ENNEAGRAM Type 1, The Perfectionist

Welcome to our first type. Before we dig in, a quick overview.

There are nine types and three centres. A centre is how the nine types are organized and they can be categorized by head, heart and body. The clusters all match up with our physical make up. This will become more clear as our series evolves.

Type 1 is a body centre of intelligence. Here are the main traits of being a Type 1:

· Envision a perfect world

· Strive for perfection

· A need to be good and right

· Often corrects others

· Feelings of anger and dissatisfaction

· Avoid making mistakes

Type 1s are often self-controlled and operate with a great deal of integrity. They strive to lead a high-quality life and appreciate rules, standards and structure. When working with others, they elevate the work and drive all team members towards perfection. Their core motivation is to be good and to live with integrity.

Type 1s see themselves as: · Principled/idealistic · Purposeful · Objective · Conscientious · Structured · Hard working · Quality minded

Other people see Type 1s as: · Organized · Structured · Self-controlled · Responsible · Maintains high standards · Critical / judgemental · Disciplined · Inflexible

Working with Type 1s:

Type 1s will not show the intensity of their feelings but rather do their best to muffle their feelings; remember they want to be perfect. If you look closely, you will see their frustration present in their body language. They have a high internal standard and try to make sure they live up to it. 1s lead by example, they expect you to as well and will be disappointed if you don’t: they want you along for the ride on their journey to perfection. Watch out – their disappointment is often expressed as a joke. These people can be incredibly hard on others as well as themselves. Working alongside them can be a challenge because certain Enneagram types can worry more about how a Type 1 will react than their own goals.

Are you a Type 1?

In my executive coaching role, I work with Type 1s to see the world in all of its beautiful imperfections and to be okay with it. Accepting the world and people as the way they naturally are is often homework for my Type 1 executives and let go of the need to correct everything and everyone. Give yourself crace and recognize that the expectations you put on yourself cause stress and anger. Being more open to whatever is in front of them and being present in the moment is the key to finding peace. Pefection is unattainable; mistakes make us human.

Fellow Type 1s

· Marie Kondo

· Hilary Clinton

· Julie Andrews

· Emma Watson