Type 1 managers look at how they can teach their team to do things ‘the right way’ – which often means that a system that consistently produces high quality work due to their high standards and meticulousness. Their ability to set things in place allows them to create checks and balances in the company. These checks and balances allows the 1s see where they are needed to teach those who may need to be taught how to do better, as they always know who is accountable and responsiblefor which part of the process.

In order for a Type 1 to upgrade their managerial skills, they would have to learn to be less harsh with themselves and their team. The inner critic of the 1s psyche is what pushes them to do better and constantly reform the processes. This is good because the 1s would then push their teams to often do better and be better at what they do.

The 2s are natural nurturers. They see themselves as the ones who will nurture their team members’ talents to help them become the best they can in their jobs. As managers, they give ample support to those who are struggling by sitting down with them to help them figure out a new role; or empower those whom they feel need for a positive push to help them be more confident in their abilities.

In order for a Type 2 to upgrade their managerial skills, they would have to learn to set boundaries for themselves. As people-pleasers, 2s may tend to overpromise and take on too many projects at a time. This would eventually pull their team down as they would have to bear the heavy load placed upon their shoulders by the Type 2 manager. When they set the boundaries by asking “Is this a project I need to help?”, they lessen the hold of the people-pleasing side of them as they do not feel compelled to define their worth by the help they give.

The 3s are natural resource managers. They are able to see the strengths and weaknesses of the team they are leading, come up with cost-benefit analysis quickly (so quick that you wouldn’t notice), and fit them in the way that optimizes productivity as they race towards the objectives they have in front of them. As managers, their ‘can-do’ spirit is so infectious that even the person who doubts themselves the most gets swept up by the 3s battle cry of “Come on team! Let’s do this!” as they lead their team onwards and upwards.

In order for a Type 3 to upgrade their managerial skills, they would have to slow down to look at their processes. The 3s operate at a very fast pace and this often creates holes in their path towards achieving their goals, as they may overlook certain important processes. This would inevitably cause the 3s to slow down even more, as they would have to spend more time to mend the holes in their processes that may cause them to fail in their quest to achieve the objective in front of them.

4s are natural empaths. Their sensitivity to the emotions of the environment they are in allows them to effectively use their words to inspire and motivate their team, especially when team spirit is at its lowest point. As managers, their creativity is an asset to any organisation and can allow them to lead their team to their objectives where the situation may seem like it is all about to crumble. It is their commitment to diving in deep into the project and putting their whole energy and self into it that allows them to shine as they lead their teams out of the tunnel and into the light of arriving at the project’s objectives.

In order for a Type 4 to upgrade their managerial skills, they would have to learn to not let their heart dictate their productivity at work. When the heart of the 4 is not in its right emotional state, it would cause them to withdrawfrom the work they need to complete, in order to process the hurts in their hearts. The 4 would then become unproductive which would then slow down their team’s momentum. 4s would need to learn to ‘cut off’ their emotions at that time to do what is required at work first in order for them to be better managers for their team members, and not let the team’s productivity bear the brunt of their hurts and their inner pain.

Type 5s are committed to attaining subject mastery in whatever job they are in. The thrill of being able to absorb new knowledge every day whilst using their expertise to create innovative work systems really gets their adrenaline going. As managers, their objectivity and ability to detach emotionally when dealing with work conflicts, definitely helps in equalizing emotionally charged moments in their team. Team members can give their feedback directly to their Type 5 managers and they know they will be heard because 5s are information gatherers. In order for a Type 5 to upgrade their managerial skills, they would have to learn to speak up and not just observe.

Feedback to a Type 5 manager is good as it gives them data to use to improve the systems used by their team, which in turn will help optimise productivity overall. As natural observers, they are able to assess a situation with the information quickly and accurately without speaking a word. So, when a Type 5 managers does speak, the team knows that they will receive words of wisdom that will help them solve their work issues in the most expedient way possible. 5s motivate their team to be independent learners as they slow their team down to think about the problem and find out the necessary information in order to solve their problems independently. This way, working under a Type 5 manager enables someone to level up in their subject mastery as well and to be confident in their own skills when dealing with their jobs.

Type 6s are all about bringing stability to any team they are part of, or in this case, that they lead. Their worldview of the world being dangerous gives them the gifts of contingency planning and preparation, which makes them the perfect people to help troubleshoot any potential issues in their team’s processes. Once Type 6s are committed to being there for their team, you can definitely count on them to be there to help their team clarify any doubts they have about any project they are working on. Type 6 managers will fight alongside their team and would not ever leave them in the lurch.

Type 6 managers would appreciate their team members to ‘walk the talk’ because congruency in actions and words are very important to them. Just as they are the trustworthy managers for their team, Type 6 managers, in turn, look for trustworthiness and dependability in their team members as well. Knowing that their team has got their back will allow them to cope with the anxiety that is always bubbling in their heads. In order for a Type 6 to upgrade their managerial skills, they would have to learn to plan on the go. Type 6s, when looking at any new projects or situations, would go into what can be termed as an ‘what-if’ cycle. This is where the Type 6’s mind would go through all the worst-case scenarios in their head. However, they do realise that they eventually ask the same ‘what-ifs’ again and again and this then causes them to be immobilised by the fear of “What if I get this wrong?

Type 7s have a positive energy and joyfulness that is hard to miss. It is this aura of fun that draws people towards them and helps the Type 7 managers infect their team members with their enthusiasm and energy. Type 7 managers work at a highly energetic and quick pace. They are natural project startersand because people love to work with them, 7s form teams that are enthusiastic about the new project from the very beginning. The Type 7s’ innovation comes from their ability to string their knowledge of various topics into one cohesive big picture.

The Type 7 manager believes in the ‘work with a smile on your face and joy in your heart’ mantra. It is this mantra that helps their team to find the silver lining, even in the darkest moments of their work life. This helps them in building a positive culture in not only their team culture but the overall company culture. In order for a Type 7 to upgrade their managerial skills, they would have to learn to become a ‘specialist’ and not a ‘generalist’ in their work. When Type 7s learn, they do not tend to go deep into one topic, they have their fingers in a variety of topics. This is partly due to the fact that they are very easily distracted because they love to maximise their options, even in their learning of new things. This then makes them a ‘jack of all trades and a master of none.’

8s embody authority which makes them natural choices for a leadership role, which gives them the control of the office hierarchy. Type 8s are natural protectors and if you are in their team and gets bullied by someone else, you can be sure that your Type 8 manager will be first on the scene fighting for you in the name of justice. Type 8s demand honesty from their team, especially if they have made a mistake. They also don’t like too much context given to them when being presented with work problems. They would prefer their team to present the problem first, solutions second and context when needed. They love it when their team mates are decisive and to the point as that also signals to them that everyone are competent enough to take control of their tasks and have no need for the Type 8 manager’s intervention.

In order for a Type 8 to upgrade their managerial skills, they would have to learn to be more responsive and less reactive. When mistakes happen, Type 8 managers can be very quick to jump to conclusions and ‘execute’ the person first before actually finding out why the mistake happened in the first place. This is where the 8s need to slow down and go deeper into finding out the facts firstbefore deciding to judge them as being incompetent, or worse, kick them out of the team.

The 9s are relational creatures and even in a role of authority, they subscribe to the “everything will work out if we all just get along” mentality. This makes very good at building a positive work culture and in building a strong team spirit. Their gift in being able to see multiple perspectives and points of views allows them to be effective mediators in the workplace. They do this with such grace and ease that everyone usually leaves their office feeling affirmed and accepted for who they are. 9s do not believe that you need to be aggressive and loud to get things done and they show the way by using very warm and congenial tones, even when they are giving instructions and tasks to their team. The aura of calmness the 9s bring as managers allows their team members to feel safe in opening up to them about their work struggles, as they know the Type 9 manager will be right there beside them fighting the good fight.

In order for a Type 9 to upgrade their managerial skills, they would have to learn to be more assertive in leading the team. The Type 9 manager always wants to be fair to their team but as a leader, they often avoid the difficult task of asserting themselves to deal with low performing team members because they do not want to ruin the work relationship.