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You're listening to the Enneagram at Work Podcast, a show about understanding people at work, including yourself. I'm your host, Sarah Wallace, and I'm looking forward to diving into this week's episode with you. Are you working with an Enneagram type seven? In the episode today, we are going to be looking at some more details about our type 7 energy, and we might recognize somebody on our team, or maybe we're already thinking that somebody on our team is a type 7. And so this episode is meant to give you a starting point for starting to understand them, not to, you know, know everything about them or to put a label on them and make assumptions about what they're capable of or think we're we're we know their next move, right? Um I give this disclaimer at the beginning of each of these. Um, but it's a starting point, a place to ask questions. Maybe you send this episode to somebody on your team that you think is a type seven and see what resonates. What would you say about working with you? What should I know about work, getting along with you better at work? What are your what are your preferences based on what you know the episode said? What would you disagree? What would you add? Um, and so just a place for a conversation. And um today we are going to start off with a quick profile of our type seven. Um, if you are new to this podcast, you're listening to the very first one, um, this episode is part of a series and we have covered type five and type six so far. We're gonna be looking at type eight soon. Um, that'll be the next one. Um, so I hope you will go back and listen to those and then continue to follow along. Um, if you are back for the first or back again, uh I'm I'm glad to have you back. Um, it's good to hang out. So um with that, our profile of a seven. Um at the end of the day, the thing that makes a seven a seven is this striving to feel excited. And I think a lot of times there is some stereotyping that this excited feeling or this look is just kind of like manic, hyperactive behavior, kind of life of the party. And yes, there are those types of sevens, but not all seven sevens are necessarily excited in that way. They might be excited about uh, you know, a little less hype about a book or a new idea or a thought, and they just kind of are quietly getting excited about it on a walk, right? So, you know, we want to be careful about what we think excited looks like. Um, but the sevens are striving to feel excited. They want experiences and people and ideas to feel excited by. They're striving to feel satisfied and happy and looking to avoid any uncomfortable feelings, any hard feelings, um, and anything that could, you know, make them feel less than happy, uh, make them feel trapped, put commitments, take away their options. One of their superpowers is this ability to energize others. They tend to be magnetic. Um, people are drawn to their energy, to their ideas, to their enthusiasm. They shine at work when they have an opportunity to leverage that enthusiasm for a project, for a presentation. Maybe you're going to a trade show, uh, maybe you have a workshop or for a cause, you're looking to raise money, you're looking to get the word out. Um, our sevens are gonna have that superpower, not just to be excited themselves, but to get others excited. Now, some challenges with this energy is that sometimes that same energy that gives us the superpower when overused can come across as scattered. Um, it can be tough sometimes for sevens who maybe are not as self-aware to follow through with all these exciting opportunities and new ideas. Um, they start a lot of bridges, but in that kind of average level of health, it's they they don't always finish them. So a follow through uh can be something that our sevens struggle with. Sometimes maybe impulsiveness can be a struggle. Um, whereas last week we talked about how much time our sixes really appreciate being able to weigh the options, to pull the data, to look at the information, look at trends, pros and cons list, um, and really study the information before they make a decision. Sevens a lot of times will just kind of impulsively go with maybe what seems most exciting, most fun, maybe even what's new. This idea of toxic positivity is something that we have talked about with our sevens and at work, it can be, you know, kind of this like blinded by rose-colored glasses, like, oh, this will all work out. And it's like, well, we don't have the budget for this, or we don't have the people for this, or um, dismissing people's, you know, maybe they're worried about something and being dismissive of those feelings and for the for the sake of being more positive and optimistic. Um, and then it can be hard sometimes for sevens, even though they're driven by this need to feel satisfied. Um, ironically, they can rarely feel satisfied. Again, when they're kind of in that maybe like less self-aware stages. And so they can just like constantly be after the next shiny object. FOMO, grass is greener are all sayings that you'll hear with our sevens because they're seeking that satisfaction and never really giving themselves a chance to be satisfied in the present moment where they are right now. Um, you how to know if you are working with the type seven. Maybe somebody's already come into mind, but a couple of clues that we'll go through are the to help you know if you might be working with the type seven is that they just they tend to be very smiley, happy, upbeat, um, and generally fun to be around and they make work fun. And it is a myth that sevens are always happy, are always um want to be the life of the party. Sometimes they're really struggling on the inside, but most of the time on the outside, our sevens are just this kind of smiley, upbeat um people that they at least that's how they want to present themselves, regardless of what's going on. So on the outside, looking in, um, you might notice this in your type seven teammate. Um, you might be working with a type seven if they love talking about new ideas and plans and just tend to be very future-oriented, visionary about what's possible. You might find yourself just getting really energized and excited anytime you have a conversation or anytime you're in a meeting or working on a project with the seven because of this just exciting vision that they're painting. You might be working with a type seven if they can get very enthusiastic and animated when they are talking about a plan that they're working on. And it's like, oh, I have this idea and I've been playing with this and I've been tweaking this and thinking about this. Um, and we'll talk about what not to do if if at all possible in these situations. But um, we don't want to, if you happen to be a type, any other type except for seven, and it's like, oh, here we go again, another idea. They may not necessarily be ready to start on it tomorrow or thinking that they'll ever start on it. But they there's just some sort of um satisfaction that comes from brainstorming and talking about the possibilities. And so when you can, um not always possible, obviously, but when you can, just allow your type seven teammate to dream, to envision what could happen, um, ask questions, um, and and and definitely try not to kind of shut them down with like, oh, we can never do that. That's never possible. And there will be situations where it's like crystal clear to you that that couldn't happen. Um, but typically sevens will get there on their own. And it's just like, just this moment, I'm I'm finding a lot of joy and just dreaming up this. Um, you might be working with a type seven if they struggle to focus on projects that don't excite them. So, you know, as a teammate, you might really notice this, like, oh gosh, we started on this. I had so much, you know, they were all gung and ho and ready to go. And here we are a week into it, three weeks into it, and they like they checked out. But right, it's just like it's pulling teeth to get them to turn in their part or to speak up or whatever that might be. Um, if it's if it's not something that excites our sevens. You might be working with a type seven if they can find good rationalizations for things that they want to do and maybe really shouldn't be doing, um, or things they should be doing but aren't doing. Like they're they're gonna put a positive spin on it. And it's it's kind of it's almost a little trickery. I don't know that they mean it to be that way. It's just the way that their mind works sometimes, is like, oh, I can always see the positive. I can always justify for the positive of this situation, why I'm not doing this or why I am but shouldn't be. I got a good reason. Here, here it is. I got a good reason. Um, another clue that you might be working with a type seven, if it can be hard to talk to them about what's not going well. Maybe they seem to always find a way to duck out when the mood gets heavy. Now, as a teammate, this would be hard to, you know, really develop trust and uh feel like this is a some this is somebody that that you could count on. Um, and also I would say even more importantly, as a leader, um, a type seven leader can really struggle with this. Um, things aren't going well, you're behind schedule, somebody's having a hard day, they lost a pet, you know, whatever the the heaviness might be, um, they're gonna find a way to either kind of like this is saying, duck out or put a positive spin, that toxic positivity, everything will work out, everything happens for a reason. Um, so as a seven, this is one of the places of growth uh that can really be beneficial for a leader, for a teammate, and something that you will notice um almost immediately when you start practicing it, just being able to sit with people who are going through a hard time can really deepen your relationships and build trust. Um, you might be working with a type seven, last clue here. If they can overbook themselves, arrive late to meetings, and maybe even forget commitments. Now, again, not all sevens do this. Um, but sometimes maybe in that less self-aware stage, it's like they want to say yes to everything. And it's not because they're afraid to say no, it's because they want to say yes and they want to do it and they're excited about doing it, but they've overbooked themselves. And so then, like this is saying, then they're running behind or they can't do it all, um, maybe even forgetting things because they're not writing it down, or they just have so much going on. And so this will be that another place of growth for our type sevens, but you might see this in a teammate. Now, how do we get along better with our type seven teammates? How can we better understand them? What are some of their preferences? Um, this list is by no no means exhaustive, but a couple of things to keep in mind that could be a starting point to maybe ask somebody that you think is a type seven, like, is this true for you? Or what would what would you prefer instead? Um to get along with a type seven at work, avoid excessive negativity and criticism when possible. Um, maybe you know their new idea isn't gonna work, or there is just a terrible problem uh that they need to be aware of. Um, is there a way to maybe make it less negative? Is there a way to be a little less critical? Maybe not, and that's okay. Sometimes um the work for a seven sometimes is to face reality, to be a little, to bring in a little more realism and a little less positivity to kind of find a happy medium there depending on the situation. Um, but it's really, it's gonna, they're gonna shut down. It's gonna, they're gonna, it's gonna be hard for them to listen to you when you're someone in front of them, maybe you or someone else is being overly excessive, overly negative. Um when possible, allow them to work independently as much as possible. I think they really like to be part of a group, um, but also they like to be kind of nimble and jump from one thing to the next and not necessarily um feel like, oh, they're trapped or confined to a specific way of working. Give them space to flush out good ideas. Again, um not every idea they have is gonna be a good one, uh, but they won't get to the good ones unless they have that place to flush out the good ones. Um, they're not necessarily big rebels, but they do very much dislike being controlled. So as much as possible, when it's possible, knowing that it won't always be possible, allow for flexibility and options as much as you can. And then lastly, something that's going to mean a lot to a type seven is to respect their preferences and their freedom, and they're gonna do the same to you. So, you know, not being overly dependent on them or um having these, you know, expectations that they're gonna do something a certain way or they're gonna act a certain way, allowing them um to be fluid when possible and respecting that like I would never do it this way, ever. But this is their preference. It's a what is that organized chaos. Maybe it's like, oh my gosh, I don't know how we're keeping track of this. I wish they would keep their calendar or I wish they would, you know, fill out the team calendar or you know, take their their project notes in in this way. Um, and that may be necessary for for the good of the team. And so at that time, that's a point for our sevens to grow, um, or just to do something, you know, that may not come natural to them. It doesn't mean they can't do it, but when possible, just respecting the way that they like to do things and their freedom. Like I said, they'll do the same for you. So next week, we are going to have a guest interview. Um, so we'll bring in, we'll bring back our guest uh episodes. And then after that episode, we'll jump back into the series, starting with eight, nine, and then move to one, and then we'll we'll keep it going. Um, so as always, thank you so much for being here. If you happen to be a seven and there's things that you would add or you have questions about, um, or you think, oh, I I might be working with a type seven, I wonder this. Um, share your experience. Um, or you know that you're working with a type six. They've told you they identify as a type six and you want to share your experience. Um feel free to email me, Sarah S-A-R-A-H at enneagrammba.com, or message me over on LinkedIn or Instagram and share your experience, and we'll we'll bring that feedback back to the show in a future episode. So, as always, thanks for being here, and I hope to see you in the next one.