Characteristics 

• Prefers stable structure with clearly defined roles and rules. 

• Responsible and reliable in accordance with other people’s expectations as well as own inner rules and expectations. 

• Wants to be in a state of harmony with a strong sense of belonging to group or community. 

• Likes to establish a balanced daily routine with a constant pace and a tendency to go on automatic. 

• Large capacity for mediating between people; often selected to preside over committees, corporations, political bodies. 

• Basic self-perception emphasises the need to be comfortable and to operate within familiar patterns. 

• Wants to avoid conflict in the interest of keeping the peace. 

Strengths 

• Capable of being very fair-minded; can see other people’s points of view or all sides of a question. 

• Excellent mediators who can often bring harmony to a difficult situation or a conflict. 

• Able to bring a steady and grounded focus to accomplishing the tasks of work and daily life. 

• Able to get along with all types of people and view them in a non-judgemental way. 

• Generally inclusive, cooperative, and even-tempered. Their personalities don’t have as many rough edges as other types. 

• When in touch with priorities, can mobilise great enthusiasm, persevere in their task and fight for what they believe in. 

Potential Problems 

• May get stuck in rote behaviour, lacking creativity or initiative. 

• Can be unaware of resistance or rebelliousness to external and internal demands. 

• Can be self-forgetful or self-neglectful in the interest of maintaining the peace. 

• Difficulty in paying attention to priorities or thinking outside of familiar patterns. May be slow to make necessary changes. 

• May have trouble knowing where they stand on particular issues or may lack discrimination. 

• Can become physically or intellectually unmotivated. 

• Difficulty in standing up for self. Anger may build up and be expressed through passive-aggressive behaviour or accidents. 

General Focus 

Seeks personal balance, achieving harmony with other people. Uses repeating patterns of thinking and doing to organise oneself and one’s environment. This may lead to a loss of personal boundaries or personal priorities. 

Application to Your Leadership Style 

Major Assets 

At your best you are energetic, grounded and balanced in your approach to your work and to other people. You have the capacity to see all sides of a situation, to communicate well and cooperate with all kinds of people. You can provide the leadership necessary to bring together diverse interests and create common ground to achieve results. 

Major Challenges 

Work to establish your own position and be willing to fight for it when it’s important to do so. Avoid going along with people or the way things are in order to reduce conflict. Keep your attention focused on the priorities of the situation. 

Preferred Learning Style 

• Likes to see the big picture and how all the parts relate to the whole, looking for underlying patterns of unity and cohesion. 

• Can also take time to thoroughly examine each detail and complete the necessary work in sequence. 

• May have trouble shifting attention back and forth from specifics to the big picture or differentiating foreground and background. 

• May have difficulty focusing attention on the priority. 

• Sense of camaraderie with others is important; needs to respect the instructor but a personal relationship is not necessary. 

• Needs to feel comfortable in the environment in order to relax into learning. 

• Access point to learning is through the physical sensing of activity, other people and the environment. 

Suggestions for Your Professional Development 

• Balance your preferences for consensus decision-making with a directive leadership style. Be willing to take the position of authority when appropriate, even if it makes people unhappy. 

• Remember the value of conflict. Allow and support confrontation or debate between people at times. If you try to harmonise or resolve things too quickly, you may cut off a necessary process. 

• You can be excellent at establishing comfortable roles and social relations in the workplace. Balance this with a focus on practical results and productivity. 

• Your tendency is to maintain the status quo. Identify and welcome changes or innovations in the way you work or the way that the organisation functions. 

• You can be very skilled at supporting the organisation and setting up systems. Avoid creating procedures that slow down operations. Ensure responsiveness to employees or customer needs. 

• Avoid passive-aggressive behaviour such as slowing things down, stubbornness or righteous withdrawal. Other people become frustrated with you if they think they have agreement from you, only to find out later that you’re not cooperating. Work to identify and articulate your disagreement, resistance or anger. 

• Pay attention to your personal boundaries. Notice when you identify with other people, perhaps taking on their feelings or their needs as your own. Also notice if you overcompensate for this tendency, making boundaries through excessive rule-making or excessive talking. 

• If your pattern is to be overwhelmed by what needs to be done, break out your work into specific steps and take one step at a time. Ask for help if necessary. Limit how much you take on at one time. 

• If your pattern is to limit yourself to a familiar sequence of behaviour or thinking, open up to new possibilities and new ways of approaching a problem.

Suggestions for the Leader 

• Be clear about priorities at the beginning and throughout the presentation. 

• Since Nines may have difficulty in making transitions, make sure they are focused when you move on to the next topic. 

• Set a calm yet focused tone and respect their needs for inclusion, harmony and external support. 

• Encourage them to use their intuitive sensing abilities, gut feelings, etc. in learning the material. 

• Be aware of their tendency to avoid or not fully comprehend material that may be experienced as confrontive or disturbing. 

• Work to establish rapport and don’t confront or challenge too much early on in the presentation or teaching session.