CHAPTER 10

Understanding the Gut Leader Triad: Drivers, Arbitrators, and Perfectionists

Gut Leaders—Drivers, Arbitrators, and Perfectionists—are concerned with how they relate to their surrounding environment. Drivers look to dominate it, Arbitrators try to coexist with it, and Perfectionists want to perfect it. The main problem Gut Leaders face is their frustration with an imperfect world.

Type Eight: The Driver

Leaders who are predominantly Drivers are perhaps the most openly aggressive leaders of all. Drivers are take-charge people who enjoy imposing their will on the environment, which includes other people. Drivers gravitate toward leadership positions as a way to control their environments. They can be difficult to deal with because getting what they want is so critical to them. Drivers tend to be larger than life and make their presence felt. You can’t help but pay attention to them. When they rumble into a room, you know they’ve arrived. Drivers notice when other people notice them. They like the attention. In fact, much of their seemingly endless supply of energy comes from the reactions they generate from others.

When they are mature, Drivers use their immense self-confidence and will to make things better. Mature Drivers believe in causes other than themselves and can inspire others to adopt their causes. Drivers have an indomitable will and persist until they have achieved their goals. As long as their egos are kept in check, their behaviors benefit others. Derailing Drivers have no cause other than themselves. They seek to acquire power and to prevail over others simply for the sake of overcoming them and asserting their will. Derailing Drivers can be especially dangerous because they don’t realize how insensitive they are; they gain a great deal of satisfaction by constantly trying to dominate others.

The central problem facing Drivers is their overdeveloped relatedness to their environment. Drivers are constantly comparing themselves to other people. Drivers believe they are better than everyone else. This is why Drivers are so driven to dominate their environments. They believe that because they are the best, they should naturally make the decisions. Unfortunately, when this does not occur, Drivers often become frustrated over their lack of standing in the world. This disconnect between their inflated sense of self and their actual standing in the world becomes too much to bear. Derailing Drivers become hostile and ruthless. Anyone else who is doing better than the Driver or who has higher social standing is viewed as a threat and becomes a source of resentment. As leaders, derailing Drivers tend to be little more than egomaniacs. They pit themselves and others loyal to them against rivals in struggles for power and dominance. Derailing Drivers spend so much time and energy fighting for the right to lead that they don’t actually lead people in fruitful directions. Derailing Drivers are especially dangerous in positions of power because they direct so many resources toward internal squabbles that they fail to notice threats external to the organization. In essence, Drivers may end up spending so much time fighting to lead that they destroy the organization they are trying to lead.

Mature Drivers

• Are assertive, self-confident, and decisive.

• Are resourceful self-starters with contagious energy and enthusiasm.

• Win the respect and admiration of others.

• Provide, sponsor, and promote worthwhile causes.

• Can inspire others to act.

• Align their interests with others.

• Tend to be viewed as heroic by others.

Average Drivers

• Are forceful, aggressive, confrontational, and belligerent.

• Are adventurous and willing to take risks in order to dominate their environments.

• Care only about their own interests and use their power to promote their own self-interest.

• Seek to dominate their environment regardless of the cost to others.

• Enjoy keeping others off balance and insecure.

• Often use threats and fear to gain compliance from others.

• Can be egomaniacal.

Derailing Drivers

• Are ruthless and dictatorial.

• Are immoral and without guilt.

• Believe in survival of the fittest.

• Feel invincible and do not fear others.

• Will behave recklessly to get what they want.

• Can be hostile and violent.

To move toward increasing levels of executive maturity, Drivers need to follow the sequence presented on the Enneagram of 8 2 4 1 7 5. When mature Drivers move in the direction of the Helper (Two), they use their power and influence for others rather than against them. They become caring, generous, and personally concerned. By identifying with others, mature Drivers learn that all people are worthy of the same rights and privileges they seek for themselves.

When derailing Drivers deteriorate, they take on the immature characteristics of the Thinker (Five). Instead of acting belligerently, Drivers become more tactical in a negative way. Although they actually may become less reckless, unfortunately, they also become more secretive, and they will strike without warning. By becoming more withdrawn, they are able to hide from their enemies and create detailed plans designed to attack and weaken them. Their motto? “I don’t get mad. I get even!” The negative progression of Drivers on the Enneagram runs like this: 8 5 7 1 4 2.

Driver Leadership Style

As leaders, Drivers are intensely task focused. They aren’t warm, friendly, or personable. They’re too busy getting things done. Drivers are good at both starting and finishing projects. They are also capable of juggling multiple responsibilities simultaneously. They, in turn, expect the same level of drive and ability in their subordinates. When Drivers perceive that the output from others is less than exemplary, their reaction is swift and direct: “Do something!” Drivers are so strong willed and goal oriented that they sacrifice everything to achieve their objectives. They are willing to put in long hours and let their personal and social lives fall apart from neglect if they are able to accumulate work-related achievements. This intense commitment can become a source of conflict between Drivers and their subordinates if their subordinates are unwilling to dedicate as much to work. Drivers also have difficulty delegating tasks; they can’t admit to themselves that they are unable to do everything all of the time.

Tips for Coaching Drivers

• Indicate how you can help Drivers achieve their objectives. If Drivers perceive you as useless to achieving their goals, they will cut you loose. You need to indicate all you can do and would like to do to achieve Drivers’ objectives.

• Keep things businesslike. Drivers are focused on achieving tangible goals. They are not there to make friends. If you spend time trying to build a personal relationship, the Driver will interpret this as a waste of time. Only try to build a personal relationship if the Driver indicates that this is the objective.

• Avoid personality conflicts. If you have a disagreement with the Driver, focus on the facts, not on the person. Because Drivers believe they are better than anyone else, criticizing their personal characteristics will set them off and make them defensive.

• Ask specific questions. Drivers want to get things done. Focusing on concrete actions and results that must take place for Drivers to achieve their goals is the best way to influence them.

• If you can’t agree with the conclusions of a Driver, explain directly why you can’t agree and indicate what actions you see as realistic alternatives.

Type Nine: The Arbitrator

Leaders who are predominantly Arbitrators tend to be the most open of all types. What you see with the Arbitrator is what you get. Arbitrators are likable because they get along with mostly anyone. Unlike Drivers, who seek to dominate their environment, Arbitrators seek to coexist with it. They are adaptable to almost any environment and situation. Rather than creating conflict, Arbitrators identify common ground and find ways to bring people together. Although Arbitrators are good at finding common ground, they are not particularly good at determining what they want or directing other people. Subordinates may become frustrated at the inability of Arbitrator Leaders to set up a clear path or vision.

Mature Arbitrators are very good at involving everyone. Their easygoing and emphatic demeanor makes it easy for people to open up to them. The highly developed listening skills of Arbitrators also make them easy people to disclose information to. Because people trust them, Arbitrators tend to end up as a central component in social networks. In essence, people feel comfortable with Arbitrators and go to them for a sympathetic ear. These skills make mature Arbitrators particularly effective mediators. If there is conflict, Arbitrators can resolve it and bring warring parties together. As they derail, Arbitrators may neglect their responsibilities. Instead of dealing with problems, they walk away from them. Derailing Arbitrators often have trouble focusing and believe that little they do truly matters. People stop going to a derailing Arbitrator because they realize that the Arbitrator is paralyzed by inaction.

The central problem facing Arbitrators is that they are out of touch with their relatedness to their environment. Although Arbitrators can adapt and fit into any environment, they don’t really feel as though they belong. In essence, Arbitrators can have a hard time finding a purpose and mission in life. Sometimes they fail to see anything as important. This leads Arbitrators to undertake many projects but invest little energy in any of them. For this reason, many people see Arbitrators as lazy or uncommitted. The inability of Arbitrators to devote energy to specific projects or goals may send the wrong signal to others. Subordinates may interpret the lack of clear direction as a lack of motivation on their leader’s part. This, in turn, may undermine the motivation of those under an Arbitrator Leader.

Mature Arbitrators

• Are easygoing, empathetic, and supportive.

• Are good listeners and mediators.

• Are excellent facilitators, capable of uniting diverse groups together.

• Accept themselves and others.

• Know what they want and value.

Average Arbitrators

• Are submissive and passive.

• Are inattentive, unreflective, and stoic.

• Fear change.

• Have difficulty focusing, with a tendency to procrastinate.

• Walk away from problems.

• Look for magical solutions rather than depend on ordinary judgment.

Derailing Arbitrators

• Are repressed to the point of helplessness.

• Are obstinate to the point of denial.

• Are neglectful to the point of irresponsibility.

• Avoid problems and conflicts.

• Do not want to do anything.

To move toward increasing levels of executive maturity, Arbitrators need to follow the sequence presented on the Enneagram of 9 3 6. When mature Arbitrators move in the direction of Entertainers (Three), they become more self-assured and interested in developing themselves to their fullest potential. Maturing Arbitrators devote energy to discovering who they are and finding where they fit in the world. Instead of trying to live up to the expectations of others, maturing Arbitrators live up to their own expectations. They know what they want and become more assertive in their relationships with other people.

When Arbitrators derail, they begin to take on the characteristics of the Disciple (Six). The repressed anxiety Arbitrators feel regarding their inability to find a purpose in life comes crashing through. Arbitrators cease being easygoing and become hysterical, anxiety-ridden, fearful, agitated, and apprehensive. In this state, Arbitrators cannot take care of themselves and are in no position to lead others. The deterioration of Arbitrators on the Enneagram runs like this: 9 6 3.

Arbitrator Leadership Style

Arbitrators are well suited for leadership positions because of their highly developed planning skills and ability to get along with people. As leaders, Arbitrators seek to create stability. They want to have conflict-free relationships with others. The desire for stability leads Arbitrators to have a high regard for tradition and routine. As leaders, Arbitrators clearly define the roles and responsibilities of each employee. They seek to create a harmonious and finely tuned orchestra, with each employee playing a key role. Arbitrators face difficulty when tried-and-true methods no longer work. In short, situations that require innovative and revolutionary changes discomfort Arbitrators. Arbitrators tend to be well liked by their employees because they are modest and accommodating. They are not as in-your-face as other personality types. Arbitrators don’t like to make waves and think that their actions should speak for themselves. Despite these positive characteristics, Arbitrators do face challenges as leaders. Their desire to maintain a conflict-free workplace makes it difficult for them to criticize or discipline their subordinates. Derailing Arbitrators may avoid disciplining their employees to the point that they no longer have power over them. Additionally, the modest nature of Arbitrators makes it difficult for people to identify with them or view them as heroic figures.

Tips for Coaching Arbitrators

• Encourage Arbitrators to be more straightforward. Arbitrators prefer to use indirect and subtle approaches when sharing their expectations, ideas, or reactions. This often leads them to be ignored or misinterpreted. Tell Arbitrators that they have valuable ideas and that they should be expressed. You can also encourage Arbitrators to open up by asking them open-ended questions that can’t be answered with a single word or gesture.

• Help Arbitrators monitor their tendency to tolerate others to the point of becoming their victims. You must remind Arbitrators that they have personal lines that shouldn’t be crossed and there are limits to how much they should accommodate people.

• Set time limits. Because Arbitrators tend to be indirect, they tend to take longer to get to the point. By having a time limit, it forces the Arbitrator to get to the main point.

• Create a schedule and get them to accept it. The natural optimism of Arbitrators may delude them into underestimating the time it takes to complete a project. Work with Arbitrators, and get them to commit to specific deadlines, objectives, and constraints.

Type One: The Perfectionist

Perfectionists endeavor to perfect everything in their environment. This desire for perfection extends to themselves and other people. Perfectionists are highly critical of themselves and others. Their favorite words are should and must. Because nothing is perfect, Perfectionists become disappointed by reality. As their disappointments inevitability pile up, their frustrations mutate into a universal rage at the imperfect state of the world. This anger supplies Perfectionists with boundless energy to improve the world as they see it. Unfortunately, an aggressive, negative energy threatens to consume the Perfectionist. As powerful as their rage is, it doesn’t look like rage. At first glance, it is easy to mistaken it for zeal or idealism. Perfectionists themselves may not know they are angry at the world because their anger is masked behind high ideals and noble goals. It is easy for Perfectionists to win people over to their cause initially. Other people become enticed by their character and conviction. Over time, the same people who flocked to the Perfectionist’s cause often flee it. Others begin to realize that the dreams of Perfectionists are impossible to achieve and that there is no pleasing them. While there may be a revolving door of converts, the Perfectionist often pays no attention to those who flee. In their minds, the deserters were never worthy in the first place. However, truly derailed Perfectionists may go out of their way to punish those who abandon their cause. Their sense of perfection cannot tolerate the idea that they may be wrong.

Mature Perfectionists are capable of being highly noble leaders. With their deep sense of right and wrong and ethical principles, other employees know that Perfectionists can be relied upon. Mature Perfectionists earn the trust of both employees and customers because of their unwillingness to cut corners. Mature Perfectionists are also good decision makers. They are impartial, fair, and objective in their dealings with people. They don’t play favorites and side with those who have the best plan. Mature Perfectionists are also in touch with their humanity. They tolerate their own and other people’s shortcomings. While mature Perfectionists desire perfection, they acknowledge that it is impossible and are satisfied with achieving high-quality standards. For instance, mature Perfectionists realize that it is better to deliver a product with a quality rating between 90 and 95 percent, on time, than to deliver a product with a quality rating of 100 percent that is six months to a year late.

As they derail, Perfectionists become completely consumed by their desire to achieve perfection. Their objectives become their singular focus. Derailing Perfectionists become increasingly inflexible and dogmatic. They believe that their way is the only right way and refuse to listen to anyone else. They belittle and attack anyone and everyone who thinks differently. At the end, their projects tend to be overbudget, late, and of lower quality. Instead of achieving perfection, derailing Perfectionists have made things worse and driven people away.

The central problem facing Perfectionists is their underdeveloped relatedness with others and their environment. Perfectionists often fail to see human beings as human beings. In essence, people are just pieces of the environmental puzzle waiting to be perfected. This dehumanization of people also extends to themselves. Perfectionists spend so much time trying to perfect themselves and others that they fail to take into account their own or other people’s needs. They spend so much time seeing people’s faults that they fail to notice their strengths. In their quest to make people better, Perfectionists can be brutal and sadistic in their treatment of other people. They either fail to notice the suffering of others or justify their suffering as necessary to achieving perfection.

Mature Perfectionists

• Are satisfied with achieving 80–95 percent of their original goals.

• Are good at evaluating problems and determining priorities.

• Are conscientious and self-disciplined.

• Are highly principled and ethical.

• Have a deep sense of right and wrong, placing high value on truth and justice.

• Have realistic goals instead of unattainable goals.

• Can be relied upon to be impartial, fair, and objective.

• Tolerate their own and others’ shortcomings.

• Feel good about themselves if they put forth a good effort, even if the outcome isn’t perfect.

Average Perfectionists

• Are logical, orderly, and idealistic.

• Can be rigid, impersonal, and emotionally constricted.

• Fear making mistakes.

• Frequently experience guilt and anxiety for failing to achieve perfection.

• Badger others to improve their imperfect states.

• Try to be excellent at everything.

• Are driven by the words should and must.

Derailing Perfectionists

• Are dogmatic and inflexible.

• Are confident of their judgments in others.

• Believe they are never wrong and always have to be right.

• Believe they are perfect.

• Have unattainable ideals and are impossible to please or satisfy.

• Rationalize their actions to maintain their “logical” position.

• Can be cruel and sadistic.

• Enjoy proving others wrong.

To move toward increasing levels of executive maturity, Perfectionists need to follow the sequence presented on the Enneagram of 1 7 5 8 2 4. By taking on the mature traits of Activists (Seven), Perfectionists learn to relax and enjoy life. Although they acknowledge that they are not perfect, they know that they are as capable, if not more capable, than other people. Freed of the straitjacket of the never-ending pursuit of perfection, they become comfortable in their own skin. Perfectionists become less serious and learn to joke around. Instead of seeing people as objects to be perfected, they begin to see people as unique individuals, each with something to offer. This new focus on building relationships enables Perfectionists not only to be more fulfilled, but to achieve greater success through working with others. Perfectionists learn to stop focusing on the “best” solution and instead focus on practical solutions. They become more flexible and use different approaches to solve problems.

When Perfectionists derail, they move toward taking on the unhealthy characteristics of Artists (Four). Derailing Perfectionists begin to realize that their never-ending pursuit of unobtainable ideals is futile. By ruthlessly pursuing their ideals, they have alienated themselves from others. Without any meaningful connections and with letdowns mounting, Perfectionists realize they have failed. Instead of setting more realistic goals and being nicer to people, they give up. They become depressed, overly negative, and angry at themselves. Because they can’t achieve perfection, they don’t see the point of anything. Whereas they once sought power to change the world into their idealized image, derailing Perfectionists seek to avoid any form of responsibility. They further remove themselves from people and wallow in their self-pity. The negative progression of Perfectionists runs like this: 1 4 2 8 5 7.

Perfectionist Leadership Style

Perfectionist Leaders are excellent planners and good at fostering quality-oriented cultures. Perfectionists see themselves as problem solvers. They are good at identifying key issues, seeing critical details, and asking specific questions. Because they see themselves as having the best ideas, they seek out positions of influence. Perfectionist Leaders have an innate desire to know how things work. They are immensely process oriented and care as much about how goals are accomplished as they care about whether goals are accomplished. Their process orientation allows Perfectionists to identify areas of improvement. When they are leaders, Perfectionists focus on continuous improvement. Every step, every procedure can be improved. The desire to achieve perfection leads many Perfectionist Leaders to overplan. They plan for every contingency and often have a Plan B, Plan C, and so on. They even incorporate extra time in their schedules to accommodate for expected last-minute glitches. Their risk-aversive nature leads them to check, double-check, and triple-check things. Perfectionist Leaders sometimes lose focus on what is critical. Additionally, the quest for perfection can derail Perfectionist Leaders. They focus so much on details that they lose sight of the big picture. They may also hold up projects to make subtle tweaks in their attempts to inch their projects toward perfection. Another challenge that Perfectionist Leaders face is their inclination toward objects versus people. Because people are unpredictable, complicated, and difficult to understand, many Perfectionists seek to avoid other humans. This presents Perfectionist Leaders with a difficult challenge because leadership involves directing other people. Perhaps the most important key to success for Perfectionists is for them to learn to abandon their quest for perfection and to learn to settle for mere excellence.

Tips for Coaching Perfectionists

• Get Perfectionists to interact with other personality types. More so than other personality types, Perfectionists need to be encouraged to branch out and interact with others. Perfectionists tend to be introverted and prefer to work with other Perfectionists. To develop them further, you need to get them to interact with other personality types. Tell them that through interacting with other personality types, they will be better able to understand and influence them. By framing these interactions as developmental exercises that will bring them closer to being the perfect leader, you will motivate Perfectionists to try. Through interacting with other personality types, you will be able to round off some of the rough edges of the Perfectionist. For example, Drivers can help Perfectionists maintain deadlines, and Entertainers can help Perfectionists lighten up.

• Teach Perfectionists the importance of acting at 90 percent. Perfectionists don’t like to make decisions until they have 100 percent of the information and are certain they are correct. Unfortunately, it is seldom the case that anyone has all the information. By waiting until they are absolutely certain, Perfectionists may miss out on time-limited opportunities. It is critical that you teach Perfectionists the importance of acting on good information, instead of waiting on complete information. By delaying action, Perfectionists may miss out on opportunities with narrow windows.

• Persuade Perfectionists to limit the number of alternatives they consider. Perfections are notorious for paralyzing themselves through the generation of too many alternatives. It is difficult to determine the best course of action when there are 10 to 20 possibilities. Force Perfectionists to limit their choices to two alternatives. Having more than two choices may immobilize them.

• Focus on quality over quantity. The best way to influence Perfectionists is to focus on quality. Perfectionists are not impressed by a high number of mediocre products or services.

• Support your statements and proposals. Perfectionists are detail oriented and will rip apart your coaching plans if there is insufficient supporting evidence to back up your claims. They don’t accept things on faith alone.

• Control the time frame. Perfectionists will delay everything to perfect things further. By having hard deadlines that don’t budge, you can help convince Perfectionists of the importance of producing good enough products within a deadline versus perfect products that are late. Chances are the products that a Perfectionist delivers at the deadline will likely be high quality, even if he or she can’t see that. Perfectionists must learn that if they constantly delay things to perfect them, they will never achieve anything.