Page 225 - Using the Enneagram System to Identify and Grow Your Leadership Strengths and Achieve Maximum Success

200 What Type of Leader Are You?

The Five’s belief that team members are there to work and not
to get involved in one another’s emotional lives has merit. At the
same time, people do have feelings at work that can either support
or derail the work effort. Interpersonal issues, if not dealt with con-
structively, can erode the productivity of the team. For this reason,
team leaders need to be both willing and able to lead the team in
resolving issues that might impede its progress. Because Fives
experience most emotional interactions as draining, they tend to
stay away from them if they can.
Barbara received feedback about her interpersonal style:

The topic of the team’s interpersonal relationships arose at a
staff meeting. One team member said, “Barbara, I can never
tell how you are. In the morning, I say hello and ask how you
are, but you rarely say anything in return. In fact, I hardly
ever know how you are reacting to something.”
Barbara replied in an unusually animated voice, much to
the surprise of her team, and said, “If you want to really
know how I am, I might tell you! But when you ask how I am
after saying hello, it is merely a pleasantry. I don’t get the
feeling that you are really asking how I am, and because of
this, I am not inclined to say anything.”

Development Stretches for Fives

EXPRESS YOUR FEELINGS USING MORE THAN JUST WORDS Fives
usually control their body language and rely on words to com-
municate, but your team needs more information from you than
this. Videotape yourself talking about something that is impor-
tant to you. Watch the tape with a coach or someone you respect,
and solicit his or her feedback about how you come across.
Finally, practice communicating your feelings during a staff meet-
ing, with an emphasis on making your words and body language
congruent.