Harnessing Your Enneagram Superpowers at Work

Shine bright like a diamond.

Real Talk: You Can’t be Great at Everything…

But sometimes people expect you to be. If you are an entrepreneur, you are expected to be good at ALL the things. How can you be an idea generator and an numbers expert at the same time? If you are an individual contributor, you are also expected to excel in leadership. But what happens if you don’t like mentoring or managing people?

This week I lead a workshop on How to Thrive as a Founder Using the Enneagram. (Similar principals can be applied to thriving as a career professional as well!) Why is this my area of expertise? Besides being an Enneagram expert, I am also an entrepreneur.

In my earlier years as a business owner I naively tried to do my own accounting. For me, as an Enneagram 7, that’s the equivalent to a cat falling into a pool. Total fear and chaos. The result of this self taught accounting? Late taxes, unbalanced books and a whole lot of self-loathing. After discovering my Enneagram (type 7) it became crystal clear that as a visionary I would never be able to master the art of accounting. That role had to be delegated!

So how do YOU figure out what should stay and what can go? The first step is self-awareness followed by a business audit. What do I love? What am I good at but don’t love? And what is absolutely terrifying and makes my skin crawl?

If you don’t feel like you have all the answers, the Enneagram can help. After working with the Enneagram as a tool for self-discovery with hundreds of professionals, I can unlock your superpowers by telling you where to go deep and when to delegate.

Superpowers at Work by Enneagram Type (Your Delete and Delegate Cheat Sheet)

If you know your type, you can see how each type excels in certain areas and falls short in others. Don’t waste your energy harnessing what you can outsource.

Type 1 Perfectionist (Motivation is to do the right thing)

Superpowers: High standards and strong ethics, excellent at quality control, systems, and operations, reliable and responsible leader Delegate: Social media or creative work that feels “too messy” and tasks where perfection isn’t required, anything that causes analysis paralysis.

Type 2 Helper (Motivation is to be liked and appreciated)

Superpowers: Natural relationship builders, networkers, great at client care and community, emotionally intelligent and intuitive, strong team culture creators Delegate: Hire support to help protect your calendar and say no for you, transactional sales, anything that requires long periods of isolation.

Type 3 Achiever (Motivation is to succeed)

Superpowers: Driven, goal-oriented, and super productive, great at marketing, pitching, and visibility, knows how to turn ideas into action, adaptable. Delegate: Detailed execution that slows you down like admin or tech setup, find a great people manager so your team feels seen and heard.

Type 4 Creative (Motivation is to be unique)

Superpowers Visionary creatives with strong brand storytelling instincts, design thinking, emotionally attuned and can connect deeply with ideal clients and build magnetic, values-driven businesses and culture. Delegate: Financials, data and logistics (things that feel too linear), routines and repetitive tasks that stifle creativity.

Type 5 Specialist (Motivation is to understand)

Superpowers: Brilliant problem-solvers and researchers, create unique, well-thought-out offers and content, excellent at teaching and consulting. Delegate: Outbound marketing and high-touch interactions, customer support or team communications, energy-draining events (networking).

Type 6 Loyalist (Motivation is to feel safe )

Superpowers: Incredible planners and contingency thinkers, loyal to their mission and team, can build strong, values-aligned brands, team player. Delegate: Low impact decision-making, anything nuanced that triggers self-doubt, transactional relationships.

Type 7 Enthusiast (Motivation is to experience it all)

Thinks High-energy idea machine, amazing at innovation and future vision, magnetic presence, resilient and optimistic leader Delegate: The details, anything repetitive, calendar and time management, operations or systems involving data, spreadsheets, accounting (hire someone who lives for structure).

Type 8 Controller (Motivation is to be in control)

Superpower Bold, decisive, and confident leaders, natural protectors and advocates, great at creating impactful businesses, thrive under pressure and handle conflict head-on Delegate: Emotional labor, bring in someone to support team dynamics, detail management or anything requiring finesse over force, find space for support to access vulnerability and slow down (meditation, coaching, therapy)

Type 9 Peacekeeper (Motivation is to be in harmony)

Superpower Calm, grounded, and inclusive leaders, excellent at seeing all sides and mediating team dynamics, can create steady, sustainable businesses Delegate: Decision-making bottlenecks (get help to prioritize and take action), sales and visibility tasks that feel too self-promotional, hire a business advisor or coach for goal setting and accountability to stay out of auto-pilot.

Enneagram Lifestyle Edits:

Looking for a few fun things for the travel season? This weekender from Beis is my absolute favorite. A must for you Enneagram 7s who need the freedom of a carry-on but the capacity of a checked bag.

Need a fresh take on sunscreen? I swear by this setting powder and sunscreen by Supergoop. Perfect for the Enneagram 6 who is worried about sun damage AND having her liquids confiscated at the airport.

If you are looking to pack one dress (try this easy slip dress from Quince) but wear it two ways, use this neutral raffia belt from Sézane to go from day to night. A great tip for our practical 1s who like to keep things minimal but look chic.

If you are new to the Enneagram:

The Enneagram measures motivation. Why you do the things you do. The Enneagram doesn’t tell you who you are. It shows you how you’ve been surviving, and what it’ll take to actually thrive. It is your default behavior, your blindspots, and your unconscious habits that get in the way of what your truly want.

Learn about the Enneagram:

• Take a free test

• Read type descriptions

• Book an Enneagram Session

This week’s challenge:

If you find yourself frustrated or disheartened at work, take a step back and ask yourself: What is in my control? What is not? How can I use my Enneagram superpowers to overcome this challenge and where can I can delegate? (See above!) I encourage you to challenge your assumptions! What we believe to be true can simply be so far from reality.

See you next week,

Ali