Page 71 - Using the Enneagram System to Identify and Grow Your Leadership Strengths and Achieve Maximum Success

50 What Type of Leader Are You?

Chad, a Five project manager, created an exemplary intern-
ship program that eventually became a state-of-the-art,
benchmarked program. After he conceived the idea, Chad
thoroughly researched similar programs in other companies.
Finding very little useful information, he designed the entire
program himself, systematically gained organizational
support for the concept, and became the internship program
director for three years—all this in addition to performing his
regular job beyond expectations. His goal, which he realized
within the first year, was to recruit and develop people for
his division so that he could pass along the knowledge that
he had accumulated over the years.

Five leaders’ strengths can also become their shortcomings and
cause them to derail as leaders. For example, with their emphasis
on analysis, research, and planning, Five leaders can sometimes stop
short of execution because they want to make sure that they have
all the facts, have thought through all contingencies, and have ana-
lyzed all the information correctly before they act—in other words,
they may spend so much time saying Ready, aim/ready, aim . . . that
they never get to fire. For some Five leaders, the extensive focus on
the development of strategies and plans is another strength that,
when overused, can become a weakness. For example, the Five
leader may confuse a specific strategy or tactic with the larger vision
and mission. In addition, while Five leaders are usually adept at
planning, monitoring, and evaluating projects, they must continu-
ally remind themselves that they need to enlist the support of other
people on both a cerebral and an emotional level, as Fives tend to
overemphasize the former. Finally, Fives must also be attentive to
the necessity of engaging in two-way communication with team
members, customers, and peers throughout the project.
Chad also experienced the downside of the Five’s characteristics:

After three years, the senior manager position in Chad’s
work group became available. Although Chad was more