Page 219 - Using the Enneagram System to Identify and Grow Your Leadership Strengths and Achieve Maximum Success

194 What Type of Leader Are You?

back and who put customer satisfaction first. Because Threes
become frustrated with what they perceive as unnecessary obsta-
cles to both their own and the team’s success, they develop clear
team processes to eliminate confusion whenever possible.
Most Threes assume a team leadership role with ease, with effi-
ciency and effectiveness as their primary operating principles. For this
reason, their willingness to take charge of a team is rarely in question.
The following example describes Noreen, a Three project team
leader:

Noreen was known as a take-charge leader. Even when her
team wasn’t sure what direction to take, its members had
faith that Noreen would never let the team fail. Although she
was eager to hear the ideas of team members, Noreen was
also able to help them maintain their focus on the ultimate
goal and on a positive result for the customer. Her certainty
was reassuring to the team.

Their intense focus on tasks and deliverables can cause Three
leaders to miss some of the human-related process issues that are
at work. For example, team members may not know one another
well or understand one another’s working styles. As a result, they
may not have built the team relationships they need in order to
function effectively when the inevitable unanticipated problems
and time pressures arise.
Three leaders may also be unaware that their high activity level
and strong sense of direction may overwhelm some team members
or create too much reliance on the leader for direction. Threes may
want team members to show more initiative, yet be unaware that
their own strong leadership prevents members from feeling
empowered enough to assert their own ideas more or to disagree
with the direction of the team.
Here’s an example of some feedback that Noreen received from
her team: