Page 232 - Using the Enneagram System to Identify and Grow Your Leadership Strengths and Achieve Maximum Success

Lead High-Performing Teams 207

and will probably see an increase in the team’s innovation and
productivity.

KNOW WHEN TO STOP This suggestion applies to many areas of a
Seven team leader’s development. Do you know when to stop
sharing your own ideas and to start listening to others? Do you
know when to stop creating new ideas and focus on the most
important ones that have already been developed? Do you know
when to disengage from a fascinating conversation because there
are critical meetings to attend or items on your desk that need
action? In general, it is helpful to think in terms of shortening
everything you are involved in to one-third. For example, talk one-
third of the time, and listen two-thirds. Stop when one-third of the
ideas have been generated and decide which of the ideas are the
most actionable. Limit your work conversations to one-third of
their usual length.

Enneagram Style Eights

Eights like to lead high-performing teams that
engage in big-picture, high-impact work. They
enjoy taking chaotic and uncontrolled situations
and turning them around quickly. When they sense
talent in people and these individuals demonstrate
capability and reliability, Eight leaders give them an
abundance of autonomy to perform at their best. Eights lead pri-
marily through a vision and secondarily through their robust per-
sonalities. Most team members appreciate the certainty provided
by the Eight leader as well as the honest feedback and encourage-
ment they receive.
Some Eight leaders focus heavily on designing team processes
and architecture, while others may pay less attention to this, pre-
ferring to set up systems on an as-needed basis. In either case, Eight
leaders challenge both themselves and their teams to do extraor-