I have enjoyed being the center of attention and always pretending that I am on stage. This works out just perfectly as my wife likes being behind the scenes and allows me to take center stage. Thus, I would describe myself as an extrovert.
I learned about personality testing as a psychology major in undergraduate school. I never took personality testing seriously. There are many different methods used to identify personality types, with the Myers-Briggs being one of the most used by industry to understand an organization’s or team’s strengths and weaknesses.
Personality testing has been used to determine how we work and work with the people around us. These tests are just like a diet. All diets work (reduce the calories consumed and/or increase the calories expended). The key for a diet to work is the necessity to stick with it. This is like New Year’s resolutions made on January 1 and abandoned several weeks later.
Now there is a new method, Enneagram, that provides suggestions for our personalities needing attention and adjustment. Enneagram is an ancient personality-typing system that identifies the nine basic personality styles. Each personality type influences how we act, think, and feel at any given time. The word enneagram stems from the Greek words “ennea,” meaning nine, and “grammos,” a written symbol. Therefore, the nine-pointed symbol represents nine types relating to the self, others, and the world, according to The Narrative Enneagram. The different types are spread around the edge of a circle, and each point has connecting lines to the others.
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By identifying each person’s Enneagram number and understanding what it means, each person has the information to become a better person, partner, and doctor. Enneagram helps us understand parts of our personality that make us aware of what we can do to improve.
Enneagram does help us learn what makes people tick. The Enneagram illuminates what is best and worst about us. Studies have shown that the critical predictor of success among leaders is self-awareness. Self-awareness is observing, monitoring, and regulating how you act, think, and feel. How is your personality functioning? How is it affecting other people? How is it affecting your decision-making?
There are nine types of personalities. Once you know your Enneagram type and the types of people around you, you can adjust and improve your leadership skills and your relations with your team.
Ones. The Ones are the improvers. The perfectionists. The unconscious motivation of One is a need to perfect themselves and others in the world. They desire to be very good people because they believe the world punishes people who are flawed and rewards those who are virtuous.
Twos. The Twos are the helpers. They are warm, supportive, generous, and warm-hearted. Their unconscious motivation is to be liked and admired. They want to be appreciated. They are also the most interpersonal number on the Enneagram. But, when they aren’t doing great, they can help meet the needs of others as a calculated way to win the appreciation and approval of others.
Threes. The Threes are the performers. Everyone thinks all entrepreneurs are Threes, and many are. They are productivity-oriented, goal-oriented, driven, ambitious, and competitive. Many people believe they are Threes because sometimes it seems the best one to be. Nobody gets more done than a Three. The Threes have to-do lists on top of to-do lists. The unconscious motivation of the Three is a need to succeed, to appear successful, and to avoid failure at all costs. Threes believe that the world only values people for what they do and accomplish versus who they are inside.
Fours. Fours are incredibly creative and imaginative. You will find them in careers where aesthetics is emphasized: graphic designers and decorators. Their dark side is they can be melancholy, self-absorbed, and complicated. They are the most complex number on the Enneagram. They are motivated by a need to be special and unique because Fours believe that there is something wrong with them at their core, but they don’t know what it is. They feel like it’s all their fault. It seems to them that everybody else seems to have the missing piece they most want. They need to be special and unique to compensate for the missing piece.
Fives. The Fives are the individualists. They are the most analytical number on the Enneagram. They are also the most emotionally distant, if not unavailable. They are information junkies. These are people who see a world that is intrusive and overly demanding. They are typically introverted. These people are always cramming as much information and new knowledge into their heads to fend off feelings of inadequacy and ineptitude.
Sixes. The Sixes are the loyalists. It’s been speculated that there are more Sixes in the world than any other type. They are earthy, practical, witty, and funny. They have an unconscious need for safety, security, and support. They are worst-case scenario thinkers, constantly scanning the horizon, looking for what could go wrong. They suffer from pre-traumatic stress disorder. Do you know what career is perfect for a Six? A risk manager.
Sevens. They are the joy bombs of the Enneagram. Sevens are adventurous and very future-oriented. Their mind is always in the future, and it’s difficult for them to stay in the present moment. They are one of the best entrepreneurs on the Enneagram because they see overlapping patterns and systems. Their mind goes to work, saying, “You know, if you put this together with this, we’ll get that. And no one has ever done it like that.” Their unconscious motivation is to avoid painful or distressing feelings, thoughts, or situations. So, all that fun, future-mindedness, and believing in a world of unlimited possibilities is a way to stay out of difficult feelings and painful situations and skip all that stuff.
Eights. Eights are called the challengers. Along with the Threes and the Sevens, they are also drawn to being leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators. They can be blunt and combative and often have larger-than-life personalities. They can start an argument with anyone for any reason or no reason. Their unconscious motivator is a need to assert strength and control over others in their environment to mask tenderness and vulnerability.
Nines. The Nines are the peacemakers. They can be called the sweethearts of the Enneagram. They are easy-going, supportive, hakuna matata, or go with the flow. The unconscious motivator of the Nines is maintaining a connection with other people to preserve inner and outer peace. One of the strategies they use to make sure that happens is to avoid conflict at all costs.
The experts state that it is possible to identify just a little bit with each of the nine personalities. Probably everyone has a little of each type. It is likely that you have more of one type than the other eight. A metaphor that might make this clear is to think of your personality like a house. It’s got nine rooms. We may prefer to spend most of our time in one room. We can enter multiple rooms. Ask yourself, where do you go when you’re happy and relaxed? It is usually one room.
How can you use the Enneagram to make you a better self and to build better teams? We know self-awareness is a key factor for success. It is important to know and understand your team and the people around you. If you and your team learn about the Enneagram, it will allow the leaders, i.e., physicians and office managers, to use the personality assessment to enhance morale in the office, improve communication, and perhaps decrease burnout.
The Enneagram indicates that there are nine different definitions of normal. Each of the nine types has its own normal. Understanding that can lead to better relationships, better retention, better morale in the workplace.
For example, if you put an Enneagram Two in a closed office environment, you can understand why they are struggling. Twos need to be reassured; they want to hear how much they are appreciated. Twos need to be with people, work with others to be productive. The other side of this Enneagram coin is that a Five works best in solitude. Threes want to know what the goal is, how they can exceed the goal, and what the reward is when they reach or exceed the goal.
Is any number better than the other eight types to function as a leader or to run a medical practice? The answer is no. Some numbers, like Threes, Ones, and Sevens, might not have to work as hard to be successful because they are wired that way. They are more aggressive and extroverted.
Is it possible for your number to change? If you’re a Four at age 5, you’re still a Four at age 55. You’ve just done some growing up and maturing so you’re hopefully a bit more stable and adjusted. You probably know yourself a bit better and can navigate through the highs and lows of your number.
Finding out your number. You may be trying to figure out what number you are. Take the quiz and find out. And, as with any personality test, answer honestly and don’t put too much thought into it. There are links at the end of this article.
Let me share my personality number with the readers of this article. I am a Three, the performer. I am extroverted and like to be the center of attention and be on stage. However, I am also very close to being an Eight, the challenger.
As a Three, I want to excel and to be the best. I seldom sit around doing nothing. I always have an article to read when I am in line or waiting for an appointment. I usually carry a pocket puzzle to avoid boredom. When I’m stressed, I go on autopilot. I want those around me to know how busy and important I am trying to be.
That is the Enneagram in a nutshell and why I consider myself an Enneagram Three. There is so much more to explore. Take some time to do your own research. Remember, it’s like a diet. They all work; you just must pick one and stick with it. So, find the personality-typing system that you like, learn all you can about it, and use it to navigate your career, your relationships, and your vision for yourself.
Neil Baum is a urologist.
