How To Support An Enneagram Four At Work
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How To Support An Enneagram Four At Work
There is a strong chance you will have an Enneagram Four on your team, according to research by Truity. Making up about 11% of the population, the individuals who fit in this category are creative, self-expressive, and—at times—unconventional. Undoubtedly, they add a lot of color to our world. Today, we want to discuss how you can support an Enneagram Four at work.
An Overview of Enneagram Four
Fours are sensitive, creative, and unique. Not only do they see the world differently than others, but they see themselves as different from everyone else, too. This is why we refer to the Enneagram 4 as The Individualist.
They are sensitive to their different abilities and talents and also their deficiencies. This makes the Four prone to the entrapments of melancholic states, but a healthy Four can look at their weaknesses with grace.
How To Know When A Four Is Headed Toward Burnout?
Enneagram Fours often live in the imaginary, so helping them to ground in the reality of their capabilities is essential for anyone leading or working alongside a Four. But, the signs of burnout don’t stop there.
Enneagram 4 Signs Of Burnout To Look Out For:
1 | They start to withdraw from others
2 | They quit meaningful pursuits
3 | They start to take everything personally
4 | Self-conscious tendencies start to peak
5 | They begin to break down emotionally
As with all of our lists, this is not comprehensive—but it covers some of the most common signs of burnout to look out for in your Enneagram Type Four team members. When you can identify warning signs in yourself and others, you can help to stop burnout in its tracks in your organization.
Help Them To Stay On Track
An Enneagram Four may begin to slack on their deadlines or quit meaningful pursuits when heading toward burnout. As a strong leader, you can lovingly encourage and support them in keeping on track. Consider a consistent check-in with your team to reevaluate work goals and find ways to ignite the passion of an Enneagram 4. Inspiration, for any of us, takes consistency.
Discuss Their Achievements And Progress
Sensitivity is not a weakness for Enneagram Fours, but instead more of a superpower. However, with any superpower, there is a kryptonite—which, for a Four, is self-consciousness. When the Four in your organization begins to take things personally or show self-consciousness in other ways—like talking down about themselves and their work or becoming overly sensitive to feedback—this is your cue to show them what they have achieved. Perhaps pull your teammate aside and show them the things you are proud of with hard evidence like stats or beautiful work. This boost in confidence could be just what they need for inspiration to strike again.
Bring Your Team Together With Something Creative
Team building and authentic bonds are essential for strong teams with positive psychological safety. And, as a Type Four Enneagram, some scheduled team bonding time through creative channels could help them feel connected and involved with others. The fact is, no one on your team wants to be an outsider. And sometimes, that “outsider” feeling lives deep within individuals (in feeling rather than in fact). So, scheduling time to connect and know one another on a deeper level is a great way to get this Enneagram type into a different headspace.
Give Your Team Member Practices For Every Day
Sometimes, the best tool we can give our team is one that they can use on their own time. That's why our founder, Erin Rocchio, created the Enneagram x Burnout Card Deck. It provides mindful practices for each of the nine enneagram types, and is meant to be used often. The exercise below is an example of what is included for Enneagram Fours. Perhaps, the individual on your team—or even yourself—could use this practice in appreciating the mundane to help you see beauty right in front of you.
There is so much to discuss when it comes to workplace burnout. If you want to dive deeper into this work, we have tools for you and your team to help you end burnout in your organization for good.