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Enneagram 5’s are the investigators. They are the ones who observe the world and try to discover its secrets. For an enneagram 5 life is puzzle meant to be solved.
Type 5’s are wise and perceptive. They have a strong desire to be competent. This leads them to seek mastery an exhaust a subject they are dedicated to. Enneagram 5’s can become lost in whatever their passion is at the moment.
They can possess a wealth of knowledge on a subject and can be resourceful to others when it comes to their passion. They also can have a strong feeling of incompetence and distrust of their intuition.
Enneagram 5’s tend to live life from the head and not from the gut or the heart. This can make them seem aloof and dispassionate. Type 5’s are all about observing the reality around them and prefer to stand back and investigate. This can lead to indecision and an endless quest for the correct course of action.
How Enneagram 5 Navigates Conflict in the Workplace:
For type 5’s conflict dovetails with competency. They go into conflict wanting to be an expert and to have all the correct information. This leads them to approach conflict detached and relying on logic and not necessarily taking the feelings of others into account.
Enneagram 5’s tend to be cerebral and want to think out ways to resolve conflict. Since they have a desire to be the expert in conflict they tend to avoid situations where they do not have all the information or are not the expert.
Type 5’s are encouraged to connect to their emotions and the emotions of others during conflict. They need to allow their investigative side to ask the question: How does this feel to me? How would this feel for the other person?
Type 5 also needs to give information out freely when appropriate. They would benefit from involving others in conflict resolution from the beginning instead of waiting until they have it all “figured out.”
Enneagram 5’s also need to embrace and not avoid conflict when they are not the expert. Instead of seeking to be right, the goal needs to seek to be connected.
What can we learn from the way type 5 handles conflict?
Enneagram Type 5’s approach to conflict in the workplace offers good lessons for all types. The ability to stand back and rationally look at the situation is important when navigating conflict Seeking out all relevant information is also a good thing when it comes to approaching conflict. At the same time, we cannot afford to neglect the emotions underneath the surface. The healthy approaches of type 5 are essential ingredients for a great conflict management recipe.