Page 77 - Using the Enneagram System to Identify and Grow Your Leadership Strengths and Achieve Maximum Success

56 What Type of Leader Are You?

For Sevens, as for all Enneagram styles, a person’s greatest
strengths, if overused, can also become his or her derailers. For
example, the Seven’s way of mental processing—generating new
ideas on a continual basis and becoming excited about most of
them—can create too many projects for employees and coworkers
to handle, as well as confusion about which project to do first and
how thoroughly to do it. Because Sevens are usually adept at multi-
tasking, they assume that others are as well. While most people
can handle two or three projects at a time, and some people work
best with only a single focus, Sevens can usually deal with eight or
more projects simultaneously. Thus, Seven leaders can unwittingly
create havoc and commotion for those who are following them.
In addition, because Sevens enjoy working on simultaneous
tasks, they may leave certain tasks to the last minute, knowing full
well that they will do whatever it takes to get these tasks completed
on time. They may also be averse to the level of detailed planning
that others may need in order to understand the workflow and
execute the work on time. Detailed planning often makes Sevens
feel boxed in, restricting their ability to act spontaneously. How-
ever, a lack of specific plans or instructions can cause others to
become stressed and frustrated and thus possibly produce lesser-
quality work.
The downside of a Seven leader under duress can be seen in
the following story:

Dan was a Ph.D. who was well respected in the industry.
When he was hired as a senior manager, those who were
about to work with him and for him had high expectations.
Their hopes, however, never materialized. Although Dan had
been successful in his previous jobs, the new position
required him to produce multiple projects in an incredibly
fast-paced environment. His tendency to take on too many
projects without having enough time to complete them,
combined with his reliance on staff members to produce