Page 199 - Using the Enneagram System to Identify and Grow Your Leadership Strengths and Achieve Maximum Success

174 What Type of Leader Are You?

wrong. Although this sort of bravery earns them respect, it also
gets them embroiled in disagreements that are not fundamentally
their own.
Eights become very angry if another person blames them
unfairly, lies, makes them feel vulnerable, or acts abusively toward
others. When angry, Eights usually take immediate action. Occa-
sionally, angry Eights become silent, but this usually happens
either when they believe that there is no effective action they can
take or when they have already disengaged from the other person
or the organization.

Influence Others
Eights enjoy political strategizing and anticipating likely outcomes,
and they know how to function effectively within influence net-
works. They expect to have influence, and when they lose any
power—for example, if their position shifts in a reorganization or
if some key allies leave the organization—Eights sense this loss of
power immediately and dislike it. They then turn inward to deter-
mine what to do next. When Eights feel thwarted in their ability to
remedy the situation, they may become more visibly upset and
angry, remain withdrawn, or do both in an alternating fashion.

Using E-mail as a Developmental Stretch
The following two e-mails, the first from a man and the second
from a woman, both contain identical language patterns, showing
that these patterns are the same for male and female Eights. The
first e-mail, from Raymond, was sent in response to an e-mail from
a longtime professional colleague.

Good to hear from you. All is well. I will call you when I next
come to San Francisco.
Raymond

The second e-mail, from Martha, the CEO of a midsize company,
was sent in response to an e-mail that was originally intended for