Enneagram Overview
The Enneagram is all about identifying nine unique personality types, each with their own core motivations, strengths, and blind spots.
Understanding Your Enneagram Type
Understanding Your Enneagram Type Your Enneagram type is all about what drives you – your core motivations that influence your behaviors and how you see the world. The nine Enneagram types are:
The Reformer - driven by a desire for integrity
The Helper - motivated by a desire for love and connection
The Achiever - all about success and recognition
The Individualist - craves significance and uniqueness
The Investigator - motivated by competence and knowledge
The Loyalist - seeks security and stability
The Enthusiast (that's me!) - all about happiness and excitement
The Challenger - values independence and control
The Peacemaker - strives for harmony and peace
It's important to note that while we each have a core type, we can exhibit behaviors of all nine types to some degree. Our Enneagram type represents our most natural tendencies and motivations.
Enneagram Triads
The Enneagram types are grouped into three triads that represent how we take in and process information to make decisions:
Gut Triad (8, 9, 1): Relies on instincts and physical intelligence
Heart Triad (2, 3, 4): Attunes to emotions and relational intelligence
Head Triad (5, 6, 7): Relies on logic and mental intelligence
Knowing these intelligence centers can help you spot your team members' natural strengths and potential blind spots.
*For more on using the Triads to develop teams, visit this article.
Social Styles
The Enneagram also maps out three social styles that show how we try to get our needs met in social situations:
Assertive (3, 7, 8): Directly state needs and take action independently
Compliant (1, 2, 6): Seek to understand expectations and gain approval
Withdrawn (4, 5, 9): Reflect inwardly to determine needs before engaging
Recognizing your team's different social styles can help you run more effective meetings by giving people the time and space they need to engage. You can check out your team members' social styles right on the Cloverleaf dashboard!
Conflict Approaches
When we're stressed or tense, we usually resort to one of three conflict approaches:
Reactive (4, 6, 8): Emphasize the severity of problems and push for acknowledgment Positive (2, 7, 9): Focus on silver linings and avoid dwelling on negatives
Competency (1, 3, 5): Disengage from emotions to focus on logical solutions
When conflicts pop up, try to leverage the strengths of each approach – allow time to acknowledge issues, identify opportunities, and collaboratively problem-solve. This empowers the whole team.
The Enneagram is a powerful tool for understanding the different personalities, motivations, and interaction styles within your team. By recognizing these diverse perspectives and needs, you can seriously improve collaboration, run better meetings, handle conflicts like a pro, and bring out the best in one another.