Enneagram Type 9: Traits, strengths & potential careers

The Enneagram personality test is a powerful tool for hiring managers to identify candidates’ behavioral attributes and motivations. An Enneagram test will also help you understand how your candidates navigate difficult situations and how they’ll integrate into your team. 

There are nine Enneagram personality types, each with unique traits. In this guide, we’ll explore Enneagram Type Nines. These individuals are friendly and empathetic and go with the flow. However, their fear of conflict can make them indecisive and hesitant to express their feelings.  

Below, we’ll examine Type Nines’ personality traits, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities for growth, and potential career paths. This way, you can understand their behavioral attributes in-depth before welcoming them to your team.

What is Enneagram Type 9? 

Enneagram Type Nine, also called the Agreeable, is the personality type defined by its desire for harmony. Type Nines are empathetic peacemakers who avoid conflict and are easy to be around. 

Above all, Type Nines value peace and calmness in their personal and workplace environments. However, this can make it difficult for them to set priorities and create structure in their lives. 

Personal traits of Enneagram Type 9

Type Nines are usually the mediators or counselors in their personal and professional relationships. They go out of their way to make things easier for others by diffusing tension, helping others, and including everyone in conversations and activities.

Those with a Type Nine personality are:

• Calm and collected. Type Nines can remain composed even in challenging or stressful situations. They have a relaxing presence that helps create a peaceful environment.

• Well-liked by others. Nines are good listeners and focus on others’ needs, making them popular with colleagues. 

• Personable and people-pleasing. They project warmth and empathy, prioritize the comfort of those around them, and are motivated by the need for peace. They’re friendly and easy to get along with but tend to people-please.

• Cooperative. Type Nines are skilled mediators and work well within groups. They work behind the scenes to maintain peaceful group dynamics. 

• Easy-going and receptive. These individuals can easily recognize tension and work hard to diffuse it. Where others may become stressed, Type Nines can remain relaxed, open-minded, and adaptable. 

Enneagram Type 9 Wings 

Each Enneagram type can exhibit traits from one of the two personality types adjacent to it on the Enneagram. These are called “Wings” and can influence a person’s behavior in subtle or pronounced ways. 

Although each personality type has two wings, it’s more common for a single wing to be “dominant,” representing the other side of someone’s personality that may contradict their core Enneagram type. 

Type Nine’s Wings are Type Eight, the Master, and Type One, the Improver.

Type 9w8

Type Nines with an Eight Wing, known as 9w8s, tend to be more adventurous and direct than other Nines.

Although they’re uninterested in conflict, 9w8s are unafraid to advocate for themselves and others. They enjoy going with the flow but actively encourage and support others. 

Their value on connection to others can result in fear of loss and detachment from friends, family, and colleagues. 

Type 9w1

Whereas Type Nines can be zen-like, people-pleasers, 9w1 types are more creative and serious about their ideas. 

9w1s are dedicated to their ideals, like making the world a better place and improving the lives of others. They’re comfortable criticizing unfair behavior and avoid negative emotions by sticking to a routine. 

While Type Nines are typically office favorites, 9w1s can come off as a bit cold and overly critical of themselves when stressed. 

Enneagram Type 9 strengths and weaknesses

Each personality type has its own strengths and weaknesses, which is why no personality type is better or worse than another. Depending on the situation, Type Nines can thrive or face challenges that impact their performance. 

Type Nine strengths 

• Tolerant of others

• Can mediate conflict 

• Open-minded and non-judgemental

• Can appreciate diverse points of view

• Creative and innovative

• Optimistic about the future

• Value consensus, rarely exhibiting a “my way or the highway” mentality

Type Nine weaknesses

• Difficulty confronting others

• Can hold themselves back by prioritizing others’ needs over their own

• Have trouble sticking up for themselves

• Tend to minimize their feelings

• Can struggle to concentrate, mentally checking out and “going through the motions “

• Can sometimes shut down in extremely intense situations, finding it hard to accept their behavior or hold others accountable

  

Type 9 opportunities for growth

Like all personality types, Type Nines can flourish and fulfill their potential under the right circumstances. Below are a few ways you can support Type Nines’ growth.

• Encourage them to put their needs first. By encouraging your Type Nines to have a healthy work-life balance, they can remove some of the pressure they put on themselves to support others. This way, they can be more in touch with their own needs. 

• Help them recognize the upside of conflict. Communicate to your Type Nines that not all conflict is bad. Embracing certain types of conflict will help them better understand others and build stronger relationships.  

• Remind them to be more outspoken. Teach your type Nines to engage in direct and assertive communication so they can advocate for themselves and others instead of only diffusing situations. 

• Challenge them to be more proactive. Type Nines often miss key opportunities because they’re afraid to take big risks or lose connections. Challenge them to prioritize their goals so they can achieve a balance between their personal objectives and relationships. 

• Help them take more risks. Remove Type Nines from overly-safe and consistent projects or environments to grow their creativity and self-reliance. Explain how risk-taking is a valuable growth opportunity when they know failure won’t lead to conflict or chaos. 

Type 9 work preferences 

Nines are highly motivated by togetherness, creativity, and interpersonal connections. They’re also very flexible, so they typically don’t have many strict work preferences. 

That said, they tend to enjoy work that allows them to support others, is low-stress, and offers stability.  

Although they’re effective mediators, Type Nines may not demand management or leadership opportunities. Diving into fast-paced work environments, juggling multiple high-stakes tasks, and confronting employees about their performance are generally turn-offs for Type Nines. 

How to support Type 9s in the workplace 

Understanding how an Enneagram Type Nine behaves and sees the world around them is a great first step in supporting their growth. 

Some ways to support Enneagram Type Nines include: 

• Encouraging them to express their personal needs and thoughts 

• Avoiding putting them in pressure-infused situations

• Taking the time to get to know your Type Nines

• Establishing a positive workplace culture based on communication and empathy 

• Taking time to build a relationship with them instead of just giving them orders

• Avoiding harsh criticism and framing weaknesses as areas for growth 

• Being patient, calm, and gentle in your interactions 

What motivates Type 9s 

Enneagram Type Nines are usually motivated by stability, calmness, and human connection. In the workplace, they’re likely to be interested in:

• Working on group projects where they can connect with team members 

• Resolving conflicts between colleagues or clients to restore peace 

• Working in stable, slow-paced environments with predictable tasks 

• Organizing large amounts of information into coherent structures

• Supportive roles where they can be a team resource rather than a team leader 

Potential careers for Type 9s

Individuals with a Type Nine personality prefer jobs with calm and conflict-free work environments. Their desire to keep the peace and mediate situations makes them a great fit for these roles: 

How to determine a candidate’s Enneagram type

TestGorilla’s Enneagram Personality test is a valuable tool for identifying a job candidate or existing employee’s Enneagram type.

In the 10-minute, 45-question test, individuals choose between two statements, picking the one they identify with the most. 

Once the test is complete, you and your applicants or employees will receive a comprehensive results report. TestGorilla makes it easy to interpret Enneagram test results. Each report includes: 

• The Enneagram personality mapping framework

• The individual’s Enneagram personality type 

• Information on how they behave in personal relationships

• Information on how they behave in the workplace

• Their best attributes

• Their main challenges 

Our reports also include coaching points, tips for communicating with a particular type, and ways to support their learning and development.

Conclusion

The Enneagram personality test is an important tool to identify and understand a candidate’s personality traits and behavioral attributes. For the best results, implement this test with a combination of other multi-measure talent assessments early in your hiring process. 

Individuals can have one of the nine Enneagram personality types – like Type Nine, also called the Agreeable. Type Nines thrive when helping others by mediating conflict and solving problems. However, they struggle in chaotic environments or when they have to stick up for themselves. 

Type Nines will thrive in roles that require interpersonal connections in calm, slow-paced working environments such as libraries, social work, or design studios. 

Sign up for a free TestGorilla plan to use our Enneagram Personality test and learn more about your candidates’ and employees' personality types.