How the Enneagram Types Help and Hurt Their Team

Let’s dive into the strengths and blind spots of the Enneagram Types and how each type
affects their team at work.

Stronger together? Maybeeeee?! The strengths of the Enneagram Types are also our achilles heel—

While it’s important to know what our natural strengths are (which our Enneagram Type reveals to us), it’s even MORE important to be willing to investigate our blind spots!

Here is a quick list of how each Enneagram type helps their team

ENNEAGRAM TYPE ONE: set, reflect and teach high standards

ENNEAGRAM TYPE TWO: take time to listen and care

ENNEAGRAM TYPE THREE: endless energy to execute

ENNEAGRAM TYPE FOUR: make it okay to have emotions

ENNEAGRAM TYPE FIVE: do your research and everyone else’s

ENNEAGRAM TYPE SIX: really consider what might go wrong

ENNEAGRAM TYPE SEVEN: skillful ideation and vision casting

ENNEAGRAM TYPE EIGHT: speak directly and truthfully to all

ENNEAGRAM TYPE NINE: provide a grounded soundingboard

As we can see, each personality type brings a truly CRITICAL aspect to a team. However, it is our blind spots — the negative consequences of our default behaviors— that end up hurting ourselves and our team.

Here is a quick list of how each Enneagram Type hurts their team

ENNEAGRAM TYPE ONE: don’t truly share your frustrations

ENNEAGRAM TYPE TWO: cover your sadness with helpfulness

ENNEAGRAM TYPE THREE: expect others to work at your pace

ENNEAGRAM TYPE FOUR: take constructive feedback personally

ENNEAGRAM TYPE FIVE: prevent others from getting close

ENNEAGRAM TYPE SIX: question everything, including you

ENNEAGRAM TYPE SEVEN: don’t take responsibility for actions

ENNEAGRAM TYPE EIGHT: think your way is the right way

ENNEAGRAM TYPE NINE: don’t speak your opinions or desires

If you are a leader, this is incredibly important work to do. If you cannot see the impact of the way you show up (that is guaranteed to be different than the way most people on your team show up), then you cannot level up as a leader.

And the Enneagram gives you lanugage to see yourself more clearly-- AND a path to grow.

The reason our "natural strengths" of our Enneagram Type are also where we get stuck is because we have a tendency to overdo that behavior (like big time).

Always remember this: Health = Homeostasis

The Enneagram is a tool that can bring you back into balance by integrating the strengths of the other numbers. The point of the Enneagram is NOT to stay fixed in type, it is NOT to double down on your strengths... because as you can see, more of that one thing can lead to negative consquences.

By owning your blind spots, this allows your strengths to actually SHINE BRIGHTER!

Because you are no longer OVERdoing that thing (that so called "strength") as a reaction to your environment and oftentimes, even when you don't want to. You learn to consciously tap into that strength, to use it in a balanced way and in a way that doesn't cause harm to you or to your team.

Can you imagine? Think about how UNSTOPPABLE a team would be if everyone was doing the work to own their blindspots and work to integrate new strengths to bring balance to the way they show up.

If the Enneagram has helped you in work or on your team, I'd love to hear how raising your awareness of your patterns has helped you! Drop it into the comments below.

If you’re looking for a way to bring this transformational awareness to your team, drop me a note here— I’d love to facilitate a team development workshop for you!