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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. Welcome back to another episode here on the Enneagram at Work Podcast. I am your host, Sarah Wallace, founder and CEO here at Enneagram MBA, which is a team training company. All we do are get to work with, um, all we do is get to work with teens. Whether that is the team of an entire small business, maybe have 12, 15 people coming together, maybe it is a team inside a larger organization or a larger department, or maybe it's an entire department or several departments. I love those where we'll have multiple teams come together for some team building within their unit, but then we'll also do some kind of cross-department collaboration, um, awareness and activities. And that can be really powerful too. So if you are planning for some sort of team building event, staff retreat coming up this summer, I'm going to invite you to take a look at the EnneagramMBA.com website where that'll be a great starting point just to give you an idea of some of our standard workshop options, links, topics that we would cover, what's good for what type of group, cost, investment, all that good stuff over there on Enneagramba.com. Today we are continuing our series on using the Enneagram for performance reviews, feedback and performance reviews. So, of course, um, if you happen to identify with this type, I hope that you feel validated. I hope that it makes you feel not as crazy or you're not the only one. One of the things we talked about last week in the type six uh episode was just remembering this phrase, like that that makes sense. Whether it's you're getting some some feedback that might sting a little bit or you're giving some difficult feedback. It's like, hey, people last week we talked about type six. So, you know, it makes sense that people who, you know, really value safety and security and kind of are motivated by that would maybe struggle in this area. Or we're gonna be talking about our type seven today. Hey, it makes sense that somebody who um is really focused on, you know, excitement, striving to feel excited, wanting to feel happy and satisfied and avoid uncomfortable feelings. It makes sense why you would struggle in this area. You're not alone. And so just even that kind of that makes sense, um, can sometimes take the sting out of out of the feedback because I know we all want to just, I well, I don't want to say we all, most of us just want to think that we're, you know, doing everything perfect. And we don't need to do anything to to change. Um, or maybe we do, but and then hearing somebody else say it can just, oh, it can be hard. So um I know that this is not easy to get or give sometimes. And so the other intention for this series was to give those that are managing people um some just some additional insight about where someone on their team might be coming from so that they can better understand and speak to that motive or that value, and then also expand your language and expand maybe what you're looking for. And this is both when you're giving some difficult feedback, but also when you're giving praise and and compliments and letting people know what they did it did really well in. Because what I'll hear from some people is that they'll be like, well, you know, I I just I get like great job, excellent work, keep up the good job, you know, and it's like, well, that's good, but like what exactly, what exactly? And so if you happen to be a manager of people, maybe there'll be some things in these episodes that um can add to that feedback and and make it just a little more specific, and then by doing that, uh making it just that much more powerful and meaningful to the person on the receiving end. So today I mentioned we are going to be talking about our type sevens. Our sevens are striving to feel excited, they want to feel happy, they want to be satisfied. Um, they tend to look on the positive, they very much. They're probably one of the most optimistic, if not the most optimistic, on the entire Enneagram. Always looking at the glass half full, rose-colored glasses on, can see the possibility of what could go right in in almost anything. Love a good uh brainstorm session, love coming up with new ideas. Some of their strengths also include being able to uh inspire that same excitement and enthusiasm in other people. So that I mean, this is such a great leadership quality, too. It's like you have this ability to cast a vision and then get the rest of your team really excited about the possibilities and the potential uh of what we could accomplish if we move forward with this goal. They tend to be really energetic, they pretty up, very upbeat, I would say. Um they're in this uh assertive stance with the threes, the and the eights. They're in this kind of future-oriented uh world as well, where they tend to focus on the future, let's go far, let's go fast, let's jump into action. Our sevens are pretty spontaneous. Um, and they uh are pretty curious as well. So um kind of a little bit like the the five and that curiosity, and even even um the six can be really curious as well. And and sevens have some of that too, and it's kind of but it's coming from a place of not like curious, uh like, oh, I gotta have enough information or curious. I wanna, I wanna know all the the knowledge, I want to have all the knowledge. It's just kind of curious, curiosity about the world and like what's possible and what all is out there that I have yet to see and experience, and who haven't I met yet that I need to meet? And then having options is really important to a seven. Um, I think probably an ideal work environment for a seven uh is is that hybrid model where they have an option, you know, that you can work from home, you can work from the office, you can pick your day or whatever those are. Um, because I think even if it was completely hybrid and they had, you know, the flexibility of working from home, I know that a lot of times sevens do enjoy um getting being around people because being around people can really, you know, kind of uh what's the word, fuel their excitement as well. And you know, that back and forth exchange. So I know that they like that, but it's like that flexibility and options. And these are the people who might um, you know, make plans, make plans for tomorrow night, but also uh, you know, leave the door open to, you know, go with another group of friends or uh and leave the door open. Maybe I'll just, you know, stay home or, you know, just kind of have a couple things uh that they they might do and just kind of see how they feel uh and and maybe jump jump ship. Uh and I know on the receiving end of that it can feel like, oh gosh, they're so flaky or they never commit and never know what we're gonna do. Um, but that is again, that makes sense. That's very typical. But they bring so much uh so much life and energy and excitement to the workplace. It's really interesting, though, because uh I fours, fives, and sevens tend to be the least common type out of out of the the types in in the environments that I work in. So a lot of uh you know corporate corporations, a lot of small businesses where you're where you're on maybe a more structured schedule, where you have a routine, um, where especially in some of these larger organizations, there may be, you know, uh some some red tape and some oh gosh, you know, processes you have to hoops you have to jump through, all these policies you have to follow. And for some people, you know, it they they may like the structure. For some people, they might be kind of neutral to it. But for someone like a seven, that that can be a difficult environment. Now they can absolutely do it and they can find ways to thrive in it. But uh it's just kind of interesting. So I don't know that that's across the board. I can only speak in my personal experience, but um there's yeah, there's not a lot of sevens. There are um several people in in the group that can identify as a seven, and maybe that's their second or third type, and so they can see some of that in themselves, but are are kind of when we narrow it down, there tends to only be, you know, we're lucky. We're lucky if we have, you know, two sevens in the room, not of a group of, you know, maybe 40. So it's it is kind of interesting. Um, but again, that makes sense based on some of these things about the seven. So those are some strengths, and they will use this strategy of striving to feel excited to get things done. And they make incredible leaders because of this, they make incredible teammates. Um, they can really bring the group energy up. Um, now when that strength is overused, it gets dialed up a little too too much, or maybe gets dialed up in the wrong situation. Um they can some some of their struggles may be, and again, this is not all sevens, um, but sometimes they can find themselves kind of dominating conversations, but not dominating like, I'm gonna tell you what to do, follow me, listen to me. But there's just so much excitement that they want to tell their story or they want to um share their idea and they get so excited. Um, and so they can kind of um their their voice and their energy can kind of rise to the top, and maybe uh maybe some other people don't feel as heard because of that. And then sometimes they may struggle with sharing uncensored thoughts. Um, they may not they're maybe not as politically correct as a uh type one or a type three might be. Sometimes three and sevens um have uh some similarities and can struggle in the typing process. Uh, threesos tend to be just hyper aware of what other people think and what is kind of the quote unquote right or wrong thing to say in a situation. Now, the exception to this is going to be we've talked before in previous episodes about there being different flavors or subtypes of each type. There is a subtype called the navigating um subtype or the navigating instinctual bias. And when you overlay that with a type seven, you get this subtype that does tend to be a little more um others aware, a little more tuned in to group dynamics and office politics. And so that's why this is not true across the board. These are just some common tendencies where a seven might struggle when their strengths are turned up too high. Um, sometimes, again, they love a new idea, they get so excited, but we can all kind of struggle with like the the new idea is exciting, but then it's like the next day or the next week or the next month. It's like, gosh, you know, to complete something, it you are in the mundane, like you are sometimes doing repetitive tasks. You may not be doing the most exciting, you know, work. And that can be really hard for a seven. So they can really struggle with they have no shortage of new ideas, no shortage of creative, fun, exciting ideas. Zero. They love a good brainstorm. Um, and that is another way that sometimes you can tell between a three and a seven, is sevens love just to whiteboard, brainstorm. Think about it, seven or threes. I have heard from many threes that they hate that. They want to be left out of the brainstorm sessions, and they just want you to come to them when there are the goals are identified and the next step is identified so they can jump in and get to work. They don't necessarily want to sit around and pontificate. Um, so sevens will struggle leaving projects unfinished. They can become easily distracted and so kind of like like a, you know, uh like a ping pong ball back and forth. Um, but it's not even back and forth. It's kind of like uh, oh, I'm I'm blinking on the game where you have the ball and oh my gosh, and you click it and like it goes all the way up. Um, there's a clicker on either side. I am blinking, but it's kind of like that. And it's it's just like, oh my gosh, we could do this or we could do this. I have this. Look over here. Oh my gosh, this exciting thing. Um, and so they can become really easily distractive. Sevens love to jump into action, they are go-getters, they will kind of make it happen. However, sometimes when that strength is dialed up, it can be impulsive, they can jump without thinking, um, they can be really hyperactive. And we covered our six type six last week. Um, if you happen to uh be a six, leading a seven, or maybe you have a six and a seven that are teammates, this can sometimes be a frustrating work relationship because uh sevens will feel frustrated and slowed down, and it can feel like a downer when they're talking about this new exciting idea. And then the type six is thinking, or gonna raise their hand and ask, you know, well, have you thought about this? What might go wrong? Do we have a backup plan? I mean, are we sure we we should be jumping into this right now? And it's gonna feel so annoying and heavy and frustrating. Um, can't they just see what I see? And a six on the in that same conversation is also going to feel frustrated, but they're gonna feel frustrated because they're they always jump into this. Like, I don't want to be the one, you know, cleaning their mess up. I don't, I don't want to put us in a difficult position. I don't want to put us in the red. Um, you know, how is this gonna impact everybody? How's this gonna impact the the organization? What could go wrong? We're not thinking about this. So, you know, seven's gonna have that jump and the net will appear kind of energy. I believe everything will work out like it should. And a six is gonna be like, well, we got to make sure the net is there. Like, let's pack a parachute, let's have somebody go ahead and put out the net um in case, you know, and we'll have the parachute in case the net isn't there. And a seven is just jumping, right? And we need both, I mean, at the same time, they can really fret frustrate each other. They can be such a powerful um combination uh and and really add to the collaboration in a in a productive way because they're bringing yes, very different viewpoints, very different strengths, but they really fit nicely with each other when each person is kind of coming to the table with some understanding of each other. Um, and then each person is also coming with some some self-awareness too. Um, and then sevens, we've talked about this before. They can struggle with toxic positivity. Um, you know, oh gosh, we're uh this project is kind of draining our our budget. We're almost in the red here. Oh, it's you know, it's it's fine. Uh, rose colored glasses, it'll all work out. And it's like we love that energy, love that. Um, but exactly how, how will this work out? Um, and so we might need to add some specifics to that how we might need to take some action, we might need to change up some things. Um, and then that also can be really dismissive, either as a leader or as as a teammate, for somebody to to be going through something hard and for a seven to think, oh, it'll all work out, it'll be fine. Uh look on the bright side. And because they do tend to avoid uncomfortable situations, they will also avoid conflict. Um, and that can be really difficult in a work set situation as well. And then they may struggle with some uh fear of missing out, always wanting more. Um, you know, uh I I want to be put on this project because this sounds exciting, but then I'm also gonna miss out on this other opportunity. Do I want to be on that? And so sometimes they they don't get things done because they're constantly stepping into something new, trying something new, and never committing or seeing that other thing through. Now, I will say I identify most as an Enneagram seven. And for a long time, I thought I was a type two, or I wanted to be a type two, I guess, because I'm like, oh yeah, this person sounds awesome. And all the things about the seven sounded terrible. I'm like, oh gosh, I never want to be that person. That sounds awful. I don't do that. Um, which of course is how it is, right? The one that we tend to kind of scoff at, or you know, you don't know me kind of kind of thing. Uh, that usually ends up being our type. And I just I felt that. Like I felt the flakiness looking back on my career, why I would get frustrated, why my energy would be depleted. Like again, it makes sense looking back at where I struggled, uh, different people that I struggled with, the types of work I struggled with. Like it makes so much sense now. Um, however, um, when I do my introduction in my workshops, I will talk about, I show a picture of one of my marathon photos and I share that and I say, you know, it it I identify as a seven. And yes, commitment, routine, consistency, doing the same thing, following a plan, like that may not be my natural tendency. That may not be something that um that wouldn't maybe be my first option. Like, but I bring that up not to brag, but to show that we all have kind of natural strengths, we all have um natural kind of tendencies as to where our attention goes to, but that doesn't mean that for certain periods of time, or if we if we can kind of connect those things that we don't love to an activity that does match that core driver. So in this case, for me, striving to feel excited, I I've ran, um I've did the Chicago Marathon and the Marine Corps marathon out in DC. And especially for that DC one, I got to travel and that was really exciting. And there would be times where I knew I had to run a certain, you know, amount of mileage for a long run, but I connected to that striving to feel excited and would change up my routine. Um, you know, I would, I would go somewhere new. Maybe I'd get in the car and drive 20 minutes just so that I could get out and run somewhere new. So there's definitely ways, whatever your strategy is, um, just because something doesn't come natural to you doesn't mean that you can't do it. Um, you just might have to get creative with how you connect it back to that core strategy, that need feeling or that feeling need. Um, or you may just have to push through because, you know, there's a short period of time or or You know, you need this particular thing or whatever. Um, you're capable of doing it. So I just wanted to to highlight that for our sevens, but really for all types. Okay. So those are some strengths that you can call out, you can look for in your type seven uh teammate or team member that you're leading. Um, and then some ways that they may overdo it. So there's some specific language. Now, when we're looking at continuing to kind of look at overdoing strengths and maybe uh burnout, and then looking at some specific uh language and guidance for growth, we're gonna look at the arrows or the resource points for our type seven. And the type seven is connected to the type one, and they are connected to the type five, and um they will say that type one is the stress arrow for our um type seven. So when a seven has kind of uh tapped uh into but it didn't work, all of their kind of coping mechanisms, defense strategies as a type seven, they will tap into some of those one, the one strategy and see, okay, could this work? Could this get my needs met? And sevens who tend to be carefree, go with the flow, you know, pretty happy, pretty accepting, can get incredibly critical of themselves and others, can um move into this black and white thinking, can um become hyper uh kind of almost a little self-righteous sometimes. And I definitely can I I I will just tell you, this happens to me sometimes as a seven, and kind of controlling um, like sometimes we our ones have a reputation of um when they overdo their strengths, and it's it can they can start to look a little bit like a one, and it's so out of character because it's almost the opposite. Um, but that's kind of in that extreme state of you know stress or or burnout is coming your way. So as a teammate, when you start to see, you know, you're you're usually very optimistic and and happy, go lucky teammate acting, you know, with in some of these ways, you know, you know, hey, how can I, what do you need? How can I help? What's going on? Um, and our type five is known as the growth arrow. And this is the one, too, that sometimes fives will neglect the most because fives are striving to feel detached. They have this reputation uh for being okay in solitude, they have this reputation for being able to really focus, um, to sit in you know, quiet, to be by themselves. They don't have to constantly be stimulated. Um, and both also a one who is very good at routine and discipline and structure and following the rules, both of those can feel initially really hard and also not at all appealing for our type five. But when they can tap into both of those, like the strengths of the one, the strengths of the five, they can bring their exciting new ideas to life because they have a plan and they're consistent with the plan and they've gotten into the groove of a routine to make sure that it happens from the one. And from the five, they're bringing in the focus, they're bringing in the, you know, I'm okay uh hunkering down and completing this. Like I don't need constant stimulation, I'm able to focus and uh, you know, really bring in kind of the superpowers of those two to enhance their seven. We don't want to change the seven, we don't want the seven to act like a one or act like a five necessarily, but it's hey, how can you bring some of these other things in to accomplish what you want to accomplish? So those are some things that a manager can can look into. What are the strengths of the one? What are the strengths of a five? Um, can I give some specific language, um, specific guidance from those? Can I get some ideas from those? And then um we talked last week about overlaying our types with the emotional competencies. And they let's see, how many do I have here? This is a concept um that I have gotten from the awareness to action team. And let me see here where my here we go, my glossary. Um, this is something um that we will use in our workshops to get even deeper and more specific with how we want to start applying our type and our growth opportunities in our career or in a specific um relationship. And there are three emotional intelligence competency recommendations for each one. Of course, we could all work on all of them. If if the three that I share today don't resonate with you, um, you know, there's other opportunities for sure, but for the seven, they have with the type one arrow, one of their emotional competencies is around transparency. And uh and I keep clearing my throat, and I'm I'm really trying not to. Um, I mentioned last week I had got sick several weeks ago now, and it's just like this little cough keeps lingering. So um I'll I'll try and edit out as many as I can. But if you hear me, I I know that it is annoying. So I wish I was not doing that either. Um, so one of the emotional competencies that will come from the type one is this idea of transparency, which is defined as maintaining standards of honesty and integrity. And for a seven, how I view that is sevens have this ability and it can be good, but again, when it's overdone, it cannot be good. Um, it can make it can make things hard, especially in their relationships, um, to reframe everything to a positive. And I it's like the and that makes learning from your mistakes really hard. Um, sevens will tend to shy away from taking responsibility of um maybe impacting a project negatively in some way. Maybe they missed a deadline, um, maybe they turned in something with a bunch of typos and the client caught it, um, whatever that might be. And then they can also struggle in their work relationships, like dismissing other people and and uh who seem quote unquote negative, uh dismissing the six and their questions, or uh dismissing somebody who's maybe having a hard day and and reframing it. And they're not doing it to be mean, but it's that, hey, I want to feel excited and happy at all times. So I don't want you to bring me down. I don't want this project to bring me down. And if I did something wrong, well, I'm let me reframe it so that it actually isn't me. So taking responsibility and being really honest about what happened is an opportunity for growth, um, where ones tend to really excel in that honesty, integrity, taking responsibility, um, looking for the common good. Sevens can be a little bit more in that kind of uh self uh not as on the lookout for uh the common good, maybe, maybe put some of their own self-interest ahead of others. Again, that's gonna look a little bit different if we have a navigating seven. Um, but there will be some opportunities under the one with that idea, that emotional competency of transparency, being more uh truthful about your impact on other people and in other situations, um, so that you can learn from it. And so that you know, people can feel seen and heard. Um, it's for the good of your been your relationships as well as yourself as a seven. Um, the other opportunity for a seven, uh, the other emotional competency is to the five. And the five is around, what did I put right here? Um is around self-control. So fives tend to be very much in control of their emotions. Um, we have talked about they don't want to be overwhelmed by anybody else's emotions. They don't want to overwhelm anyone with their own emotions, and so they can be a little stoic and a little detached. Um, you know, they're not gonna get too excited either way. Um, they're gonna remain kind of logical, rational, very data-driven. Show me the data, don't give me the drama. And there is a lot of opportunity, especially in the communication style, um, for a seven when needed to really tap into some of that. Um, you know, I I think it's just kind of, you know, is it culture of the United States here? Um, is it just kind of our expectation of leadership and and you know, who do we respect and and who do we trust? And and sometimes when we are, you know, talking so much and we are getting so excited and we have uh, you know, 10 exclamation marks throughout our our email, um, you know, sevens can lose a little bit of credibility. Um and so how can you channel some of this uh kind of kind of more rational thinking, kind of more uh what's maybe more diplomatic, kind of logical communication rather than oh yeah, you know, being really positive and and overly excited. Again, that's not bad. It's it's never bad or good. It's just knowing when to dial it up or down. And maybe you're sitting in an executive leadership meeting and you need to dial down that seven enthusiasm a little bit and dial up some of that kind of self-control, uh, some of that like data-driven uh communication of the five and just practicing and knowing when when that need is. Um, and then the last opportunity for our seven is let's see here, what did I have? Um is under the conflict management. And so this is under the type seven, sevens can really struggle with conflict. And um the definition of this one is tactfully bringing disagreements into the open and negotiating and resolving disputes. And sometimes seven and nines can have some some similarities that maybe initially make the typing a little difficult. Um, sometimes that this is one of the things that they just have in common that they can understand and relate to about each other is this conflict avoidance. And you know, nines are driven to keep the peace. They that is their core strategy, striving to feel at peace both inside and outside. And so this makes sense why this will also be an opportunity for growth for a type nine. Sevens are striving to feel excited and happy, and conflict also can, you know, be a drag. And that's in that situation, can kind of kill the vibe, but that doesn't, you know, being in conflict with somebody doesn't make me feel excited, doesn't make me feel happy, it doesn't make me feel satisfied, and so the seven will have to think about okay, how can I make navigating conflict, dealing with conflict, how can I make that line up with that value of striving to feel excited? So I will, you know, I will be able to feel excited and happy once I deal with this conversation or once I deal with this issue and knowing, you know, we it's probably like a little bit of a dark cloud that you keep like constantly having to use your energy to reframe and think, oh, it's fine, it's it's okay, everything's gonna be fine, it's all okay. Everything happens for a reason. And this just this this conflict cloud is following you around. And so you're not truly able to be, you know, the at the highest level of excitement and happiness and and uh satisf uh being satisfied because this is hanging over your head. So if you just can deal with that, you can get back to that state with that person. And I don't know about you, but when you have this kind of lingering conflict or difficult conversation um or even your own emotions, um, it can kill your creativity. It can, it can be so heavy, it can be so draining. And so, you know, to think, okay, how can I resolve this? What do I need to do? Even if it's going to be uncomfortable for a few minutes, um, it will be over soon. Um, my this this actually reminds me of something my my son had to do at school. Um, he struggles with uh sometimes being bored and gets in trouble when he's bored, um, or you know, doing something boring work-wise. And if he doesn't find it exciting, he can really struggle to do it. And so one of the mantras we have written on a little note card uh that he has on his desk, and I don't know how effective it's been for him, but uh it made me think of this is uh it will be over soon. Um, and so I I think that's something that us sevens can maybe remember too. Like, oh man, we need to deal with this hard thing, but let's just do it. It it won't last long, right? So uh that might that might be helpful to our sevens. I don't think I said the definition of the self-control one. So I'm gonna go back. Um, and this was self-control that was inspired by the type five arrow. Self-control is the ability to keep disruptive emotions and impulses in check and maintain effectiveness under stressful conditions. Um, the other thing here we talked about seven sometimes struggling with being impulsive and just kind of jumping into things. They can also channel some of this five self-control by instead of being so action-oriented, so focused on the future, um, to actually pull back and bring in some more information, tap into that data, gathering that analysis of the five so that when you are making decisions, they're a little bit more thought out, just a little more thoughtful. You're thinking about things. Um, it's not just an impulse of let's just jump in and do it. It you've looked into it, you've sat with it, you've you know thought about it overnight. Um, and that can be tremendously helpful for our sevens as well. So there is um some questions that we'll we'll walk through during the workshop. And so there's phase one is grow your awareness. So, how do we take what we are learning about our Enneagram type? Or how do I help my team member use what we have covered in the the an Enneagram training and apply it to their performance review? Um, the first phase of this information to implementation plan is to increase your awareness. So you want to identify the goal as a type seven that you want to work on. What of those emotional competencies do you want to focus on? Let's say it's self-control. Okay, what are your current behaviors? Maybe it's, you know, saying yes without thinking, maybe it's jumping in uh without thinking it through, uh, starting new projects and then not finishing them, like whatever those behaviors are. Okay. Now list the impacts of that current behavior both on yourself and on the team. Um, if you happen to be leading others as a seven and you're doing some of these things, it can be stressful on the receiving end of some of this energy. It can be frustrating because it's like, we just came up with this great idea last week, and now we're already changing it. And it sounds like we're gonna change it again. Um it's like I've put in all this work to the first idea, and now we're on idea three, and I've just like wasted all this time. So for the team, it can feel frustrating, it can feel hectic, it can feel stressful, it can feel chaotic. Um, so think about what are the impacts on you and your teammates, and then what are the potential benefits on the team if you're able to work towards this new goal, if you accomplish this new goal of in this case, you know, being more self-controlled. Uh, what would that look like? You know, the team would have time to uh actually, you know, complete a complete an idea, uh, take action, start to finish on a on a project, um, feel supported, uh, not be overwhelmed uh by your energy, you know, whatever those uh impacts might be, those potential benefits on the team with this new goal. So we've we are thinking um about this goal. Um, we're growing in our awareness now. We face two is there's always gonna be obstacles. And this is the part that a lot of times when people are goal setting, do not think about. There's something's gonna get in the way. Um let's go ahead and think about what those things might be so that we're prepared. We can go ahead and start navigating um through them right now, or when they come up, we know what to do. We don't get off course or get too far off course when these obstacles inevitably happen. So phase two, understand the obstacles. Okay, great. Let's identify how the preferred strategy of the seven, striving to feel excited, is in conflict with this goal of self-control. Well, uh, you know, self-control, uh, we we just read that definition is about um uh what managing those impulses that might mean your impulses to take action, your impulses to say something, your impulses to even have a new idea. Um, maybe you have a new idea, but maybe don't don't share it quite yet. Sleep on it. Is it something that you really want to suggest and bring to the team? Um, and then maintain your effectiveness even under stress and conditions, is the self-control. So, how is that in conflict? It's like, gosh, sometimes being self-control may not feel exciting. Sometimes um, you know, data collecting may not be exciting. So you can see the friction right there. Now, the second part of this is to reframe, which sevens are the best at, reframing. Um, reframe that preferred strategy of a seven, striving to feel excited so that it aligns with the goal. So, striving to feel excited, um, how can that align with the goal of being more self control? God. I'm able to, you know, maybe I'm able to have more free time doing things that, you know, are exciting because I'm not constantly coming up with a new idea, reinventing the wheel, you know, every week. And I get to uh, you know, leave, I get to leave work on time because I'm not staying late reinventing the wheel. Um, so I get to go do a hike. I get to take a week off from vacation for vacation and not feel stressed because, you know, I didn't come, I didn't come up with something new for myself to do. There is something to be said about, you know, picking something exciting and then really sticking with it, even when then it's it's not exciting. Um self-control might also be um, you know, I I'm gonna get to do this exciting, I'm gonna get to lead this exciting project at work, you know, if if I can um kind of, you know, maintain my uh my my self-control when it comes to my emotions, my um, you know, excitement and overexcitement, maybe dominating those conversations, reeling some of that in so that you start to be looked at as a leader, um, which can be really exciting and open new doors for the future. So, whatever that might be for you. Those are just some examples. Um, and then in phase three, we're gonna plan and practice. Plan and practice. So for this part, you want to identify a specific action or new way of thinking for the type seven that will help you be more self-controlled. So um, you know, a really easy one might be before I share a new idea, I'm gonna sleep on it. Or before I decide to, before I make a decision on a new direction or starting something new, or buying something new, or saying, you know, whatever that might be, I'm gonna, I'm gonna have a 24-hour roll, or I'm gonna have a sleep on it roll, or you know, whatever that might be. But giving yourself, before I say yes to this, I'm going to sit on it for whatever time you think of. That's very specific and it sounds so simple, but it can have a tremendous impact um on our sevens and especially aligning with that self-control goal. Who else needs to be involved? Is it your the, you know, do you as the manager need to be involved? Do they have like an accountability person? Um what does that look like? What does that particular person um need to be supported by? Uh or just to be supported. Who do they need to be supported by, if anybody? And then how will you know that progress is being made? You know, maybe it's gosh, I used to have seven new projects on my calendar, um, but I have really focused and went all in on one project this quarter. And I have given it all my attention, and I have been really successful. Or um, I'm trying to think, one of my so in a real life example for me, and this was it was torturous. It was absolutely torturous for me as a seven. Again, I laugh sometimes looking back on it, but um, I was an inside sales, and one of um really the main thing that my job entailed was to make 25 to 30 calls and send 25 to 30 emails every single day. Um, there were other things though that I wanted to do. I wanted to help the events person plan events. I wanted to um look into some uh sales software to make our notes and proposals easier. And I wanted to take on that task of testing a couple different softwares and coming up with a recommendation. Um, I wanted to help uh, you know, be involved in the uh exhibit uh if we when we went to conferences and and uh did a uh a booth, had a booth, was was an exhibitor. Like, what does that look like? Well, can I help order swag? You know, do I have some creative ideas for for the swag? So there there were all these things, and I I'm not saying that I shouldn't have been doing those things, but maybe not five other things. Maybe it's like, could I could I do the routine, what I need to be doing? And then maybe could there be something that I have an opportunity to work on um just one thing instead of five things? And how can I tell that progress is being made? Well, I'm I'm hitting my goals, I'm hitting my sales numbers because I'm doing the things on my list that I absolutely have to do. And then when that's done, I'm getting to work on one fun, exciting project on the side. And that feels meaningful and uplifting. And so if I know that that's on the other end of this, like what feels like monotonous, boring tasks, then I get to, I get to, I will do that so that I can get to work on this other thing. But when I'm doing, you know, five different things and I'm I'm sprinkling them in through these calls through the day, and I'm not getting to all my calls. Well, then I'm not hitting my numbers. So I'll know that progress is being made when I'm hitting my numbers, right? Um, so that might that is a very specific example, but there's gonna be something like that for your for you as a seven or for your your type seven uh team member. So we we've talked about the strengths of a seven that you want to make sure that you highlight and look out for so that you can you can talk specifically um to the things that they should keep doing that they're doing really well. We talked about what it looks like when those strengths are overused and give you some language. And also, again, hey, it makes sense that you might do this based on this striving to feel excited. Um, we talked about how the type one and the type five uh could be resource points for our seven and to look into those behaviors. How can structure, routine, processes, discipline of the one, that focus of the five, how can those things enhance the seven? Um, and then we overlaid those three emotional competencies in this case, transparency of the one, self-control of the five, and conflict management of the seven opportunities for growth, specifically there. And then we walked through the information to implementation plan where we had the grow your awareness, understand your obstacles, and then plan and practice for how you're gonna be successful with that goal that still will align with your core strategy. And that is really important because we can't, it's it's gonna be very difficult to be successful, or we can do it, but it's not gonna be sustainable if we're if if we can't find a way to make this new goal align with whatever that core strategy is for you, in this case, striving to feel excited. Um, it's it's we we absolutely have to find a way to reframe it so that they align rather than are butting heads with one another, because that striving to feel excited will win. Um, so we got to figure out how to get that goal to align with striving to feel excited in this case. And then the very last point of this is going to be around the delivery of that feedback. And last week there was a free resource I shared called the feedback cheat sheet. The link is in the show notes here. It's also at nneagrammba.com forward slash feedback cheat sheet. And for the type seven, when you're sharing feedback, obviously, not a surprise, you want to keep it as positive as you can. Focus on the possibilities and the potential when possible. Of course, this isn't always possible, but when possible, give the type seven options, options for their growth plan, their goals, options for how to work towards that goal. Options are important, and they will get so much energy by having those options. Um, so when possible, sharing those. Um, and then you also want to keep in mind with when you're giving feedback or specific guidance is to think about and to to to work with the seven to think about okay, how can this allow for more freedom? So going back to those like 25 calls and 25 emails that I had to send every day. Um, okay, if you can knock those out, you know, you can leave early. Um, if you can knock those out, you can work on this event project that you want to. Uh, you can, you know, can can you work from a what like what other um options and opportunities for freedom can you give to the seven? That means a lot to them. Um, they want to know ultimately that their ideas and their creativity are are noticed and appreciated. And it is so important for the seven to have room to explore new possibilities. So as you're looking at their you know, career paths, their development plan, their opportunities for growth, um, keeping in mind when you're delivering it, kind of those key key things, and then knowing that they they want to have the the options and opportunity to explore new ideas and possibilities in a way that still aligns with the organization and their team's goals, um, but and their career goals ultimately too, right? So um all of the nine types have a little blurb and some delivery uh suggestions over at anygrammba.com forward slash feedback cheat sheet. With that, uh, I appreciate you being here. Type six was last week. Um we may continue on with type eight next week. I haven't decided how I'm I'm gonna switch that up. Um we're gonna we're gonna do another uh performance review next week. And we have, gosh, I'm looking at the schedule. We have almost, let's see, a workshop every week in April and a workshop every week in May. So if you are looking at bringing the Enneagram to your team for a summer experience, um, get in touch, check out the options over on Enneagramba.com, take a look and see what might make sense with your team, with your event that you have coming up, and then um let's talk. Let's talk about how to apply some of those typical kind of standard ideas and overlay them with your unique team, organization, um, goals that you have for this event and uh see what we can create together. So I appreciate you as always being here. Um, don't forget we do have the Enneagram Hotline. So um if you didn't catch last week's episode, uh introduce the Enneagram Hotline where you have an opportunity to ask a question about the particular episode that you just listened to or the Enneagram in general. There's an opportunity to leave a comment or share your own story as a type seven or working next to a type seven in this case. So don't be shy. I would love to hear from you. Um, and it's not just me that would love to hear from you. I know that other listeners probably have the same exact question that you have. And so would be grateful that you asked it or would love to hear about a, you know, real world, real life uh experience, whatever your type is, those are always so validating, so helpful uh to gain that uh insight and awareness. So don't be shy, check out that. The link uh to leave that message is also in the show notes. Thanks for being here. I'll see you soon.