Every team has people who need a clear brief and people who feel smothered by one. One person wants praise in front of everyone; another would be embarrassed by public praise. Most friction in teams doesn't come from ill will. It comes from the fact that everyone runs on a different strategy.
The Enneagram describes nine such strategies. For a manager, it's a practical tool: it helps you assign work, give feedback, and prevent conflict in a way that works for the actual people on your team.
How to give feedback to each strategy
- Perfectionist (1): factual and specific, with a suggestion for how to do it better. Separate the criticism from the person.
- Altruist (2): first acknowledge the effort and the relationship, then calmly and in private say what needs to change.
- Strategist (3): short and results-focused: what isn't working and where it should lead. Not in front of others.
- Individualist (4): personal and honest, with understanding for how they see it. No comparisons with others.
- Expert (5): with facts and time to think it over, in writing if need be. Don't expect an immediate reaction.
- Traditionalist (6): clearly and with an explanation of why. Make it clear that your trust still stands.
- Optimist (7): lightly and with a look ahead at what could come of it. Lengthy dissection of mistakes doesn't work.
- Leader (8): direct and straight, no sugarcoating. Expect a sharper reaction and hold your ground.
- Mediator (9): calmly and kindly, in private. Ask for their opinion and wait for the answer.
What demotivates whom
It's just as important to know what drains people's motivation:
- The Perfectionist can't stand sloppy work and rules that don't apply to everyone.
- It hurts the Altruist when nobody notices their help.
- The Strategist is worn down by work with no visible result and no recognition.
- The Individualist by routine and the feeling that their contribution gets lost in the crowd.
- The Expert by pointless meetings, interruptions, and vague briefs.
- The Traditionalist by rule changes without explanation.
- The Optimist by monotonous work with no freedom.
- The Leader by dishonesty and having every step watched.
- The Mediator by long-suppressed conflict and pressure to decide quickly.
Where teams most often grind
- Pace: Strategists and Leaders want to decide fast; Experts and Mediators need time. It helps to say up front when the decision will be made and until when there's room for comments.
- Rules or freedom: Perfectionists and Traditionalists need a clear framework; Optimists and Individualists need room. Agree on what's fixed and where there's leeway.
- Conflict: Leaders open it up, Mediators avoid it. When the team doesn't have a regular space to openly say what's bothering whom, tension quietly builds up.
How to get started
What helps most is when the team knows each other's strategies. People stop taking their colleagues' reactions personally and start saying what they need.
The Team Map does this for you: each team member takes a short test (about 10 minutes), and you as the manager get an overview of the whole team. You'll see the spread of strategies, which perspectives the team is missing, where friction is likely, and how to talk to whom. It's useful for new teams, during changes, and wherever something has been off for a long time and nobody knows why.
