If you manage an Enneagram Type 3, I have some good news for you. Type 3s are known for their stellar work ethic and strive to not only perform, but to achieve. They are the embodiment of who you would want to drive your business- there is no room for anything less than success.
Type 3s thrive on recognition and approval from others. If you are their manager, or their teammate, do not take their efforts for granted. Just because they make it look easy, it doesn’t mean it is easy. There is a lot of work going on behind the scenes that should be acknowledged and if it isn’t, you run the risk of the Type 3 feeling taken for granted and run the risk of these rock stars channeling their efforts elsewhere. Fiercely loyal, as they move to Type 6 when challenged, they are confident in their abilities and are aware of the value they bring to any organization.
Type 3s read people extremely well and excel at professional relationships. They are the natural performer who will focus on the task at hand, set a goal and achieve it. In return, they desire recognition in the eyes of others. A bonus. A thank you. Acknowledgement.
To be satisfied, Type 3s must be successful to feel secure. Failure simply isn’t an option. However, with this inherent drive, 3s run the risk of stepping into a role so completely that they lose contact with who they are at their core. This enmeshing with their professional role can also be seen as a type of defense mode. They see something they want, and they take on that image. If there is failure, it is the image that will be hurt, not them. If this natural practice is done regularly, they will lose touch with who they really are as a person.
As Type 3s are climbing the ladder and advancing their careers, they need to be mindful to not get lost in their professional identity. Type 3s are accustomed for being rewarded for what they do, not who they are. It is all about the image- and the image is what gets the recognition. Their challenge is to not make life into a task. To grow as people, they need to slow down and allow feelings to emerge and realize that acceptance can come from being as well as doing.
As employees, 3s need to remember the power of the Pause. Perhaps more so than any of the other Enneagram types, they need to stay present and remember to look within and acknowledge themselves. When we all try to change, resistance comes. To grow, we need to work on allowing discomfort because it is in discomfort that we will find our place of growth.