Enneagram Type 4 in Leadership

Your Path to Leadership Maturity

Type Talks with Leadership Coach Heidi Kraft

In this 10 part series, I’ll be exploring the path to Leadership Maturity for each Enneagram type.

Read on to learn more about the Enneagram Four’s type tendencies including: Enneagram strengths, Enneagram likely blindspots, Enneagram Four’s likely impact on others. And most importantly, understand the Leadership Coaching that can help this type on their Path to Leadership Maturity.

The Enneagram 4: Intense Creative

Fours tend to be intuitive, emotionally intelligent, and empathic. They are often seen as creative and authentic leaders who find unique and meaningful ways to engage and lead their teams.

Impact on Others

• “I feel like I can bring my full self-expression to my work.”
• “You help us tap into the heart of our team’s strengths.”
• “I know you will keep us focused on the purpose and mission of our work.”

One of the Four’s strengths is their purpose-driven outlook. Their happy place is often a career or leadership position where they are able to create and bring their unique expression to their work. “Happy” is, however, not only where they spend their time. Fours are typically in tune with their emotions and can easily get swept away and react to their emotional state. They are often very hard on themselves. This internal dynamic can impact their executive presence because they can appear self-absorbed and lose connection with their external environment or audience. They also have a tendency to focus on what’s missing vs what’s here.

Path to Leadership Maturity

Now, imagine you are a Four who aware of your over identification with feelings (and your inner experience)

Remember, you are not your feelings and you can learn to better manage emotions. Fours can learn to balance their inward focus with more outward energy. You can leverage your ability to connect, be emotionally intelligent and authentic by knowing how to communicate to light the fire of purpose in your audience. Fours who bring more equanimity, balance and perspective to their ability to tell a story are some of the Fours that are on the path to becoming extraordinary leaders.