Enneagram at Work
Welcome to Enneagram at Work, your Saturday leadership download. We're bringing you insights for your weekend so you're ready for Monday.
This is a podcast about understanding people at work and navigating professional relationships. We spend so much of our time at work, why not make it more enjoyable by working on creating more enjoyable relationships with our teammates?
Listen in each week to gain self-awareness, relationship management, leadership development, personal growth insights, and real-life application ideas through the lens of the Enneagram inside educational episodes and interview conversations.
Learn about bringing the Enneagram to your organization or group and view the current workshop menu at: enneagrammba.com
Enneagram at Work
201. Enneagram Type 1: Striving to Feel Perfect - How It Shows Up at Work
In this episode, we're kicking off a 9 Types Overview Series, taking it back to the basics with a fresh look at Type 1: Striving to Feel Perfect.
Whether you’re brand new to the Enneagram or returning to deepen your understanding, this quick overview offers both clarity and real-world examples of how Type 1s lead, communicate, and collaborate at work.
You'll also hear how different instinctual biases (Preserving, Navigating, and Transmitting) influence the way Type 1s express their “perfection-striving” energy.
Inside You’ll Learn
- The core motivation behind Type 1’s drive to feel perfect and how it shows up in daily work and leadership.
- Common strengths: organization, fairness, high standards, and accountability.
- Overused strengths that can lead to micromanagement or burnout.
- How Type 1 leaders (known as “The Administrator” in the Awareness to Action framework) model integrity and inspire excellence.
- How to give and receive feedback effectively with Type 1s.
- The differences between Preserving, Navigating, and Transmitting Ones, and why they can look so different on the surface.
- Growth practices: what Type 1s can learn from their arrows to Type 7 and Type 4, bringing in more celebration, creativity, and emotional awareness.
Try This at Work
- If you’re a Type 1: Before giving feedback, start by naming what’s working well. Train your eye to notice strengths as much as errors.
- If you work with a Type 1: When sharing a new idea, explain the structure, process, and steps behind it—they’ll appreciate the thoughtfulness and clarity.
For Teams & Leaders
Type 1 energy brings structure, order, and excellence to teams, but also needs balance, celebration, and empathy to thrive. If your team is heavy in Type 1 leadership, consider how you can bring in more lightness, spontaneity, and creativity to sustain motivation.
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🗓️ Book an Enneagram Workshop for your team retreat at work:
https://www.enneagrammba.com/enneagram-team-workshops
✏️ Get an overview of all nine types inside the Understanding People at Work Cheat Sheet
https://www.enneagrammba.com/cheatsheet