Enneagram Type 2 Leaders: The People Pleaser

Type 2 People Pleaser

Type 2’s leadership style tends to be very relational. This is a core strength of theirs. Healthy Type 2’s tune into the needs and feelings of their team and pay close attention to the people aspect and core values of the business.

They are more likely than some of the other Types to engage and involve their team in decision making. Building strong relationships with key customers, across organization silos and creating an extensive network is not uncommon for Type 2.

However, where we are gifted, we are also challenged. Type 2 can get overly involved in the personal lives of their team and in trying to please people in the organization in order to be liked and garner appreciation.

The People Pleaser can lose sight of the shore while focusing on making themselves indispensable to selected people in power positions. In the process, they may not say what they really think for fear of alienating important others, business objectives may not get their attention and Type 2 can find it difficult to make tough decisions especially when dealing with personnel issues.

Coach Type 2 to pay attention to the needs of the business.  As a leader, Type 2 also needs to keep their eye on the numbers, strategy, competition, marketplace trends and  business priorities.

Support Type 2 to expand their peripheral vision and take these factors into account in their day-to-day decision-making. Work with their core motivations: to feel needed and appreciated, and with their core identity as a People Pleaser, Helper and Rescuer of others. This will be critical to Type 2′s self-mastery.

And you? What is critical to your self-mastery?