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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, a teen training company where we talk about the Enneagram in lots of different ways in an introduction, in a deep dive, ranging from an hour to two days to a multi-month, multi-programming series. And today we are continuing this conversation around hiring, using the Enneagram, and specifically today, what to do if you don't have a specific type on your team. And last week the conversation was framed answering the question, should you use the Enneagram to hire? This is a common question that comes up, especially when we'll do a team mapping activity with a group, and they'll see, gosh, we don't have any, you know, type fours on the team. Should we look to hire somebody like that to be more well-rounded? And we talked about why not every team needs to be well-rounded. And so if you haven't listened to that one, I'm gonna invite you to start over there. And we talked about an article that I that I regretted being a part of, um, not because it was a bad article, um, but because it really can um those types of things, the article that I was involved in, can start to chip away at the credibility of the Enneagram by making it kind of like a horoscope type of tool rather than uh an actual, you know, solution resolution framework, which it which it is, and it's so incredibly powerful. So you'll you can hear the story all over that, um, all over there in that episode. Today, though, we're going to look at three types on uh inside the Enneagram and just talk a little bit about what to do if you don't have anybody on your team with these types. And rather than looking to hire somebody, are there specific qualities in this particular type that your team needs to work on? Maybe receive additional training on, maybe be more thoughtful about, not to be perfectly balanced, like we'll we're always saying, you know, if everything's working great, then don't worry about this. But if there are some challenges, either with customers, vendors within the team, um kind of just challenges of all kinds across all relationships, um, this might be something to consider. Or you, if you happen to be a manager, some of these might also be something to consider for your team's um growth opportunities, which we we talked a lot about that in the previous series around performance reviews and specific guidance for growth. Um, so we're not gonna spend a ton of time, but but we'll touch on a few things. So what we're going to do is start with the five, six, and seven uh types today and just look at, hey, what does it mean when you don't have this person on your team or this type on your team? What to think about? Um, it's interesting because in this grouping, five and seven along with type four tend to be the least common I personally see in my training workshop experiences. And it makes it makes sense. Um and especially with the type of industries, and I think a lot of time in in just kind of the corporate setting, it makes sense. Maybe there's not a lot of fours, makes sense maybe while there's not a lot of sevens. Um, I will see a lot of sevens on sales teams. It's kind of stereotypical, but uh that's what I see. Um, I will see a lot of sevens um kind of in a more start-up type of type of company. Uh there's a skin going, um, or their founder is is a type seven and has instilled a lot of that energy. So um it's interesting. We're we're starting here with two of the least common that I see. Um, and then occasionally there will be uh a team with no type six, and we're gonna talk about what that what that might mean. So as we start off, we're gonna we're gonna look at type five. And as a reminder, our type fives are striving to feel detached, self-sufficient, capable, competent. Now, this does not mean oh, I need to go out and hire a type five. It is very common for many teens not to have a type 7. Uh, you know, if you happen to be maybe um here, and we got to be careful because we're we're kind of we're teetering that like predicting future behavior because we know someone's type. Um, but I I don't see a lot of fives on a sales team, um, on a PR team as much, maybe even on like a startup team, um, as much that doesn't mean that they aren't there. They absolutely are. Um, but but that might make sense. That might make sense um why you don't have somebody like a type five um on a team. However, that doesn't mean that there might be that there isn't some opportunities uh to pull from that five energy to make your team that much better. And so for our fives, one of the of the things to consider bringing in that they tend to be really strong at is their kind of emotional groundedness, they tend to be very rational, many times very wise, maybe um more thoughtful before jumping into decisions, and they tend to have this facts, not feelings. And it's like, let's not get too worried, let's not get too, you know, upset or anxious or mad or even excited until we run the numbers. Let's look at the data and then base our decisions off that, not off of a feeling. So there may be some groups that are heavy threes, heavy eights, maybe have some sevens, uh, maybe heavy on the one side where action, jumping into action, uh can can be the default. And that is wonderful energy. We're gonna talk about that in a minute, um, or in a future episode, but uh there may be times where your team is jumping too soon into action, uh, you know, not thinking things through. And so we can really use the wiseness of the five. And um, you know, on a sales team, yes, you want to, you know, be persuasive and magnetic and excited about your product. Uh, sometimes, and for specific people that you might be selling to, having those numbers, having that data is going to be incredibly important. So you don't necessarily need to start acting like a five, but hey, do we have an opportunity as a sales team to be excited, magnetic, persuasive, influential by also bringing in a packet of uh data, case studies before and after, research, um, citing things. This is one example. So that might be something to consider. Okay, where might we be running into some issues where bringing in some of this five energy could be beneficial. The next gap that doesn't happen as often, but it does happen, is our type six. And the type six is striving to feel safe and secure. They excel at assessing risk and having backup plans and thinking things through, very similar to the to the five in a lot of ways. Um, some different gifts, though, that a six will bring to a team is the ability to see the risk, the potential of what might go wrong. And sometimes when you're on a team where there's a lot of new ideas, things are happening fast, maybe on a startup, um, it might make sense why there wouldn't be a lot of sixes on the team, because you gotta go fast, you gotta try things, you gotta jump in, you know, leap, and the net will appear is kind of your motto. Um, however, there might be some opportunities either now or soon into the future, or depending on what other kind of team you're on, where this kind of not risk adverse, but more risk management might be beneficial to your team. Again, people don't need to start acting like a six in any way. It's just, hey, do we need to, you know, bring in some consultant to assess this particular risk? Or should we bring in a third party just to check our numbers here? Or uh before we, you know, merge with this business or buy this, uh, do we do we need to dive deeper here somehow? Um and and the six tends to be very good at assessing those risks and managing them, and managing them by having a backup plan, thinking things through. Okay, if this happens, what's going to happen next? What are we gonna do next? So the sixes, as we have talked about, tend to get a bad reputation, but ultimately what what they'll tell me is I'm planning for the best. I am hoping for the best, but I'm also prepared for the worst because I care about my team, because I care about this organization. The other gift that a six or a strength can bring to a team is their focus on group cohesion. So this is, you know, when we're bringing in somebody new, how is this going to impact what we have going on right now? When we bring in a new leader, how is this gonna impact this? What how is this decision going to impact our group dynamic? And it doesn't mean that you you shouldn't do something, but a six is going to be very aware, kind of along those same lines as assessing outside risks and not just how will it impact me, how will it impact the people in this team and then the the this cohesion, this this dynamic that we have with one another that that potentially could be working really well. Uh, what do we need to think about to make sure that this doesn't get disrupted? Or if it does, that it's still working. Maybe we have to change a little bit, but it but it's still working. A six is going to be very aware of that, thinking things through. And as they're aware of that, they may be asking some tough questions along the way. And that takes a lot of courage, that takes a lot of bravery to ask those types of, well, what if have we thought about? Wait a minute, let's think about this type of questions when everybody else is really excited. Or sometimes when there's one person who is really in intensely leading the charge. Um, sixes tend to still be brave enough to raise their hand and say, wait a minute, hey, you know, we haven't thought this through yet. And uh we need those people on our team. And if we don't have those people on our team, we need to create some sort of environment or culture that encourages those questions, not from like a complaining standpoint, but from a, hey, I care about this team, I care about each of you, I care about this organization. So I'm gonna ask the hard questions that you may not like me to ask. I may push back on some things, and so you don't have to be a six to do that. Uh you know, the team can can create that environment and encourage one another to do those hard things, to ask those tough questions. So those are some strengths of the six to consider when you might have a six gap. Because otherwise, you're gonna have this gap and you may just continuously be pushing forward, taking action, again, which has its place, but that six provides that that kind of push-pull balance by let's move forward, but also let's kind of question some things. Are we covered if it doesn't go as well as we want it to? So, again, that planning for the best, prepared for the worst. And then our type sevens, our type sevens are striving to feel excited, they are drawn towards new, exciting ideas, stimulating things, adventures. Um, they, a little bit like the opposite of the six, can see what's possible, what might go right, what are the opportunities here, what are the possibilities? And so when there's a gap on this team, and again, it kind of just depends on where the rest of the team is and and where they might be heavy at. Um, we might the flip side might be true. We might have a heavy, you know, six, one, five, nine team, for example. And we're missing that that seven optimistic, what could go right? Like, let's give it a try. Like, what are the options here? Um, what might we look like a year from now if we gave it a try? And so it again, it's such a balance. Uh, it's such a it's such a beneficial push-pull with that six and seven energy. So it can be helpful to have people of both on the team, but when you don't, remembering to to fold in some of that, that, that, what might go right, that optimistic energy. Um, sevens tend to ri not just do okay, but sometimes thrive in quick, fast, changing uh environments. And so our we don't have to be a seven to do this, we don't have to hire a seven to do this, but there may be changes. There will be. Let's let's just say that. There will be changes that come up in the workplace. And sevens, not not that they kind of just go with the flow, but they're they're kind of like, okay, something new is happening. Let let's let's move in that direction, let's take it on, let's, you know, this is this is exciting. Um, and that that energy can be incredibly beneficial. Sevens can really be influential with this, with this excitement, with this, what could go right. Um, you know, this is a hard decision, but at the same time, looking on the bright side, there could be a lot of good that comes with this change. Um, and then sevens a lot of times uh are known for being fun and and bringing joy to the teams. And so this can sometimes be a burden on the sevens because they will say, gosh, I feel like this is my job to make sure everybody's having a good time, and then you know that gets exhausting on me to constantly be worrying and thinking about that or that sometimes from sevens. Uh, but just again, just kind of thinking about the the aura, the energy, the vibe of a seven. Um, are there opportunities for your team to have more fun together? Are there opportunities to work from a place of joy and excitement? And, you know, do does the team need to get out of the office for a day and do something completely unrelated to work and just really enjoy each other? Um, is there an opportunity to, you know, do something fun and engaging in the workplace that will bring joy to the team? Um, has there been a really difficult, hard, you know, nose to the grind type of uh time period? And now maybe there's an opportunity to look for some some of that. Let's bring back in some fun here to this situation. Um, whether it's for a day or there it becomes a regular part of the calendar. Um, again, it's you don't have to add in all of these, it's just kind of looking at where are we kind of struggling and where might potentially bringing in one of these five, six, seven um Enneagram types using their energy, um, using their strengths, how could that benefit us? How could how could that help us navigate this challenge? How could we be even better? How could we be a better uh you know organization to our community? How could we be a better uh workplace for our employees and team members? How could we be a better business to our clients? Um, are there opportunities in the strengths that we touched on with the five, six, and seven? Now, this is not a comprehensive list of every single strength that a five, six, and seven has, um, but these are some of the more common um strengths and and some uh I guess some more specific ways that you can kind of think about and apply this energy, but but that but there's many more. So I don't want you to think if you're a five, six, or a seven, this is all there is, you know that if you've been listening to the podcast, um, so many more strengths beyond this. But these are some kind of some low-hanging fruit opportunities within each of those strengths. So next week we're gonna look at, let's see, eight, nine, and one, and look at if you have a gap on your team, how might you be able to channel some eight energy? How what what sort of strengths from the nine might you be able to pull in? What about from the one? What can we learn from the one that we might need to bring in and influence us? Um, again, to make us a better client, um, to make us better for our clients, our employees, and and potentially our the community around us. So I hope you'll join us back for that episode. Um, until then, if you are looking to plan a team training event, maybe something for the end of the year is what we've had several conversations about lately, whether that's the end of the year or beginning, kind of kickoff 2025. Um, I would love to hear more about your team, about your company, about your organization, um, about your event and how we might be able to add to that experience for your group. So those options start over at enneagramba.com. And with that, I appreciate you being here, whether it's your first time or you're a regular listener. I appreciate you coming back if that's the case. And uh we'll talk again next week.