Enneagram at Work
Welcome to Enneagram at Work, your Saturday leadership download. We're bringing you insights for your weekend so you're ready for Monday.
This is a podcast about understanding people at work and navigating professional relationships. We spend so much of our time at work, why not make it more enjoyable by working on creating more enjoyable relationships with our teammates?
Listen in each week to gain self-awareness, relationship management, leadership development, personal growth insights, and real-life application ideas through the lens of the Enneagram inside educational episodes and interview conversations.
Learn about bringing the Enneagram to your organization or group and view the current workshop menu at: enneagrammba.com
Enneagram at Work
202. Enneagram Type 2: Striving to Feel Connected - How It Shows Up at Work
In this episode of Enneagram at Work, I continue the 9 Types Overview Series with a deep dive into Type 2: Striving to Feel Connected, also known as The Coach in the Awareness to Action framework.
We'll explore together how Type 2s build trust, foster belonging, and strengthen relationships at work, and how those same strengths can sometimes lead to burnout or blurred boundaries.
Whether you lead with this type or work closely with someone who does, this episode will help you recognize the impact of connection-driven leadership and find the balance between giving and grounding.
I also share how the three instinctual biases (Preserving, Navigating, and Transmitting) shape how Type 2s express their feeling need for connection, from behind-the-scenes nurturers to charismatic connectors.
What You’ll Learn When You Listen
- The core motivation behind Type 2’s drive to feel connected.
- How this type’s strengths, empathy, generosity, and intuition, help teams thrive.
- The overused strengths that can create stress, exhaustion, or resentment.
- The leadership style of The Coach and how Type 2s inspire loyalty and growth.
- How to give (and receive) feedback in a way that builds trust with a Type 2.
- How instinctual biases create three distinct expressions of Type 2 energy.
- Growth insights from their arrows to Type 8 and Type 4, learning to assert boundaries and honor their own emotions.
Try This at Work
- If you’re a Type 2: Before saying yes to help, pause and ask, “Is this mine to carry?” Practice receiving appreciation without deflection.
- If you work with a Type 2: Acknowledge their efforts often and clearly. Don’t assume they’re fine just because they’re the ones helping everyone else.
For Teams & Leaders
Type 2s bring warmth, empathy, and emotional intelligence to every workplace — qualities that make collaboration feel human. But they can struggle when their giving goes unreciprocated. Teams thrive when Type 2s are encouraged to express needs, receive support, and celebrate connection as a shared responsibility.
---> Note on gender: Type 2 energy is often mislabeled as “feminine,” but connection isn’t gendered, it’s human. Many men are Type 2s, and their empathy and support can be just as powerful in leadership. Every person, regardless of gender, can bring strength and influence to this type’s relational energy.
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🗓️ Book an Enneagram Workshop for your team retreat at work:
https://www.enneagrammba.com/enneagram-team-workshops
✏️ Get an overview of all nine types inside the Understanding People at Work Cheat Sheet
https://www.enneagrammba.com/cheatsheet