Team Effectiveness

Enneagram Type 9 has an innate understanding of others’ perspectives, and their intuition informs this understanding. Stepping into others’ viewpoints forms the basis for Type 9 creativity.

But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough can you see the stars. – Martin Luther King Jr.

Inspiration—Action

Situated at the very top of the Enneagram diagram, this position symbolizes the 9’s ability to understand the perspectives of all other types.  Whenever in doubt, their mind turns to imagining the many possible forces influencing a person—their likes and dislikes, what is going on in their personal and professional lives, and any current events that may factor.  This behavior resembles the Type 6 questioner, along the 9’s path of disintegration and serves as the spark for ideation and inspiration.  As doubts subside, the 9 can turn to action and start to proactively create an environment that is harmonious for the objects of their attention. Being proactive in this way can resemble behaviors of the Type 3 achiever along the 9’s path of integration.

Creativity Seesaw

In problem solving, the Type 9 dynamic ensures that all stakeholder perspectives are considered. In fact, the 9 is so adept at this role that they can often stand in for absent stakeholders, which requires a great deal of creativity.   Chapter 5 of my book Teamwork 9.0—Successful Workgroup Problem Solving Using the Enneagram shows the 9 moving back and forth on their Creativity Seesaw between Type 6 and Type 3 behaviors in their creative process. The underlying motivation for the 9’s creative drive is represented by the seesaw’s fulcrum, the height of which dictates the depth of swing between Type 6 and Type 3 dynamics. The Type 9 is in the Enneagram’s Gut or Intuitive Center, the underlying issue for which is anger.  For the 9, they suppress anger which motivates them to eliminate discord in the environment.

Enneagram Type 9 Motivation:  Eliminating Discord

When the 9 awakes in the morning, they are already envisioning the needs of the people in their life and anticipating how to ameliorate any conflicts that may arise as those needs are fulfilled.  This continuous focus on possible future conflict resembles the Type 6 behavior of scanning the future for possible risks and danger.  For the 9, this imaginative process arises from their intuition as they seek to understand the cause and nature of any possible discord.

Enneagram Type 9 Inspiration: Understanding the Cause and Nature of Discord

Enneagram Type 9 Action: Actively Creating Harmonious Environments

As they grow confident in their understanding of others’ needs and a plan to mitigate conflict emerges, they proactively seek to realize that plan.  They can take on a self-righteous determination in this pursuit, behavior which can resemble the determined Type 3 in pursuit of success.  And, as the 9 realizes their vision, they create a harmonious environment for all, ideally with needs met and conflict avoided.

Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in a different way. – Edward de Bono

Physician and author of Six Thinking Hats, Edward do Bono highlights the importance of proactively putting yourself into different thinking states in order to better understand the perspectives of all stakeholders.  What he describes is a dynamic that comes naturally and instinctively to Type 9 as they navigate their relationships each and every day.

Do the Enneagram Type 9s in your life express their creativity through the viewpoints of others?  What motivates them to action?  How do they respond when discord arises?

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For more details on each Enneagram type’s creative style, see the following series of blogs:

Enneagram Type 1 Creativity – Perfection is no small thing, but it is made up of small things. – Michelangelo

Enneagram Type 2 Creativity – Create with the heart; build with the mind. – Criss Jami

Enneagram Type 3 Creativity – Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration. – Thomas Edison

Enneagram Type 4 Creativity – Everything you can imagine is real. – Pablo Picasso

Enneagram Type 5 Creativity – Creativity is seeing what everyone else has seen and thinking what no one else has thought. – Albert Einstein

Enneagram Type 6 Creativity – The creative adult is the child who survived. – Ursula Kroeber Le Guin

Enneagram Type 7 Creativity – You can’t use up creativity. The more you use the more you have. — Maya Angelou

Enneagram Type 8 Creativity – Don’t think. Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It’s self-conscious, and anything self-conscious is lousy. You can’t try to do things. You simply must do things. – Ray Bradbury

Enneagram Type 9 Creativity – But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough can you see the stars. – Martin Luther King Jr.

Creativity for Enneagram Type 8 emerges from their intuition.  Somehow, they just know what to do.  Because the process is unconscious, even the most creative Type 8s will often bemoan that they are not creative.  They are so unconscious of their creativity that they may not even realize when they are actually being creative!

Don’t think. Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It’s self-conscious, and anything self-conscious is lousy. You can’t try to do things. You simply must do things. – Ray Bradbury

Inspiration—Action

Enneagram Type 8s enjoy the freedom to act on their instincts. The 8s are strongly associated with action.  And when in action, they not only tend to work on their own interests, but also the interests of others.  These tendencies can resemble the behaviors of the Type 2 helper along the 8’s path of integration.  However, when prevented from acting, the 8 becomes quiet and observing, looking for weaknesses in whatever is standing in their way.  In this state, the 8 receives inspiration for how to overcome the obstacle, and this behavior resembles that of Type 5 along the 8’s path of disintegration.

Creativity Seesaw

Enneagram Type 8 prompts problem-solving teams to action. The Creativity Seesaw I describe in Chapter 5 of my book Teamwork 9.0—Successful Workgroup Problem Solving Using the Enneagram shows the 8 moving back and forth between Type 5 and Type 2 dynamics in their creative process. The fulcrum holding up the seesaw represents their intrinsic motivation.  The 8 is in the Gut or Intuitive Center of the Enneagram, the underlying issue for which is anger.  Anger is the go-to tool for the 8 to achieve their motivation’s end, securing control of their environment.

Enneagram Type 8 Motivation:  Secure Control of Environment

Whenever Type 8 is prevented from securing control and their intuition doesn’t immediately present a course of action, the 8 becomes a quiet observer as they size up the threat and look for weaknesses, behavior which resembles the Type 5 observer.  Being in the Intuitive Center, the answer will likely emerge without much deliberate thought.  Inspiration is often unconscious for the 8 which is why many 8s don’t attribute this ideation to their own creativity.  They will likely have better access to this dynamic when they are not in action and especially if they are under threat.

Enneagram Type 8 Inspiration: Scanning for Opportunities while Restrained from Acting

Enneagram Type 8 Action: Acting to Help Themselves and Others

Once an idea, like a strategy for re-assuming control, surfaces they jump back to action.  Often the 8s will engage in righteous fights, meant to bring justice and fairness to themselves and to others. As they achieve their objectives, they can be seen as fighting for the benefit of others, and thereby resembling the dynamic of Type 2.   The 8s proceed until again they encounter an obstacle that prevents forward motion, and thusly they swing back and forth on their Creativity Seesaw.

To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So do it. – Kurt Vonnegut

The creative process moves back and forth between inspiration and action.  The Type 8 clearly has access to both dynamics.  The 8 can stay in action because their intuition is feeding them answers continuously and unconsciously.  This is so natural for the 8 that they often don’t even realize how creative they are.

The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing. –Walt Disney

When do the Enneagram Type 8s in your life jump to action?  How are their actions helping others? How do they respond when prevented from moving forward?

Want More?

For more details on each Enneagram type’s creative style, see the following series of blogs:

Enneagram Type 1 Creativity – Perfection is no small thing, but it is made up of small things. – Michelangelo

Enneagram Type 2 Creativity – Create with the heart; build with the mind. – Criss Jami

Enneagram Type 3 Creativity – Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration. – Thomas Edison

Enneagram Type 4 Creativity – Everything you can imagine is real. – Pablo Picasso

Enneagram Type 5 Creativity – Creativity is seeing what everyone else has seen and thinking what no one else has thought. – Albert Einstein

Enneagram Type 6 Creativity – The creative adult is the child who survived. – Ursula Kroeber Le Guin

Enneagram Type 7 Creativity – You can’t use up creativity. The more you use the more you have. — Maya Angelou

Enneagram Type 8 Creativity – Don’t think. Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It’s self-conscious, and anything self-conscious is lousy. You can’t try to do things. You simply must do things. – Ray Bradbury

Enneagram Type 9 Creativity – But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough can you see the stars. – Martin Luther King Jr.