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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. All right. Well, welcome back to another episode here on the Enneagram at Work Podcast. We are on the final episode in this short series on thinking about what types of activities, behavior, ways of thinking, just kind of overall energy we may want to bring to our teams if we have a particular type missing. Now, with all of these, we have talked about how we do not want to use the Enneagram in the hiring process. So if you go through the typing process, you go through a team training, team workshop, and you have a gap. One, we have talked about that might make sense. If you don't have a particular type on the team, it may make sense. And two, if you don't have a particular type on the team, we have also talked about that typing process really is a self-identification process. So even then, we can't be a hundred percent certain that we have that gap. Um, sometimes as people learn more about their type, that will shift. The team map will shift, that will look different. And then the third thing that we have talked about is how just because you have a gap doesn't mean that we need to fill it with a human uh that identifies as that type. We could look at bringing in some specific behaviors, which is what this series has been about. So today we are rounding out our series with looking at what might we need to do more of, think about more, reflect on more if we have a type two gap, if we happen to have a type three gap, and if we happen to have a type four gap. Now, our type four tends to be the most common, I want to say, I guess the least common type. So it is not uncommon to have no type fours on your team. Um, when we talked about the type five that was similar, similar occurrence, um, and even with the type seven, so in my experience, our types fours, our fives, and our sevens tend to be the types that are, you know, I want to say missing, or we we don't have a lot of those, if any, on our teams. And again, when you know about those types, it it makes sense. Um, specifically in certain um industries and certain types of work environments, it that makes sense. Um, but that doesn't mean that the team can't benefit by bringing in some of that energy, um, some of those strength that that type might be really good at. So we're gonna we're gonna look at those things today for two, three, and four. So we're gonna start at our type two. And when we think about our type twos, our type twos are striving to feel connected. So if you happen to be on a team where um, you know, I'm trying to think maybe it is uh, you know, it could be maybe the legal team, a compliance team, um the IT group. And again, the I am making some some you know general assumptions here, but there are just some groups where where it's where it might make sense that there's not a lot of type twos. Um, and so if that happens to be your group, twos do bring a lot of strengths to a team that can really benefit and enhance the team as they are working with other departments, as they might be serving customers, as they might work with each other. And our twos who are striving to feel connected bring a lot of that relationship building, that rapport building. They tend to be really focused on the team and how things will impact the people on the team. And so if that is a type that you don't have a lot of or have none, no, no people who identify with that type, um, there might be some opportunities to maybe turn down some of the task orientation that that the team probably has a lot of if there's no type twos, um, and turn up that relationship orientation a little bit and just look to dial it in depending on the situation, right? Now, some situations you just gotta you just gotta get the task done, you just gotta do the work, you gotta get it done in the most efficient way, you gotta move forward with the goal. Um, but twos will usually be thinking about, well, wait a minute, have we thought about how this might impact everybody on the team? Um, have we thought about the working hours here? Have we thought about people taking time off? Have we have we thought about um how people are gonna feel about this and then how we're gonna deal with those feelings? And again, you can go overboard on on either on either end of that, but there may be some opportunities with your team to look at, hey, how what how might we be able to bring in some of this this kind of relationship rapport building to our team, maybe even to our clients? Um, maybe there's some opportunity there to do a little bit more rapport building. And one thing that we'll talk about in workshops for people who maybe this doesn't come natural to or it can feel like almost like a waste of time. Um, threes sometimes will say, gosh, you know, I just want to sit down when we're in a meeting or in a one-on-one. I just kind of want to sit down and get into it. Um, I don't want to necessarily have to, you know, talk about your vacation, or I don't necessarily want to talk about um your day, and not that I don't care about you. It's just it seems like, well, we only have 30 minutes, so I want to make sure we're using this time wisely. So for those types that might see this rapport building as not a top priority, and hey, you know, the the meeting agenda is our top priority, or the goal of this meeting is our top priority. Um, to make sure you get through that and bring in some of this rapport building, especially for those people that you know might need a little bit more of this. Um, make the meeting a little bit longer if you need to. You may need to add on an extra five, 10, 15 minutes on the front end or on the back end, or five minutes on the front, five minutes on the back, whatever it might be, so that you don't feel rushed to get through the task list to get through whatever the meeting goal is. Um, and you're able to talk about whatever that person might need to talk about, whatever um kind of tidbit about themselves that they might want to share. And you have that time, and then you're not feeling rushed, you're not feeling like this is a waste of time. This is now on your calendar, so it has become a to-do item for you. So that might help for those of you that that just may not come natural. Um, the other thing that type twos tend to be really good at is seeing the best in others. Now, when this is dialed up, we have talked about how sometimes this might mean that they might put up with bad behavior for too long, they might allow things to go unsaid, maybe they don't follow through on consequences, they don't set boundaries. Um, because they they think, oh, you know what, this person, um, I know that they have them at they have this in it, them. Um, I see the possibilities, I see the potential, and what a great gift. You know, sometimes they can get tripped up by having that, you know, too much in too many situations. But if you don't have a lot of this on your team, you might start to see the worst in others. Maybe, you know, that we have there are some types, there are some of us who the default isn't the best. It's hey, it's the worst. It's I'll trust you once you give me a reason to trust you. You know, I'll I'll uh, you know, I'm gonna assume maybe negative intent over here. So there might be some opportunities to think about, hmm, in in what relationships or in what situations might be might I be able to channel more of this type two energy where I see the best in people, where I assume good intentions, where um I could be thinking, okay, I'll trust them and until they give me a reason not to. And you don't have to do it with everybody, but maybe there's one relationship, maybe there's one situation uh where this type two energy you can pull in to enhance your leadership style, to enhance the team dynamic, the team relationship, how well people feel connected. So those are a couple things to think about when we're looking and thinking about our type two. They're gonna be that very relationship focused. The other thing I had on here actually had three things that it kind of ties into that being relationship-oriented, people-oriented. Whereas sometimes as leaders, as managers, we might make a decision because it's what is going to be best for the organization. It's what's what's gonna be best for the team, um, but without necessarily thinking about how it will impact the team. And you'll probably still make that decision. But twos tend to be really good at allowing people to have space for big feelings that might come up, that might have some hard emotions. Be open to having difficult conversations about necessary changes to processes, to goals, maybe, you know, in personnel, maybe the team dynamic is changing. And yes, there is some of that we just need to do what we need to do. And our two tends to be really good at checking in on people. So there may be a need in those situations for that. So thinking about, gosh, if we don't have anybody on our team as a type two, we don't need to hire two. But are there some things that the two tends to be really good at that we can pull from in certain situations? So now we're gonna look at our type three. Um, most of the time, teams have um a handful of threes, and the threes are striving to feel outstanding, and so they just bring this, um, they just have this ability to inspire that in others, to inspire success, accomplishment, um, drive in other people. Their leadership style is known as the pace setter because they are in the trenches doing the work, making things happen, reaching the goals. They're doing it firsthand. They're they're in there doing it, and they can really inspire those people around them to do it, whether they're in a leadership position or not. And so they just have this ability to inspire success no matter what, winning no matter what. And there may be some situations if you don't have a type two on your team. Are are there opportunities to channel this? Let's just this hard drive more now, right? With everything, there's a balance, but maybe there is, maybe there's an opportunity where um, hey, we need, we really need to push whether it's a particular project for a particular client, it's a particular particular time of the year, you're getting close to the goal. Like we need all hands on deck. We are channeling our type three action, just do it. Um we are going to win no matter what. We are going to figure it out. We're stuck right now, we're not, we're far from our goal, we're far from success, whatever that is. A three tends to be able to figure it out. We're gonna do this, we're gonna do this somehow. And so maybe there's an opportunity, um, a time where you need to channel some of that three kind of winning no matter what. Our threes also have uh a tendency and it's really a strength around efficiency. And so again, I, you know, this will be that time where um maybe the there's a lot of twos on a group. Maybe there's a lot of twos, a lot of nines, um, maybe some some sixes where, hey, let's let's talk this out, let's make sure everybody feels heard, let's make sure everybody feels seen, let's look at what might go wrong, let's have contingency plans. And there may, again, that's not bad in and of itself, nothing's good or bad, but there may be times when we need to step into the energy of the three and and just do it. Hey, you know what? What's the most efficient way? We need to make this happen. Um, we've done a lot of brainstorming, we've done a lot of checking in, we've done a lot of contingency planning. Now it is time to take action. When when are those times? Is there a time where we have talked this thing to death and we just need to take action? Um, are there opportunities to improve our meeting structure by being more efficient? Is there an opportunity to have more efficient one-on-ones? Maybe we're coming in, um, you know, you're we're coming in doing one-on-ones, and we're a little too uh we're doing a little too too much rapport building, and we're not getting into the meat of it. And so the three to think about how could I make this more efficient? How could I make this more action-oriented are some things to question with our type three. Um, the other thing I had on here for our threes, and this isn't to say um only threes are this way, but because they have a focus on being successful, looking good, um, really focused on their presentation, what others were will think of them, they have an ability to be really politically correct. And even when they disagree, they have a tendency to disagree in in a way that um doesn't cause even more conflict, doesn't cause maybe um another issue because of the tone, because of how they said it. They tend to be very aware of their tone, of their wording, their phrasing, the you know, using words. And so they're gonna be a little more thoughtful maybe than some of the other types. I was thinking of maybe our sevens or eights, um, might just kind of say what whatever whatever's on our minds, might just say that without thinking a lot about how we say it. And a three and a seven or an eight might all be saying the same thing when you really dig into it, but the way the three is going to communicate it might land a little better, might, might set the conversation up for um to be to be open to some negotiation, to be open to a productive conversation because somebody doesn't feel attacked on the other end, whatever that might be with a customer, with a vendor, with a fellow teammate. And so there might be opportunities to think, how could I be a little bit more politically correct? How could I adjust my tone? How could I, you know, I it and it again, we can we can swing one way too far, but this is just a question to think how could I enhance my communication style by thinking a little bit more like a three? Um, and then last but not least, we have our type four. And and like I said at the beginning of this, this is not an uncommon type to have nobody on your team identify with. Um, but there are so many gifts and strengths of a type four that can really enhance a team, um, that can enhance us as individuals on our professional development, our personal growth journeys. So I had a couple here, um one of those, I guess, thinking about professional development and personal growth, um, is this self-awareness that a type four has. They tend to be incredibly self-aware to the point sometimes where it becomes um, you know, a little bit like the one, it can be incredibly critical, um, can be sometimes self-deprecating. Um, but sometimes it can be in a really healthy, productive way where it's like, hey, you know what? I know, I know what I'm great at, and I know, I know some things I gotta work on. Um, I I see how my words land and how they impact others. Um, I see how, you know, the different ways that people perceive me. Um, I see my part in this conversation, I see my part in this difficult situation, maybe what my contribution has been. So when a when a four is is, you know, kind of living their best life, um, they tend to be incredibly self-aware. And so, you know, having some more self-awareness can can never be a bad thing. And there might be some of us who need to, you know, we need a little bit more of that. So, you know, trainings like the Enneagram, um, 360 feedback, feedback from people that we trust, that we trust to to care about us, that we trust have our best interest at heart. Um, we can we can listen to those maybe with with uh with a little bit more openness, be a little bit more receptive, and then start to reflect and think, huh, they're saying this. Um, maybe more than one person saying this, or gosh, I keep having this this challenge. Um, it might be worth sitting here and doing a little little more reflection, thinking this through. What's mine to own, being a little bit more self-aware in these situations. Type fours tend to be incredibly empathetic as well, um, a little bit like the the two. Um they just have this um empathy though that allows people to feel that the way that they feel. Sometimes type twos want people to feel okay, and they want the they want to be the ones to help people feel okay. Whereas a four has a tendency, not always all the time, but has a tendency just to allow that person to feel however they feel. They're having a hard day. Hey, I'm just gonna sit here and I'm gonna, I'm gonna be here for you and just let you have those feelings instead of trying to fix them, instead of trying to rationalize them, instead of trying to save you. I'm I'm gonna sit here with you and just allow you to have a bad day. I'm gonna allow you to be sad. I'm gonna, you know, allow you to uh, you know, complain. Maybe you just need to vent. Fours can be a great person to come to and just vent. They're gonna get it. Um, and so maybe there's opportunities as a leader, as a manager, as a teammate, to channel some of that empathy and to allow those feelings rather than think about how can I help this person fix their problems? Unless they're asking me to fix their problems, how could I be a better listener? How could I just be there for somebody? So that might be another question. Um, and then the other thing that we have talked about, I know we've talked about in other podcasts, is this ability, this almost like this talent that fours have around creative storytelling. Um, they because they feel so deeply, because they are so self-aware and and and so empathetic, they just have all of these feelings. They see things a little deeper, they they tend to be creative. Um, now again, just because you're creative doesn't mean you're a type four, but they they tend to, they want to be unique. So they see how can we put a creative spin on this? How could we make this unique? How could we stand out? So if you don't have anybody on your team, especially our marketing, our sales teams, thinking like a four can really uh benefit the team, benefit the project. Um in our in some of our sales groups, it it there's not a lot of fours on on the sales teams that I've worked with. Um, a lot of times this is a common gap. But teams will talk about, you know, um, we have these other types, they bring a lot to the team, they bring a lot to our sales process, our client experience. However, maybe there's some opportunities where we could do better at storytelling. Um, we can influence other other groups, um, leadership teams have talked about um how can we use creative storytelling to influence uh what needs to be done with our teams that report to us and potentially managing up? How can we become better storytellers in both directions? And so that might be something to to think of. It's you know, to think about how how might that help me in my role, how that how might that help us as a team to channel some of that creative storytelling? So that is, we have talked about our twos, our threes, our fours. And again, um, we have done five, six, seven in part two. We did eight, nine, one in part three, and we've wrapped it up today with uh our twos, threes, fours. So if you uh have somebody, if you didn't catch the first two or the the last two, I'm gonna encourage you to do that. And then maybe you've been listening to this, maybe today's episode, maybe the whole series, and you have a pretty good idea of what your Enneagram type is, and you're thinking, wow, this would be awesome if the rest of my team also had an idea of what type they identified with, understanding their strengths, understanding when they might be over overusing those strengths. I'm gonna invite you to check out our training and our workshop options over at EnneagramMBA.com so that everybody can start to understand what they identify with. Then as a team, you can kind of understand those team dynamics, have some conversations like we've been having in this series about you know what to really lean into, who to really lean into, and what situations because of the strengths, because of the energy, because of the natural tendencies that they have. And then also looking at, hey, where what might we be missing? So that is a great place to start, is uh our website over at Enneagram MBA.com. Starting next week, we have a two-parter interview, an interview that's been broken up into two parts with a very special guest, my mentor and the co-founder and president of Enneagram or the Awareness to Action Enneagram. And uh it will we'll be hearing from Mario Socora on the history of the Enneagram. Where did the Enneagram come from? Really, the history, the evolution, and what to look forward to uh with the Enneagram. So we're gonna specifically look at the history of it next week. Is it really 2,000 years old? Where did it come from? Is it this ancient system? Mary is gonna answer those questions, talk about why it's important that we understand where it where it really did come from. The next uh episode will be around the history of wings, and it is interesting, filled with some misconceptions. It's kind of gonna blow your mind, I think, with with some things. Um, so come back for that one. But that's what you have to look forward to. Until then, have a wonderful week, and I look forward to seeing you in the next one.