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The Nine Types

Overview 

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If you need to find out what type you are  visit 

www.enneadevelopmentgroup.com to take a short test.

EDG also offers a detailed self assessment test that can 

then be submitted to obtain a  Personalized Profile 

Report (PPR)™  which gives detailed customized insight 

into your strengths and challenges related to many 

different areas of your life including communication and 

decision making styles, conflict management  and 

relationships and interaction with other types  in your 

personal life and  also in business. Leadership and 

management styles can be assessed as well as core 

business competencies.

For more information visit 

www.enneadevelopmentgroup.com

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Disciplined, Direct,  orderly people

Awareness Understanding Leadership Mastery

You will recognize The Perfectionist (The One) by listening to the specific words they use; the words ‘must’, ‘should’ and ‘right or wrong’ are often chosen by the One. Ones have a strong sense of what is right and wrong and follow their strict moral compass. The One is extremely critical of himself and others and is constantly guided by an inner ‘judge’. The ‘inner judge’ is exacting and quite hard on him and Ones therefore do not easily forgive or excuse themselves for making mistakes. Ones are highly principled and ethical and walk their talk in daily life.

The One in Business:is highly reliable and will not give youany unforeseen surprises: ‘what yousee is what you get’.The One is committed to the task andfinishes what needs to be finished. Ahard worker that leads by example.The One can be extremely patient withpeople who are motivated to work hardand at the same time can be short-tempered with those less serious or notlearning from their mistakes.

Positive Attributes:

principled, idealistic, conscientious, reliable, fair and productive.

Probably my worst quality is that I get very passionate about what I think is right!– Hilary Rodham Clinton

Type 1 in One Word

fickle, light‐headed and nonchalant people

Negative Attributes

judgmental, critical, inflexible and controlling.

Communication style:

precise and detail-oriented

sometimes with a

tendency to moralize

or preach.

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People in general  especially  if they are sensitive or make an effort with them.

Awareness Understanding Leadership Mastery

The Two or The Helper is the most people‐oriented of all nine types. They want to serve and to help and really connect with people. Their interest in others can extend beyond acceptable to the most intimate and detailed level. They know and remember your birthday, what food you like best and how you take your coffee or tea. They want to be needed and appreciated and support others with their attention, love and care and feel that you should do the same to them.

The Two in Business:They go out of their way to collaborate and have many friends among their colleagues. They are allergic to colleagues that treat them with coldness have difficulties with boundaries (their own as well as the boundaries of others). They can be aggressive and argumentative proclaiming they have been treated unfairly or wrongly. They are great in ‘getting the job done’ but at the same time can take on too much (can’t say: no) and then are unable to deliver.

Positive Attributes:

helpful, nurturing, empathetic, sensitive and tactful. 

If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed at least one– Mother Theresa

Type 2 in One Word

aloofness, coldness and people that are very direct. Negative Attributes

interfering, not being straightforward, possessive and emotionally manipulative.

Communication style:

Talkative, empathetic

warm and sympathetic 

Attentive, full of compliments 

and flattery

How can I help?

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success and people who can contribute to or 

deliver their success.

Awareness Understanding Leadership Mastery

The Achiever is the true developer of his own potential and as a result that of others. He is deeply motivated by his own success and the fear of failure and the need for the respect and admiration of others. He works tirelessly to achieve any goal (and he usually has many). For a Three work is not a hardship and be it the office, the gym or even family life they must be the best. This over competitive approach leads to work:life balance challenges.

The Three in Business: At work they are self-motivated and need little encouragement from others although they do need acknowledgment and visibility. At the same time be very encouraging to others and sweep them along on their energetic path to success. They are good coaches and teachers and strong motivators and leaders. They don’t have much patience with lazy or less energetic colleagues, though. They do feel, however, a lot of pressure in their constant strive for excellence and their intensity can drain themselves although they possess a tremendous amount of energy. They will not show any form of weakness since they perceive it as failure which is their biggest fear and is to be avoided at all times.

Positive Attributes:

passion, decisiveness, flexibility and drive

“…you have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else”.  – Albert Einstein

Type 3 in One Word

lazy people and people that are unfocused or have a 

tendency to dramatize. 

Negative Attributes

overly competitive, impatience and lack of self awareness.

Communication style:

enthusiastic highly 

motivating speaker  

Focus mostly on achieving 

success or 

connected to goals.

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Recognition for their uniqueness,The different not the every day,

Attention to feelings.

Awareness Understanding Leadership Mastery

The Fours or the Individualist want to know themselves and to understand their  own personality and uniqueness.They are most aware of their emotions and inner thoughts or feelings and are very tuned into their own emotions and  are able to understand and empathise with others. While other personalities might question their type, the Four usually knows he is a Four because he feels he is unique and not like others. They can lose themselves in their fantasy world and withdraw from their social environment.

The Four in business: Fours  want to be acknowledged as unique and creative . They are tuned into others emotions and can read what is really going on with people. They are sensitive to moods of others and will come up with original and creative ways to solving problems. Their creativity and desire to express themselves must be addressed or the Four can not operate successfully within any organization. Being invisible or one of many is the Individualist biggest fear and de‐motivates the Four to the point where they withdraw completely.

Positive Attributes:

eccentric, sensitive, creative artistic and passionate

“I cannot be that I am not, I want to be that I am." (Charlotte Sebego)

Type 4 in One Word

Bureaucracy,people who are insincere 

and topics that are meaningless

Negative Attributes

tendency to show feelings of depression and can be withdrawn or moody

Communication style:

Intuitive with feeling

Good Listeners, empathetic

Can be Dramatic or Aloof

I, Me and My focused 

Desire to be understood

Use Imagery and visual references

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Clarity, logic and respectAdequate Time to think 

through their position on issues.

Awareness Understanding Leadership Mastery

The Investigators are fascinated by questions and ideas.  They are the ultimate thinkers who devote themselves to acquiring knowledge and understanding.  Fives want to understand everything so they will never be without the answer or look foolish.  Fives spend too much time in their head thinking that they become detached from the world and others. A Five will only feel comfortable moving into action when they have all the facts.They struggle with personal relationships and are often quite negative about or distrustful of others.They can be intellectually arrogant and very critical.

The Five in business: .  

Fives are focused on knowledge and reason and determined to solve problems and they will not give up until they have found the solution (or concluded that it is unsolvable). 

They feelmore comfortable in their minds than in engaging with people. 

They observe, analyze and internalize knowledge. They want to explore new ideas and new systems. Often they are conceptual thinkers capable of simplifying complex issuesor ideas and developing practical solutions for difficult challenges.

.

Positive Attributes:

dedicated, calm, self reliant, logical analytical even wise, curious and quite innovative.

“The chief function of the body is to carry the brain around “(Thomas Edison)

Type 5 in One Word

large gatherings or meetingsless intelligent 

or over emotional people

Negative Attributesuncommunicative, critical, cold, intellectually arrogant , cynical, eccentric and detached 

Communication style:

Precise, detailed content 

don’t like “small talk” 

emails and written communication

Pauses and reflective gaps

Quieter than others

I rely on my hard disk 

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coordinating and planning things and working 

with others like himself

Awareness Understanding Leadership Mastery

The Six is loyal to friends and family and importantly to their own values and beliefs. They want to create a stable and safe environment and are very eager to work and cooperate with others to achieve.The Six is also the biggest worrier; they worry about themselves, the world and the future. If the One (the Perfectionist) has an inner judge that constantly criticizes his actions and behavior, the Six has a panel of judges and juries questioning and evaluating his every move.

The Six in Business: 

At work The Six is disciplined, organized and good with details.

They have a talent for detecting potential problems and are often ‘the critic’ during brainstorming or creative sessions.   They ask: ‘what if…’. 

Sixes will prioritize tasks and finish what they start. They are reliable but they need security and are full of self‐doubt. They mistrust their own judgment and often question their own abilities. 

Because of their lack of trust in their own judgment decisions take time because they need to gather the opinions of many others.

Positive Attributes:

Loyalty, compassion, practicality and accountability

“How prone to doubt, how cautious are the wise! “ Alexander Pope (English Poet)

Type 6 in One Word

uncertainty, fickle or negligent people, rules and authority

Negative Attributes

Lack of self‐confidence, pessimism, resistance to change 

Communication style:

asks and has many questions. 

negative, anxious or defensive 

Can be warm and open

Often contradict themselves  and repetitious

connected to goals.

Watch your back…

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new projects (but not finishing them), exploring and creating, 

social gatherings  engaging others

Awareness Understanding Leadership Mastery

Sevens are the life and soul of the party often delivering and ensuring its success. They radiate fun, spontaneity and curiosity displaying high levels of energy and optimism. The Seven is the most extroverted of all nine types. They are the busiest and are often multitasking and committed to many things at the same time.  However this is usually driven more by the desire to keep their options open in case something better come along than by the desire for efficiency or productivity. They are allergic to boredom and inactivity.

The Sevens in Business: 

They are the true ‘multi‐taskers’ within the Enneagram. 

Sevens have tons of ideas and move quickly from one idea to the next enjoying the creative phase but not being good with details and implementation. 

They are the energetic colleagues that buy into new ideas with full support and enthusiasm and can motivate others to do the same. 

They are future oriented and instead of merely thinking about the future they make it happen.  They can struggle with self discipline and are easily distracted and consequently often fail to live up to their true potential.

Positive Attributes:

Spontaneous, generous, confident, caring, imaginative and adventurous. 

….“i f   l i f e   g i v e s   y o u   l e m o n s ,  m a k e   l e m o n a d e … ”  (unknown)

Type 7 in One Word

control, rules and boundaries, pessimism or being boredNegative Attributes

ruthless, undisciplined impulsive and manic

Communication style:

positive and tend to reframe the negative. 

open and fearless

tell personal stories that can be provocative but highly entertaining (and a bit self‐absorbed)

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challenges and goals especially a good cause

to be in control 

Awareness Understanding Leadership Mastery

The Eight or The Challenger has the most courage of all nine types challenging and leading others and himself to do more, think deeper or feel stronger. The Eights are the natural leaders and champions of others. Eights take on new things with tremendous willpower. They strive to empower others to be their best and to succeed and  for independence for themselves and others. Eights are the industrious types who are happiest when they can take the lead. The last thing they look for is dependency or to give others power over them. More than any others, they stand alone.

The Eights in Business: They are people of vision, decision and action. At work they are the natural leaders and if tough decisions have to be made they will be the ones to do so. They are strong and decisive leaders with the initiative and the will to make things happen. Eights are very committed and if they agree to something they will deliver especially to protect the weak. They often have a major impact on people surrounding them. They can be extremely soft and helpful and then one minute later hard as a  rock especially when others force them against their will.  They are hard working and pragmatic verging on the autocratic. 

Positive Attributes:

direct, risk takers,  honest, fair and strong. 

“ I do not follow any prescription given by theoretician or democracy rules or what ever: I work from my first principles of what will get me there”..

(Lee Kwan Yew)

Type 8 in One Word

flattery, hidden agendas or lack of information 

and lack of follow‐through.Negative Attributes

insensitive, aggressive, hard task masters even dictators, intimidating pushy and dominant.

Communication style:

Direct, loud, forceful

Task orientated, but can be

Caring and concerned for others

Bossy or angry when 

Things go wrong

Follow my Lead

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personal freedom and open & calm stable environments

being asked for their opinion

Awareness Understanding Leadership Mastery

The Nine or the Mediator seeks to bring harmony and peace. An easy‐going type that gets along with all, Nines are open, trusting and patient. They have a calm sort of energy and are good‐natured. Nines are great in seeing all points of view and can be excellent mediators and peace‐makers for others. They can at times tune out and withdraw inside their spacious inner‐world and become disengaged. Especially, when potential conflict disturbs their peace and they don’t see the need to get involved they will disappear inside their imaginative own space. 

Nines in Business: At work the Nines can bring people and teams  together and are excellent in solving conflicts. They are great colleagues, highly inclusive and share their knowledge and experience unselfishly with others. Nines are excellent listeners and are able to see many perspectives to one issue. They are hard workers and stand up for others (more than for themselves). They need their autonomy and independence and to be in charge. They do, however, have trouble making decisions and don’t like to be pressured into making them. If they feel pressured they can become passive and go into ‘idle’ mode. 

Positive Attributes:

tolerant, easy‐going, balanced and patient.

….“ I prefer not to let things get to me..” (Sandra Bullock)      

Type 9 in One Word

conflict or high pressure situations and people who are  

aloof and silly.Negative Attributes

anger, disengaged, indecisiveness can tend to become inert and detached from others

Communication style:

Warm and inclusive 

good listeners 

trouble getting to the point. 

seek input / opinions of others 

very patient in decision making. 

Live and Let Live