How has your Ennea-type “appeared” in your personal and professional relationships? Is there a difference between the two?
Firstly, my Ennea-type has appeared a lot in my personal relationships. As the result of the Enneagram test, type seven, three, and eight stand out. Interestingly, type three, seven, and eight are categorized into the assertive group in terms of the Hornevian Group concept. In a word, “The assertive types are ego-oriented and ego-expansive” (Riso & Hudson, 1999, p. 61). As a consequence, the assertive characteristics have a strong influence on my relationships. In the past as well as now, I sometimes or often come up with the following thoughts when I join an event or party “I am here! This event (party) will be fun and exciting because I came here. Something interesting will happen today.” Of course, I don’t tell anyone about this in words, but my friends often give feedback that I radiate such an aura and energy that people understand my type. I think that my verbal or nonverbal communication style based on my Ennea-type seems to affect my relationships with others.
Secondly, my Ennea-type used to appear in my professional relationships. When I was a professional consultant, I tended to juggle several tasks at the same time. In fact, I felt happy that I engaged in some projects simultaneously. On the other hand, when I committed to only one project, I was unsatisfied with that situation. Moreover, I was likely to get bored easily with the same kind of tasks, so I asked my managers to give me new types of tasks. Although I sought new types of tasks, actually I was sometimes overwhelmed by a mountain of tasks in front of me. On this point, Riso and Hudson (2003) point out that sevens “are natural multitaskers but can also get overextended and lack follow-through” (p. 196). This sentence hits the nail on the head. As the result, I lagged in my duties, so I gave my managers annoyance. I regret that I didn’t know the characteristics of my type like that those days. If I had learnt the Enneagram, I could have behaved differently in my company.
For me, there is no specific difference between the personal and professional relationships. The first reason is that I’m not good at behaving differently in personal and professional relationships. I tend to stick to my belief that I try to be the way I am. Therefore, I won’t change my personality coercively. Perhaps, this belief may also be influenced by my Ennea type.
