertise than you have about their specific roles (ie snipers know more than their CO about shooting). It’s all Te stuff. He is so nuanced in his analysis of Te implications, it’s hard to imagine he is not one. If you’re a Te you could take it and apply the lessons elsewhere easily. You would have to think he is just regurgitating things he was taught by other Te-types over the course of four books to think that he’s not a Te. I debated about Ni vs Si secondary and he is very serious and conscientious. He also sticks to facts and doesn’t extrapolate. He rarely if ever makes analogies. His focus on standard procedure is consistent with Ni-POLR because that’s how ESTJs manage chaotic situations without having an Ni ability to predict things ahead of time. Further discussion: Why not ESFP? If I’m forced to hang my hat on a function argument, I’ll say this. If he were an ESFP, he would have Ti POLR. Jocko doesn’t have Ti POLR. I have no evidence of Ti POLR. All the hallmarks of Ti POLR—disregard for rules and procedures, inconsistent behavior, tendency not to engage in systematic decision making, unstructured lifestyles—aren’t present here. Like not at ALL. Your POLR is just the inverse of the aux/tool function/2nd slot. It's Fi if you're Ti aux, Si if you're Ni aux, etc. The idea is that your POLR is the least developed and most ignored function of all. The inferior is valued, but it's very weak and undeveloped. The POLR is not valued, and it's very weak and undeveloped. It's in the "shadow" of the ego block. Note that I don't like the term "blind" because "blind" connotes a total lack of seeing. We're not talking about a total lack, just about a function that isn't developed and that a person doesn't appreciate, either. Ti POLR people sometimes just say things that don't make sense at all, and sometimes they act completely inconsistently with how they acted before. This is why EXFPs are seen as "flaky". Jocko is a brick wall, the opposite of flaky. A Ti rule isn't a rule that someone imposed on you, it's a rule of logic or a rule the person has chosen. Ti POLR people don't "choose" like that; they don't feel the need to be consistent or have a clear ideology or set of logical principles. Does this sound like Jocko? Not in the least. Why not ESTP? Fi POLR looks like someone who gets carried away with blunt truth-telling, self-service, and argumentative tendencies to the point where it completely pisses people off, oftentimes on purpose. Fi POLR people will use Ti to poke and prod and tear down to get a rise out of people, indifferent to how it makes other people feel. Fi POLR people may even get off on "triggering" them. Fi POLR people are also very bad at putting themselves in other peoples' shoes. Empathy, understanding the other side's point of view, etc., is something Fi POLR people are pretty bad at. I don't see much Fi on the surface of Jocko but I definitely don't see Fi POLR. Why ESTJ? Ni POLR looks like someone who is unconcerned with, unaware of, or unable to predict the likely consequences of things. ESTJ always has a previous experience of things that he can link to and know what he’s done before, what’s normal and what’s routine and what’s typical. The disadvantage is that when things defy his Te-frame problem, he can’t really come to terms with the singular reality of it. The most Ni POLR thing in the world is probably the missed deadline on the construction project, because the ESTJ project manager set ambitious goals, paid lots of attention to detail, but didn't prioritize or look too far beyond the immediate to anticipate what could happen. This is why Ni POLR people typically end up working pretty hard, and rely heavily on procedures and rules that are based on past experience. I say Ni POLR for Jocko because an ENTJ would be more, "we should do A and not B because if we do A they'll do C and that's good, but if we do B they'll do D, which we don't want." It's more anticipatory. It's more Sun Tzu, "attack where they're weakest, be where they don't expect," etc. Which is situational, and depends 100% on observation of the enemy over time, learning and studying the enemy so you can see where he is weak, see where he is strong, and predict his moves. I don’t see how people could think he is a 1, either.
Biography
John Gretton "Jocko" Willink (born September 8, 1971) is an American podcaster, author, and retired United States Navy SEAL. He received the Silver Star and Bronze Star for his service in the Iraq War. Willink was commander of SEAL Team Three's Task Unit Bruiser during the Battle of Ramadi. Willink graduated from the University of San Diego in 2003 with a bachelor's degree in English. Together with fellow former SEAL Leif Babin, Willink wrote the book Extreme Ownership and founded the consulting firm Echelon Front. Willink hosts a weekly podcast with friend and Brazilian jiu jitsu practitioner Echo Charles, called the Jocko Podcast.
