6 Types of People That Can Help you Thrive in your Career

No matter how talented you are, you’ll need to utilize the help and advice of other people if you want to thrive in your career. The trick is knowing which types of people to have around you to help you hit your goals.

Here are the top 6 personality types to help your professional development and push you to be the best you can be.

1. The Supportive Boss

One of the most important personalities you’ll find in your career is a boss who’s supportive, encouraging and invested in your professional development. You can’t underestimate the power of this personality type to change the course of your career and help you achieve more than you ever thought possible. 

While you can’t always guarantee you’re going to land a great boss, some Enneagram types might surprise you when it comes to their ability to nudge you forward in your career. Supportive bosses are most likely to be:

Enneagram Twos

Nurturing and caring, Enneagram Twos are the loveliest bosses around. They’re known for being approachable, patient and empathetic, so you can go to them for advice and a career steer whenever you need it.

Enneagram Ones

Known as the Perfectionist personality type, Type Ones will push you to be the best you can possibly be. They tend to be exacting bosses, expecting you to deliver high-quality work and exceed their expectations time and again. But, in return, they’ll support you with honest advice, detailed feedback and praise when it’s deserved.

2. The Wise Counselor

To thrive in your career, you need to find a mentor. That means someone who’s more knowledgeable or experienced than you, who will be able to give you informed advice to help you grow and progress. The Wise Counselor is the career persona you need to show you the ropes in your industry and help you feel more capable and in control, while offering plenty of nuggets of wisdom to help you along the way. Wise Counselors are likely to be:

Enneagram Fives

While they can be difficult to reach, preferring their own company to the company of others, Enneagram Fives make excellent mentors thanks to their in-depth knowledge of very specific subjects. This is the personality type who knows their profession inside-out and can give you the most informed and detailed advice. They’re well-known for giving insightful, thorough responses to questions – exactly what you need from a mentor!

Enneagram Threes

Ambitious and driven, Threes may not be the first personality type that springs to mind as a possible mentor. But Type Threes love to inspire others and lend a helping hand to assist people they admire or see potential in. While they often get a reputation for being image-obsessed, at their best Threes can be extremely energetic, humble and uplifting mentors who provide helpful advice and connections that can make all the difference in your career.

3. The (Brutally) Honest Advisor

Another type of mentor to look out for is the Honest Advisor. While they may not necessarily be more experienced than you, they’re better at seeing things for what they really are and they’re not afraid to call you out when you’re wrong or misguided. This career persona will always tell it like it is. They’re straight talking, blunt and direct, so you know you can go to them whenever you need an honest answer. They take a tough-love approach to their relationships – but that’s what makes them so great to have around! Honest advisors are likely to be:

Enneagram Sixes

Detail-oriented and organized, Sixes can be really useful mentors to have throughout your career, especially if you’re more of a big-picture person. If you have a habit of not thinking much about the practical details of your career, Sixes can help you to be more realistic and bring you right back down to earth. Sixes are also known for being extremely loyal to the people they trust, so you know they’ll look out for you. 

Enneagram Eights

Eights pride themselves on their honesty so you know that this personality type will always provide unfiltered, candid advice if you ask for it. Eights are known for taking people under their wing and championing others, so they make great career mentors – but they won’t sugarcoat their opinions!

4. The Empathetic Peer

When you’re stressed and on the verge of burnout, there’s one career persona you need and that’s the Empathetic Peer. This personality type is there to listen to you vent your frustrations, make you a cup of tea (or something stronger!) and even be a shoulder to cry on. Throughout your career there will inevitably be times when you face enormous challenges and an Empathetic Peer can be the person you need to keep going, overcome it and ultimately thrive. Empathetic peers are likely to be: 

Enneagram Nines

Enneagram Nines are known for their calming, soothing personalities. They’re gentle, stable and kind, making them the perfect person to go to when you need some comfort and support at work.

Enneagram Sevens

With their optimistic attitude, Sevens can be ideal colleagues to have around when you’re feeling stressed. They can help you see the positives and open your eyes with their childlike excitement and curious way of looking at the world. They’ll give you a reason to laugh, probably take you out for a drink, or endorse your decision to eat an entire box of cookies in one sitting!

5. The Big Thinker 

Sometimes you need a nudge to dream bigger. This is where the Big Thinker career persona comes in. This is the person who encourages you to be bolder, more ambitious and more audacious. The Big Thinker personality type gets you to think outside the box and look at career moves that you wouldn’t have considered before, giving you the confidence boost you need to take that next step and achieve more. Big Thinkers are likely to be:

Enneagram Eights

As the Challenger personality type, Eights don’t care about boundaries. They’re the personality type most likely to encourage you to push harder for what you want in your career. Don’t wait for your boss to offer you a pay rise, demand it! And why not ask for shares in the company too? Eights are here to help you be fearless.

Enneagram Fours

Type Fours never follow the crowd. They’re always looking for new ways to be unique so they’re ideal people to help you look at your career from a different perspective and encourage you to be more daring and stop following the crowd.

6. The Insider or Work Twin

You know the feeling when you meet someone at work who thinks just like you? This is the Insider or Work Twin persona – that colleague or friend who is at the same stage in their career and going through the same rollercoaster you are. Not only can they identify with your stresses but they can also help to hold a mirror up to your own personality, giving you the chance to see yourself from the outside. Use this career persona to bounce ideas off of and help you both thrive in your careers together. They’re most likely to be:

Whatever your personality is!

The Insider persona will depend on your own personality. After all, they’re your match in your career, someone who can identify with you and who thinks the same as you do. If you’re a career-driven Eight, you’ll probably find your Work Twin in a fellow Eight. If you’re a more sensitive Nine, you’ll probably match better with another Nine on your team. You’ll know them when you meet them!

Surround yourself with these top career personalities to succeed

If you want to thrive in your career, it’s important to have a balanced range of perspectives and personalities around you who can provide advice, counsel and connections when you need them. Don’t limit yourself to just one or two people, expand your network and use these personality types to help you succeed.