Enneagram at Work
Welcome to Enneagram at Work, your Saturday leadership download. We're bringing you insights for your weekend so you're ready for Monday.
This is a podcast about understanding people at work and navigating professional relationships. We spend so much of our time at work, why not make it more enjoyable by working on creating more enjoyable relationships with our teammates?
Listen in each week to gain self-awareness, relationship management, leadership development, personal growth insights, and real-life application ideas through the lens of the Enneagram inside educational episodes and interview conversations.
Learn about bringing the Enneagram to your organization or group and view the current workshop menu at: enneagrammba.com
Enneagram at Work
206. Enneagram Type 5: Striving to Feel Detached - How It Shows Up at Work
In this episode of Enneagram at Work, we continue the 9 Types Overview Series with a focused look at Type 5: Striving to Feel Detached, as described in the Awareness to Action framework.
We'll’ll explore how Type 5s bring clarity, analysis, and innovation to the workplace, and how their need for independence, energy conservation, and mastery can shape communication and collaboration on a team.
Whether you are a Type 5 or work closely with deep thinkers who prefer a bit more space and autonomy, this episode offers practical ways to support their strengths and growth in real-world work environments.
What You’ll Learn When You Listen In:
- The core motivation behind Type 5’s drive to feel detached
- How Type 5s process information and determine when they’re “ready”
- Why they avoid emotional pressure and interruptions
- The strengths they bring to teams: expertise, curiosity, and clear analysis
- Overused strengths that become withdrawal or over-observing
- The role of The Strategist as a leader
- How instinctual biases create different expressions of Type 5
- Growth practices through their arrows to Type 8 and Type 7
- How to give feedback in a way that feels respectful and empowering
Try This at Work: Experiments
- If you’re a Type 5: Share ideas sooner, perfection isn’t required to be valuable. Connect even when you’d prefer to retreat.
- If you work with a Type 5: Give advance notice before asking for input. Respect their need for boundaries and solo focus time.
For Teams & Leaders
Type 5s bring wisdom and vision that help teams make smarter decisions and avoid risks others overlook. They are steady under pressure and masterful at breaking down complex information.
But when energy feels scarce or expectations feel intrusive, they may retreat into their minds, leaving teammates unsure how to engage.
Teams thrive when they invite Type 5s in without demanding too much too fast.
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🗓️ Book an Enneagram Workshop for your team retreat at work:
https://www.enneagrammba.com/enneagram-team-workshops
✏️ Get an overview of all nine types inside the Understanding People at Work Cheat Sheet
https://www.enneagrammba.com/cheatsheet