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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. If you are new, welcome. I hope I get to be saying welcome back to you in a future episode. I am your host, Sarah Wallace, CEO and founder here at Enneagram MBA, a team training company where we get to work with all kinds of teams, large departments, teams within departments, small businesses in all different kinds of industries, ranging from two hours, half day, full day, multiple days. If you are interested in one of those workshop training opportunities, you can start to get an idea of our style, the options over Enneagramba.com. I like to say we take ourselves seriously or we take the work seriously, but not ourselves. So we the intention behind our experiences is to both have fun, but also find ways to make the Enneagram useful, uh, to go beyond just Enneagram information. And we'll talk about using it in communication, understanding our leadership, growth opportunities, navigating stress situations, navigating change. One of those other areas are giving and receiving feedback. And so, in over here on the podcast, we're in the middle of a series around using the Enneagram in performance reviews or really any type of kind of touch point conversations that you're having with your team. So if you have already been through an Enneagram training, whether it's one of ours or somewhere else, um, or you're you're doing your own kind of internal uh Enneagram training, this is meant to kind of build on that and give you some practical ideas and guidance for how to use it in real life in the day-to-day. And so today we're going to be talking about the type one specifically. And what we've been doing for all of these is going through a couple of key pieces. One of those is remembering to look out for the strengths and to be aware of the strengths that these different types will bring. Because sometimes in feedback or these performance review settings, it's all about kind of, you know, what went wrong, what do you need to work on? What are your weaknesses? What are your opportunities for growth, which is which is great. Um, I think there does need to be, though, some very intentional feedback around what you are doing great, what what your team is doing great on, those teammates are doing great in. And um, it goes beyond just a good job, great job, keep up the good work, uh, you know, way to hit your goal. And it's calling out some really specific things. And so uh this is not meant to replace whatever feedback or performance review tool that your organization already uses. It's meant to just expand your language, maybe expand your awareness about what to look for, um, maybe bring some awareness to your own perspective and how, oh, based on that perspective, you might think that, you know, your teammates doing something uh, you know, that you wouldn't consider a strength. But when you kind of take a step back and notice how you view the world and your preferences and how they view the world and their preferences, you realize, oh, actually, this is a really, this is a really needed skill. This is a really needed strength that they they have. So making sure to look out for those and understanding how our own uh perception though might influence that for the good or or or or otherwise. Um so we'll look at that, we'll look at how um those strengths can be overused and the power of that makes sense phrase, and then look at um how we can pull some specific development guidance from our types, arrows, or resource points. And then we're gonna overlay three emotional competencies that that type, in this case, type one, can kind of get the most bang for their buck. Um, of course, we can probably improve on all of them, but based on being a type one in this case, uh, we're gonna be your most uh, you know, kind of quick wins or quicker wins or most impactful uh growth paths for that type one. Um and then we're gonna talk about a quick kind of plan for turning this information into an action, um, reaching the goal, setting the goal, understanding the obstacles, and then getting to that goal. And then uh we're gonna just touch on a couple of uh preferences for a type one when it comes to the how they want their feedback to be delivered. So with that, let's get into it. We have covered type six, seven, eight, nine in the past. So if any of those, if you missed any of those and feel like that could be helpful, be sure to check out uh the podcast list, the library from from those. And then moving forward, we'll hit the rest of them um in future episodes. So our type one is striving to feel perfect. And they uh the some of their strengths include being incredibly um committed, steadfast, responsible. Uh, they tend to be very loyal as well. They are um, they are able to be really rational, um, disciplined. They're also really discerning. So um I think that comes with that kind of rational, logical, not overly emotional um thinking and doing. It's gonna be pretty politically correct. And so they're gonna be very conscious about how their words will be received. Um, they are very improvement-oriented. So one of the staples of a one is, you know, how can I make this better? If they had a book, it would be good to grade. I'm always using that example. It's like, this is good, but it could be even better. So they're looking at what needs to be fixed, whether that's themselves, their team, the organization, the world in general, they're on the lookout for how can I make things better? They have a superpower when it comes to precision, very detail-oriented, can see the details of a plan, can create that plan, can execute, um, can remember the details that need to happen step by step. They're great at creating order and clarity and great at setting and following and encouraging their teams to follow procedures, which even those that are more free-spirited and and may not love the these terms initially. Um, this is such a needed strength in a leader and in a teammate. We want these people in our organization because we do, we we can be more creative, we can be more free-spirited when we have some guardrails up. Um, and our type ones are really great at helping the rest of us do that. Sometimes when those strengths are overused, uh, they can kind of get stuck in black and white thinking. They do uh, they will be fine standing on their own, uh standing in conviction for what is right, what is ethical, what is the best thing to do in their minds. And we love that and we need that. And then sometimes when it's dialed up too high, it could be um unwilling to change, uh, not taking into consideration context, just well, this is what the policy says. Doesn't matter, you know, what's happening uh on an individual level. We have we have to follow the rules here. Um they sometimes have a strong need to be right, kind of goes, and that makes sense, right? That makes sense for somebody who it's important to feel perfect. Um, that makes sense that you would need to feel right. They can be really rigid and a little inflexible. And we kind of talked about that with just, oh, we have to follow the rules. We have to do what this person says, we have to do what the policy says. Um, and and again, you need that sometimes. And then other times um that can be dialed back a bit, depending on the situation. Sometimes too, they can feel a little distant as a teammate or as a leader because um they are so in control of their emotions and they are so aware of you know how their words and and uh just kind of overall presentation, how they present themselves is perceived, that they can feel a little, it can be sometimes it can feel hard on the receiving end of that to connect with somebody. And also they they do seem like they do everything right all the time and they're perfect and good all the time. And that can feel like, gosh, I you know, how can I ever connect with somebody? Yeah, like I'm so flawed and I mess all up, I mess up all the time. Um, and so type one, because I don't typically freely share those things when they do, you know, make mistakes or mess up, it can seem like they're almost um not human. And so it makes connecting and relationship building a little more difficult. Um, the other thing that ones can can uh can it can be a challenge for them is to uh have to be because they have to be perfect all the time, they can fear trying new things. Um, they can fear taking action um out of it being the wrong decision, out of maybe fear of doing it the wrong way. And then the other thing that we'll talk about, the last thing, is that sometimes ones get really hung up on this idea of meritocracy where it's it's like if I work hard, I will get promoted. If I work hard, I will be recognized. If you work hard, you will get your your bonus. Or, you know, it's and it's it's this work hard, do good work, um, do a good job, and then the results will come. And that is not how the world always works, right? There's that saying, it's not what you know, it's who you know. And especially, you know, in the workplace and in our careers, um, it may not seem fair that you got a promo, you know, somebody else got a promotion or somebody else got selected to lead the project when maybe they haven't been working as hard or they don't have the resume uh like this type one, but they are really great at networking and being visible and you know, putting their successes um in the spotlight. And so people notice them, they stay top of mind. So that might be an area sometimes for our ones to work on. Um and that kind of goes back to that uh being rigid and flexible. Um, okay, so we have our strengths, our overuse strengths. Now, when we're talking about how to grow as a type one, some specific uh points to look at is with those arrows, those connecting arrows. And for our type one, they are connected to the seven and the four. Now, uh the four is what's known as their stress arrow. And so sometimes they will, when they are stressed, uh kind of move to that and and take on some of those stress behaviors of a four. Um, but there's also a lot of opportunity for growth and enhancement of their their type one energy with that four. And that is um a focus on authenticity over perfection. So fours are it's very important to be your true authentic self. And so there's some things that a one can tap into with that versus having to be perfectly polished and buttoned up all the time. Um, they may be, they can tap into some of that empathy and openness that a four really has, those emotions, and that kind of goes into maybe kind of countering that that distance feeling that sometimes um will come up in their relationships at work, but in all kinds. Um and then yes, our ones love a good task list, but because they want to make things better, they do have um an ability to be creative. So, so continue to use that creative problem solving creativeness that a four has in those efforts to make the world better, make the team better, make the make the organization better. So, yes, have your task list that you want to check off, but also allow that creativity. Now, the type seven is sometimes the type that the one will neglect the most. Type seven striving to feel excited, and that can feel almost on the opposite of being perfect. Um, but there are a lot of growth opportunities as well in that type seven energy where ones can become uh more optimistic and almost a little, almost a little lighter and spontaneous. Um, they can pursue joy and fun and not just always pursuing perfection and doing what they think is the right thing. They can still do that, but there can be joy and fun in there. They can allow for, you know, plans to change, goals to change, um, new opportunities to come up that weren't planned for. And so allowing more of that flexibility and spontaneity is something that the seven can influence some of that one energy for the for the benefit of growth. And then um, they can use some of this seven energy to be a little bit more self-accepting and not be so rigid and critical of themselves and of others. So there, those are some um opportunities for growth, some language that you can use as you're kind of creating your development plan for yourself as a type one or for your type one teammate. And then uh we have been talking about how to overlay the emotional competencies with our uh using our type and then those two arrow points. And for the one, it's adaptability, empathy, and positive outlook. So adaptability is tied to that one point where sometimes they will struggle. We just talked about some of their struggles with change and being rigid and inflexible, and so the one itself has an opportunity to be a little bit more adaptable, a little bit more, you know, open to change. And uh, let's see, I want to read you the exact definition of this according to those emotional competencies. So adaptability uh is a self-management competency, and it's defined as flexibility in handling change and adapting our ideas or approaches. So flexibility and handling change and adapting our ideas or approaches. And so um ones have an opportunity to work on that. Um, they also have an opportunity to tap into some of that empathy. And I just touched on that with that type four point. Uh, fours tend to be incredibly empathetic, um, they're in touch with their own emotions and feelings, they tend to be open to others. Um, in our workshops, we'll talk about really how fours tend to be the only type that can just sit there and listen and not jump into problem solving or jump into uh reframing or everything happens for a reason. They can just sit there with somebody and be like, yeah, that's terrible. That sucks. Ugh, that's hard. Um, and sometimes that feels so good. And then just being empathetic and how, you know, different viewpoints. So there's there's a lot of good that can also come from a one dipping into some of that empathy quality that a four tends to be so good at. And then the third one, oh, and I want to get that the uh definition for you here. So empathy is under the social awareness competency, and empathy here is defined as awareness of and participation in others' feelings, ideas, and needs. And I really like this one for a one because they tend to, and we all do this, right? But ones uh tend to think there's one right way uh to do something, there's one right way to feel about something, there's one, you know, right best idea. And uh, you know, if oh well if I do it this way, you can do it too, or if I want this, I can, you know, you can you can want this too, or or or whatever that is. And it's just kind of like that rigidness of like their own experience. And so this empathy is opening up yourself to other ways of doing something, other right ways of doing something, just a different way. Um, and so I really like that one for our four, and then the positive outlook is comes from the type seven point, and that is defined as the ability to see the positive in people, situations, and events and persistence in pursuing goals despite obstacles and setbacks. So sometimes ones can get really hard on them, can be really hard on themselves and almost to the point where it's like, oh, missed, you know, missed the mark there, shouldn't try again, shouldn't put myself out there again, shouldn't give it another try, don't want to fail, don't want to mess up again. Um, or gosh, I, you know, that inner critic for a one is so loud, so loud, so loud. Um, and then because of that, they can also be very critical of others. And so there is also a lot of opportunity for growth with this one in bringing a more positive outlook, not to be, you know, out of touch with reality or just always wear your rose-colored glasses, but just to blend that in a little bit more, to blend that optimism, positive outlook um into your view of the world as a type one. So those are three very specific um competencies that a type one can look look at um and dig into, you know, do I want to focus on this? And typically uh we'll just focus on one. Um, we don't need a list of 10 usually. And so uh think about, you know, what what might uh where where might I be running into the most challenges right now in my career, in my work relationships, and my frustrations. Is there something in one of these three that could help with that that you want to focus on? Um maybe you're already working on all these and something else makes more sense, but this can be a great starting point, um, a place of of uh some considerations for growth, some specific considerations. So once you have that, pick one um that you feel like could be the most beneficial for you. And then we're gonna go, we're gonna take it through the information to implementation plan. And this is where we um we think, okay, we've learned about the type, we we've looked at the strengths, overuse strengths, we've learned about the opportunities for growth with our arrows. We just talked about the emotional competencies. Now let's identify a goal. We want to continue to grow our awareness. So let's identify the goal. Let's say you want to um, let's say you want to uh work on your empathy, become more empathetic, tap into that four line as a type one. Okay. Um, list that as your goal. You want to identify your current behaviors that might be in conflict with that goal. Um, is it that you know you tend to believe you gotta be honest here, right? Um it's it's only as good as honest, it's only gonna be as effective and helpful as you are honest. So So uh how do what current behaviors might get in the way of this goal? Is it your you know inflexibility? Is it um your belief that you know somebody shouldn't be upset by this? Um is it, you know, you you believe that there's the right way to do this, and you tend to be pretty uh vocal about that, whatever those current behaviors are for you as a type one or your type one team uh member that you're leading through this. And then what are the impacts of that current behavior on the team? Um is it that you know it's shutting down creativity, it's shutting down other people's ideas. Um, you know, maybe uh your team teammates are having, you know, difficulty connecting with you. And so your relationships are suffering, which means maybe your career advancement is suffering because you are so you're holding so tightly to that meritocracy that you're not remembering that a lot of this has to do with your, you know, relationships and networking. So, what is the impact um on your team and on yourself with these current behaviors? And then what are the potential benefits for you and the team with this new goal? Um, are there opportunities for your career advancement as some things changed? Is there an opportunity to be more influential and because you're connecting with people? Um, is it is there an opportunity for work just to be more enjoyable because you have you're starting to to you know bring in some of this empathy and have meaningful relationships and conversations, um, whatever that might be, list the potential benefits on the team with this new goal. So that's growing your awareness. And then the second phase is understanding your obstacles. So, how will this preferred strategy be in conflict with the goal? How initially, how is this in conflict with the goal? So your initial start or your preferred strategy is a type one, striving to feel perfect. How is striving to feel perfect in conflict with the goal of being more empathetic? Well, a lot of ones feel like there's a right way to respond, the perfect way to react to news, um, to you know, to a certain situation, to behave in particular places, to cry or not cry, probably not cry. And so uh you might think initially, no, to be perfect or to be empathetic kind of almost contradicts uh this need to be perfect and polished and in control of my emotions. But there's an opportunity to reframe that story. And so the second part of understanding the obstacles is reframing that preferred strategy so that it aligns with the goal. And that is um reframing the striving to feel perfect so that it aligns with being more empathetic. How can being more empathetic with yourself, I would say too, and your team, um, allow you to feel perfect still. And that's really important uh because it's gonna be hard to really sustain a goal and a growth path that is in conflict with that core strategy. And then the third phase is plan and practice. So identify specific actions or a new way of thinking based on this goal. Like what how can you specifically uh be more empathetic? Is it that you will, you know, make it a point to ask how someone's day is and make it a point to sit and listen? Is it uh you will make it a point to to share a failure or a mistake that you made, um, and the lesson you learned from that, um, so that you know others feel more comfortable in sharing, you know, their mistakes and what how they can grow and learn from that, whatever that might be for you. Um, and then identify who else needs to be involved. Is it a manager, a teammate, somebody at home, uh therapist, outside, you know, what support in and out of work? Who else needs to be involved to help you with these specific actions and new ways of thinking? And then lastly, and this is important, how will you know that progress is being made? And ones tend to love a good checklist. So what is your checklist? How will you know that you know, where you're starting out now, or how will your one know on your team that they're they're starting here today? They want to be more empathetic, but what does it look like along the way? How will they know that progress is being made? Is it feedback? Is it feedback from you? Um, what is that? What does that look like? So those are the the three pieces of that information to implementation plan. So, how can we take all this information and really put it into action? And then lastly, we have been talking about um, so we've talked about the what, maybe what to say, some ideas for what to say. And and the other piece of this is some is just a few ideas for how to say it based on the type one energy. And I say this with all of these, this is not everyone will love all these things. Um, some ones may want the opposite. So, you know, the I would always recommend, hey, I heard this um about the type one feedback preferences, like what feels true for you, what doesn't, what else should I know about delivering effective feedback to you? Um, but this is a place to start. So ones really appreciate feedback that help them improve, like very improvement oriented, um, that help them improve their work and achieve their high standards. So, how can they um, you know, ones don't want to just be okay. They don't want to just be good, they want to be excellent, they want to be the best, they want to do not just a good job, they want to do a great job. Um, and so how can this feedback that you're giving them uh help them improve and reach those very high standards that they have for themselves, for their work, for their team, for the company. And so when you're delivering feedback, ones really appreciate it when it is incredibly specific and detailed. Uh, they really appreciate it, obviously, when it's constructive. And this is something that yes, you want to be specific and detailed. You also want to just be hyper-aware of the fact that ones are already incredibly hard on themselves. They have already berated themselves. They they know all about their shortcomings, they think about them all the time, they, you know, berade themselves. That inner critic that we talked about earlier is so loud and so harsh for the ones. So, as you're giving feedback, you know, you don't need to necessarily do this the sandwich method. They they want you to be detailed and clear and specific. Make sure you're specific, but also deliver any type of hard feedback with care. And, you know, I wouldn't spend a lot of time explaining it or harping on it because they have already, they've already done it. It's just gonna, you know, it's gonna sting even more a lot of times. Um, so just kind of say what you need to say and then and then move on and know that they have already, um, if it is something that, you know, is critical feedback, uh, believe, believe that me, they have, they have already uh criticized themselves enough. Um, and then the other thing to keep in mind is just remembering that they have this, you know, just such a spirit of improvement and making things better, making the world better. And so as you're giving that feedback, you know, remembering to tie it back to how will it make things better? If if you're saying you need to do more of this, if you need to be more empathetic, or you know, we need to work on that adaptability, whatever that is, how will that make our team better? How will that make the organization better? Um, how will it make this project better? So remembering to tie it back to that improvement uh focus that our type ones tend to have. So we have talked about what to say, some ideas for what to say, some guidance when it comes to growth path, and then um a few things to keep in mind or at least uh get curious about with the one in your life when it comes to the actual delivery of that feedback. Uh, this is something that we do spend some time talking about in some of our in-person and virtual workshops. Um, sometimes we'll do a workshop just all about feedback. Sometimes we'll do a workshop for um new managers or leaderships where we talk about your feedback uh style and then how that might may or may not match with the other feedback styles on your team. Um and so if this is something you're interested in incorporating into uh a development training for your team, a team building event, as I mentioned earlier, those options are all over at enneagrammba.com. And I'm gonna invite you to start there to start to get an idea for the options and our style to see if it might be a fit for a workshop uh opportunity with your team in the future. So with that, I appreciate you being here. If you happen to be a type one and have some thoughts uh or additions, revisions uh that you would be willing to share based on what was shared here today. We do have our Enneagram uh at work hotline where you can anonymously leave a voice memo or leave a text note about um what it's like specifically when it comes to feedback and growth in real life and your personal experience. And that's always really interesting for me. And it's always really helpful to listeners and others to know oh, this is how this showed up specifically in real life. So that link will be in the show notes as well. I appreciate you so much for being here, and uh, we'll be diving into the type two feedback uh preferences and growth ideas in the next one.