The day has come. We are at the end of our series where we look at how each Enneagram Type are like as managers.
We kicked this series off with the heart-centered Enneagram Types – Type 2, Type 3 and Type 4.
Then, we looked at the body-centered Enneagram Types – Type 8, Type 9 and Type 1.
In the last leg, we focused on the Type 5 and Type 6 managers. Today, we end the series looking at the joyfully optimistic Type 7 managers.
Type 7 Traits In A Managerial Nutshell
Type 7s have a positive energy and joyfulness that is hard to miss. It is this aura of fun that draws people towards them and helps the Type 7 managers infect their team members with their enthusiasm and energy.
Type 7 managers work at a highly energetic and quick pace. They are natural project starters and because people love to work with them, 7s form teams that are enthusiastic about the new project from the very beginning. The Type 7s’ innovation comes from their ability to string their knowledge of various topics into one cohesive big picture.
The Type 7 manager believes in the ‘work with a smile on your face and joy in your heart’ mantra. It is this mantra that helps their team to find the silver lining, even in the darkest moments of their work life. This helps them in building a positive culture in not only their team culture but the overall company culture.
Becoming The Best Manager As A Type 7
In order for a Type 7 to upgrade their managerial skills, they would have to learn to:
Become a ‘specialist’ and not a ‘generalist’ in their work.
When Type 7s learn, they do not tend to go deep into one topic, they have their fingers in a variety of topics. This is partly due to the fact that they are very easily distracted because they love to maximise their options, even in their learning of new things. This then makes them a ‘jack of all trades and a master of none’.
So, for a Type 7 manager to grow into their work role and to show authority in it, they have to learn to pick one area of their work to specialise in and master it. This way, they can re-invent themselves to be the ‘go-to’ person for the area of work they have mastered and become a ‘jack of all trades and a master of one’.
Process their pain points to acquire emotional depth.
The Type 7’s main core motivation is the need to avoid pain. This causes the 7 to avoid processing often times very painful moments in their lives by distracting themselves with the company of people, buying the latest gadgets, gaming to name a few.
However, as managers, the more authentically you show up for your team, the more authentically you share your life – the good and the bad, that is where the team sees you, the manager, not just as a position but as a person.
It is in that spirit that we encourage our Type 7 managers to take a deep breath and process their pain bit by bit by confronting it and not avoiding it. A Type 7 manager who is able to achieve this integrated emotional depth and to share it with their team, would be very inspirational to them; because the team can see that even though the 7 has gone through many dark moments in their lives and yet still have the strength to see the good in their lives and to always bring a smile to others in a way only they can.
An Encouragement to our Type 7 Managers
We love that you instinctually want to make the lives of the people around you more joyful and positive with your presence, which you do very well.
However, learn that you are also worthy for people to bring solace and peace by journeying with you in your pain. Let us help you find true joy in your life by listening to your pain and by being there to hold your hand as you begin to heal from the pains in your life. You do not have to do this alone.
Here is one final reminder while dealing with a Type 7 manager – do not always ask them to be the one to make you laugh and happy. They are not the ones who have the sole responsibility to bring positivity to the team as you work. Help them spread positivity and laughter with them; that way, the work environment will be a wonderful place to be in.
————-
Want to learn how to create a highly joyful and enthusiastic team culture through the Enneagram? Contact us (link to: https://theenneagramacademy.com/#contact) to find out when our next course runs are and don’t forget to ask you can also use your SkillsFuture Credits to offset your course fees!
