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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. Well, welcome back. It has been a long minute since we have been here together. I'm so glad to have you. Thank you for being here. Thank you for being patient. Um, it has been a good, a good little hiatus, um, but it is uh it's I'm ready. I'm ready to be back hanging out here with you. Um couple of things to look forward to with this new season or as we get started back up, um, is we are going, well, we have a new podcast cover, and that happened several months back. And then I thought, when I thought I was gonna restart the podcast, it didn't happen. So we we have the cover. Um, that is new. Our episodes are ideally gonna be around 15 minutes, give or take, just a little bit more bite-sized than normal. And uh we are still going to have guests on the show. I always love uh having people share their real life experiences. I know I hear from many of you that you know you'll call out specific guests that you got something from, that you learned something from. So that will still continue. And in those cases, those interviews, those conversations might be more like 30 minutes or so. But for the most part, 10, 15, 20 minute more bite-sized episodes. And we're gonna add some new segments, um, including the one that we're going to do today. We're going to have some workplace showdown episodes where it's just, it's just all in good fun. We're going to be matching up two types to see which one is the best at whatever it is, because that is a question that comes up in some form or fashion between different types. Which type is the best leader? Is it type three or a type six a better leader? Or is it who's better under stress? Who's who's more creative? And so I think you'll you'll see a theme to the ultimate answer for all of these. But for the sake of learning and thinking about the different styles and the lens that they might be seeing the world through, what kind of is motivating them? We're going to go through a couple of categories and match them up and rank them, how they're doing in those categories, and uh see if we can come up with a winner. And then we're gonna look at some episodes, some segments that um there is maybe something needs to be fixed or addressed between two types in certain situations. And so we're gonna look at maybe there's on a particular project in a meeting, there's some issues happening. Uh, so we're we'll look at what what's going on here in this specific workplace situation. Um, what might one type be thinking, feeling, seeing the world through? How might this other type be seeing it? Where are the why are they butting heads? What can we do about it? And some things that you can take back, hopefully to your own team. And then we're gonna do some mapping team success segments where I'm gonna bring out some team map reviews and analyze some real life team maps from past workshops anonymously, of course. Uh, but that way we're we'll kind of look at some strengths of the different team dynamics, some potential gaps, and then look at how you might be able to take that analysis back to your team for additional communication insights, collaboration, better collaboration, and then um, of course, have those interviews. So I'm looking forward to it. I hope you are too. I'm glad that you're here. And uh let's go ahead and get into this week's specific episode. We are gonna do a showdown, workplace showdown episode, and we're gonna be matching up the type two and the type eight. Who's the best team leader? Okay. Um this is was just all gonna be in good fun. It is all lighthearted, but I do hope there are some practical takeaways that you can use to either understand your own leadership style a little bit better, to maybe understand um your manager's boss or your manager or your boss's leadership style more, kind of helping you manage up. Maybe you get some insight about someone you work next to day in and day out. And uh you're leaving with with one new insight about yourself or or someone else on your team. And again, all and good fun. And I think you will notice a theme uh happening at the end of all of these. So, without further ado, let's get the showdown started between our type two and our type eight. And in one corner, we have the bold no-nonsense type eight who is leading with power and confidence. And then in the other corner, we have our maybe a bit warmer, more people-centered type two who tends to rally their team with kindness and empathy and support. And so we're gonna look at all right, who is the better leader? Now, both types have strengths that can make or break a team, but as far as these two leadership styles, in a lot of ways, they couldn't be more different. There is some overlap, but they also have a lot of differences. So we're gonna put these two Enneagram types head to head and see which style is the best in a leadership position. So we're gonna introduce our competitors though before we dive in. And first up, we have the type 8 who is striving to feel powerful. That is the strategy, that's their go-to strategy. And their leadership style is known as the commander. They're they lead with directness and decisiveness, and they are also very protective, not just of themselves, but of their team as well. They bring so many strengths to a team. They're bold, quick decision making. They tend to thrive under pressure, and they inspire this confidence that they have. They inspire that confidence in their team members, in the people that they lead. Now, when those strengths get overused, dial up a little too high, they could have some potential friction points and become a little too controlling. Sometimes that boldness, that decisiveness can feel a little intimidating or domineering. Sometimes that passion that the eights will talk about that they have for the team protection, the project, the company, um, just life in general, this big passionate energy can feel angry at times on the receiving end of it. And so an eight will, you know, they they might think, hey, I'm not I'm not asking for feedback right now. Um, I'm gonna decide how things go here. So sometimes there it can be kind of my way or the highway. They have that just do it, Nike brand energy. Now, our type two, our type twos are striving to feel connected. At the end of the day, that's the thing that they will rely on most. That strategy for how can I be more connected to this person, to this group. Their leadership style is known as the coach. And uh it is so interesting how many type twos will describe their leadership style without yet even knowing about the type two leadership style, and it is exactly that of a coach. They will talk about how they pay attention to their people and will adjust their leadership style based on what people need. Um, and so it is just it's such a fitting name, the coach. They tend to lead with empathy, they are really good at nurturing their team, putting people first, relationships first, also have a lot of really great strengths for a leadership position, for a team. They're great at building strong relationships, they motivate through encouragement and they really foster a strong sense of team cohesion because they make everybody feel really included, that their opinions are valued, that they matter. Now, when that gets dialed up a little too high, um, they can overextend themselves. They're wanting, they're wanting to help everybody and they're wanting to go, you know, really help everybody and go deep and also juggle what's on their own plate. So they can struggle to set boundaries. They can also struggle sometimes with being um overly involved in an employee's situation, project, or life in general, because they want to help. They want to come in and help so that we can be connected. Um, so they may have to be careful about giving unsolicited advice, uh, they may have to be careful about playing favorites and about kind of like giving to get, which I think we all do a little bit. Um, but feeling like, gosh, I give, give, give, and I don't get appreciated. And uh just to be aware. And I again, I think we all, if we're if we continuously give and get zero acknowledgement, I think we're all gonna feel a little maybe bitter or resentful about that. So, um, but that's something you'll see show up for for some of the type twos at times. Um, and then there, you know, they tend to be thinking, how can I help? How can I help you? What can I do for you? And not always thinking about, do I have time? Could I just help answer this one question and then allow them to figure the rest out on their own and come back and ask for questions versus going really deep with this help? All right, so let's bring it to the showdown. We're gonna compare the strengths and overuse strengths of these two types. And there is, let's see, are there are four categories I have here, and we're gonna look at we're gonna look at them all with um the lens of the eight and the two, and we'll we'll give out some points just for fun. And you may or may not agree with me on these. Um, and I may change my mind later down. I may listen to this episode next month or next year and think, oh, I should have should have given the points to someone else. So again, this is all just in fun. Um, but hopefully you're getting some things to think about and are leaving here with one takeaway about yourself or someone else. All right, the first category is decision making, but there's a little a little extra here. It's decision making under pressure. So our eights, we just talked about how they thrive in high-stake environments. So when there's chaos, they tend to be cool as a cucumber. They're, you know, bring it on. They're going toe-to-toe. They're not backing down, they're not necessarily getting super stressed right now. Um, they're they're ready for that challenge, which I guess sometimes you might have heard them call the challenger. Now, our type two, on the other hand, tends to make decisions based on how it will impact the team emotionally, workload-wise, but they're thinking about wait, what how's this gonna, what's this gonna do to my team? What do they think? And so sometimes that that approach can slow things down when you are in a in a high pressure situation. Um, your people feel heard for sure, but you may be slowing things down. And so maybe we'll give the points here to our type eight for speed, but I would say we gotta give the type two a point because they're asking for that team input. So uh let's say let's say a point, and then we'll give our type two a half a point here. All right, so the eights win it for the speed, decision making under pressure. All right, the other category, the next category is team morale and engagement. So our eights tend to inspire confidence in their team, they can make people, you know, step out and make bold decisions, make big moves that maybe they didn't think were capable of themselves, but that eight inspires, they're watching them, they're setting an example. That type eight leader is setting an example for their team members. Um, they can also be great hype people. Um, but at times because they are so focused on performance and goals and really driven by the results, um, they may overlook the needs of their team, the emotional needs, how's everybody doing? Um, everybody doing okay because they're just they just push forward that just do it, go let's go far, let's go fast, kind of energy. Twos tend to be masters at making the whole team feel valued and heard and supported. They're okay with slowing down to ask what other people think, soliciting um opinions of other people. And and that really does have a big impact on morale and engagement because it feels like, gosh, even if we didn't go with my opinion, at least I was asked. And that always feels good to feel seen and heard. So let's see. In this situation, let's give the the type two the point here. So they boost morale by making people feel included and supported. The next category is conflict management. So eights, we have talked about this. Do not shy away from confrontation. And sometimes they may run toward it. I don't know that they're actively seeking it out, but they are definitely not backing down from it. And they are gonna say what needs to be said. And this is such an important needed skill. So if this doesn't come naturally to you, like it doesn't necessarily come natural to me either. Um this is something that the that muscle needs to be practiced because there are definitely situations in the workplace where we just need to address the the problem so that we can move on. Because sometimes when we hold back or we're afraid to say what we what really needs to be said, we're wasting time, we're uh bottlenecking the process, people aren't feeling heard and understood because their complaints maybe aren't being taken and addressed, or doesn't feel like we're they're being listened to because nobody's speaking up for them. So this is really a leadership strength that the eight tends to be really great at and that that others of us uh can can can learn from. Um twos, on the other hand, might avoid unnecessary conflict um and and can struggle to address those issues head on. And we will talk about sometimes in our sessions that um our workshops that when it comes to feedback, an eight wants you to give it to them straight and they're probably gonna give it to you straight, where a two might prefer more of the sandwich style, like you know, remind me of some of the things I'm doing well. I'm gonna remind you of some of the things you're doing well. Here's the feedback, and then you know, just as a reminder, here's something you're doing good, which can be a perfectly good strategy at times, but other times that directness is really needed. So in this case, let's give the point. I'm gonna give the point to the eight for their directness and conflict management. And last but not least, the category is long-term team development. Our type eight tends to focus on results and really drives the team to hit those goals, to perform, to outperform, to excel. So they might push them really hard. Um, and again, this can be a strength, this can be an incredible leadership quality. Your team can move and do big things, but at some point, things might start to break down because of that constant pushing, that constant hard pushing. Whereas a two, it's gonna invest a little bit more, maybe in the individual growth, uh, some individual mentorship of each person on the team. And they still care about goals. They still want to win, they still want to perform well, they still want to see their team succeed. They just may, it's that it's they tend to have that coach mentality a little bit. They're gonna slow down, get to know their people, what motivates them, what do they need, rather than kind of motivating everybody with that big hard push energy that eight sometimes uh a lot of times have. So let's see, long-term teen development. Um, I'm gonna let's give the point to the the two here because of how nurturing they can be and how great they are at cultivating growth and not just a one size fits all. They tend to really see each individual and and give them opportunities to grow the way that they will perform the best, the things that they need, not maybe not everybody else. And so they they really see those people. So, you know, when you tally it up, I don't know, what do we have here? Um two and a half, so eight has two points, two has two and a half points. Who's the winner, though? At the end of the day, it is not about who's better, it is really about what the team needs. And depending on your department, depending on your organization, the industry that you're in, one of these styles might be more needed than the other. And also, it is not that black and white, as you already know. And so an eight is absolutely capable of bringing in all these strengths and being this needed leader, but also pulling in some of the qualities of the two, being a little bit more relationship-oriented, looking more um, slowing down a little bit, using that kind of coach mentality to lead their team. They're absolutely capable of it. That is a growth path for our type eight. Um, and so there's a lot of good things that an eight can do, not to become a two, but to bring in some of that to complement the strengths of that commander leadership style. And then the two also might be the the needed leader in specific departments, organizations, industries. And again, it's not to say that that's just it's a two is a two. No, they can't, they are absolutely capable of pulling in some big decisive energy as well. That also there's a line to our the the two and the eight. So there's some things that a two can pull into their leadership style when needed, um, from that eight, confidence, the decisiveness when they need it. So our eights tend to just naturally bring that strength and that decisiveness, while our twos do tend to lead a lot with empathy and understanding. And so a team can really benefit from both. And a leader can be both of these. So it's not, is the best leader, you know, a type eight or a type two? Uh, it is what is that team, what does my team need of me right now? What are the qualities that I'm already great at that have been working and make sure that I lean into those and don't lose those? But also, are there some other qualities that I can pull in and help me with my leadership style? So, with that, um, if you happen to be curious about how your leadership style influences your team, we have workshops specifically for our leaders, um, their leadership teams, and we can explore how the Enneagram can help shape your leadership style, your leadership team. And those workshops, those programs are over at Enneagram MBA to learn more. Thanks so much for being back with me, and I look forward to hanging out with you in the next one.