7How to Spot a Seven

• Talks fast, jumps from topic to topic, and connects unexpected things.
• Has a packed calendar and is always planning something: a trip, a project, a course.
• Quickly finds something good in problems, like "at least we learned something."
• Gets frustrated by boredom, routine, and the feeling that someone is holding them back.
• Responds to criticism with a joke or an explanation of why it's not actually that bad.
• Struggles to finish things that are no longer new to them.

A Seven is most often confused with a Three (both are energetic and optimistic), a Two (a social Seven devotes a lot of attention to others), and a Nine (both are friendly and avoid conflict). Plenty of other people have a good mood and a fast pace too, and a Seven going through a hard time can come across quite differently. What decides it is whether the person drowns out unpleasant feelings with new stimulation. You can't tell that from a single meeting, and often even those close to them don't see it.

• Start with what's interesting about the matter and offer options.
• Agree on a few clear deadlines instead of close supervision.
• Bring up hard topics calmly and make it clear it's not the end of the world.
• Let them develop their ideas and help them pick the ones worth following through on.