I’m a sucker for a good personality test. Who doesn’t love to nerd out about identifying strengths and weaknesses? And sure, there are a million different personality tests. Where are my ENFJs at? And of course— none of the tests are 100% scientific in nature. But there is real value when you can use shared language to understand each other better. This applies to partners, friends, and even your teams at work!

The Enneagram is one of my favorites lately.

Each of the nine personality types is characterized by a set of dominant behaviors, motivations, and fears. The goal of this system is to better understand your type so that you’ll be able to make the most of your strengths and address your weaknesses in order to achieve your full potential.

So, as a light intro to this framework — let’s poke a little bit of fun at ourselves and walk through each archetype and how the traits might show up for PMs 🙃

All descriptions are from the Enneagram Institute.

1. The Reformer PM

Ones are conscientious and ethical, with a strong sense of right and wrong. They are teachers, crusaders, and advocates for change: always striving to improve things, but afraid of making a mistake.

Well-organized, orderly, and fastidious, they try to maintain high standards but can slip into being critical and perfectionistic. They typically have problems with resentment and impatience.

⚖ These PMs…

• Advocate for doing things the “right” way. And if you aren’t doing it to their standard, they’ll beat you with Marty Cagan’s latest book.
• Always have a well-groomed backlog for at least the next three sprints. Each ticket follows the same exact template and they employ a very impressive JIRA labeling system.

But really…

A healthy one is a great accelerator inside product orgs. They’re masters of bringing healthy product culture into companies and selling stakeholders on the value of empowering teams. They’re always looking for ways to iterate and find more value. And they bring a steady hand to big product launches without anything falling through the cracks.

2. The Helper PM

Twos are empathetic, sincere, and warm-hearted. They are friendly, generous, and self-sacrificing, but can also be sentimental, flattering, and people-pleasing. They are well-meaning and driven to be close to others, but can slip into doing things for others in order to be needed. They typically have problems with possessiveness and with acknowledging their own needs

🆘 These PMs…

• Desperately wants to be seen as a valuable part of the team. Would bring donuts and mimosas to every meeting if they could.
• Are always finding new ways to shield the team from all that nonsense stakeholder business.

But really…

Healthy twos can be the lifeblood of an organization. Their servant leader mentality builds trust and respect with their technical and design counterparts. Their ability to have cognitive empathy can be a superpower that helps them lead without control. They make great coaches and managers for other PMs.

3. The Achiever PM

Threes are self-assured, attractive, and charming. Ambitious, competent, and energetic, they can also be status-conscious and highly driven for advancement. They are diplomatic and poised, but can also be overly concerned with their image and what others think of them. They typically have problems with workaholism and competitiveness.

📈 These PMs…

• Won’t shut up about whether the button placement will move the needle for their metrics. Especially if their review cycle is coming up.
• Knows they’re going to be CPO at a Unicorn by year 5 of their product career.

But really…

Healthy threes are some of the best product folks at driving results with a true outcome focus, which is what we all want. They know how to handle politics at their company. And their ambition can bring along everyone around them to new heights.

4. The Individualist PM

Fours are self-aware, sensitive, and reserved. They are emotionally honest, creative, and personal, but can also be moody and self-conscious. Withholding themselves from others due to feeling vulnerable and defective, they can also feel disdainful and exempt from ordinary ways of living. They typically have problems with melancholy, self-indulgence, and self-pity.

🧠 These PMs…

• Are a little too engaged with squad retros and encourage the team to bring their full self to work.
• Fall into an existential crisis about their career when they see TikToks and memes about Product Managers.

But really…

Healthy fours bring a unique level of raw passion to their product craft. They are highly creative and often have a true product sense in their domain expertise. If they can hone their weaknesses and work well with a team, they can bring true innovation to a product team.

5. The Investigator PM

Fives are alert, insightful, and curious. They are able to concentrate and focus on developing complex ideas and skills. Independent, innovative, and inventive, they can also become preoccupied with their thoughts and imaginary constructs. They become detached, yet high-strung and intense. They typically have problems with eccentricity, nihilism, and isolation.

😇 These PMs…

• Check their product dashboard on their phone when they wake up instead of Twitter.
• Always have a new framework they want to try out with the team. Have y’all heard of Opportunity Solution Trees? What about Kano?
• Have Elon and Jack posters at their desks. Don’t you know they are visionaries?

But really…

This type is closer to what many folks think of as a traditional archetype of a PM. They’ll thrive with their ability to handle complex problems and break them down into simple, solvable milestones. Their ability to go deep on data analysis can help unblock the team. And they take the initiative to solve problems as they see them. While all PMs can do this, fives have a leg up here inherently.

6. The Loyalist PM

The committed, security-oriented type. Sixes are reliable, hard-working, responsible, and trustworthy. Excellent “troubleshooters,” foresee problems and foster cooperation, but can also become defensive, evasive, and anxious — running on stress while complaining about it. They can be cautious and indecisive, but also reactive, defiant, and rebellious. They typically have problems with self-doubt and suspicion.

🐕 These PMs…

• Don’t want to rock the boat at quarterly planning. They love it when the CEO has a product idea.
• Work really hard at becoming good friends with the whole team.
• Are always copying new roadmap formats and frameworks that can bolster their confidence.

But really…

Sixes at their best can be great Product Managers. They’re able to elicit strong emotional responses which are critical for leading via influence instead of control. The relationships they build across the organization give them the ability to align and rally like nobody’s business. Their grit and grind mentality helps get things done.

7. The Enthusiast PM

Sevens are extroverted, optimistic, versatile, and spontaneous. Playful, high-spirited, and practical, they can also misapply their many talents, becoming over-extended, scattered, and undisciplined. They constantly seek new and exciting experiences, but can become distracted and exhausted by staying on the go. They typically have problems with impatience and impulsiveness.

🎉 These PMs…

• Have a calendar that’s chock full of meetings from 8 am to 5 pm every single day. Who can say no to an outlook invite?
• Love talking about how Machine Learning and Crypto are going to be differentiators for their product.
• Won’t shut up in meetings and are always complaining about how their technical counterparts are too quiet.

But really…

The enthusiast PM can be a powerful mover in companies. Their energy and passion make them amazing storytellers which is an exponential leverage skill. They’re resilient to change and are experts at ramping up in a domain. And sevens’ desire for trial and error makes them excellent iterators on a product team.

8. The Challenger PM

Eights are self-confident, strong, and assertive. Protective, resourceful, straight-talking, and decisive, but can also be ego-centric and domineering. Eights feel they must control their environment, especially people, sometimes becoming confrontational and intimidating. Eights typically have problems with their tempers and with allowing themselves to be vulnerable.

👊 These PMs…

• 100% unironically identify as The CEO of the Product.
• Prepare for Product Reviews like they’re a 2020 presidential debate.
• Pushes to see extra story points in the Sprint. Are we sure that’s all we can commit to?

But really…

Healthy eights make great leaders. They’re willing to make the hard decisions that nobody else wants to take on. They have a passion to win against competitors that can be harnessed for great motivation. They have the will and fortitude to chart the hard path that can lead to victory (or least product-market-fit).

9. The Peacemaker PM

Nines are accepting, trusting, and stable. They are usually creative, optimistic, and supportive, but can also be too willing to go along with others to keep the peace. They want everything to go smoothly and be without conflict, but they can also tend to be complacent, simplifying problems and minimizing anything upsetting. They typically have problems with inertia and stubbornness.

🤗 These PMs…

• Desperately want everyone to just get along. What’s the compromise here?
• Change their mind on product decisions depending on which stakeholder they last talked to.
• Ignore the negative trends on the dashboard in hopes it was just a bad week.

But really…

Healthy nines can use their relational superpowers to be the glue that sticks a team together. Their ability to show empathy for customers, their teammates, and stakeholders is key. They synthesize and communicate information in a compelling way.

So — nine different archetypes of Product Managers. Where do you fall? Do you identify with the strengths and weaknesses of that type? Personally, I find myself falling somewhere between a Two (Helper) and a Three (Achiever). It’s been helpful to dig in and identify anti-patterns and tips for thriving.

What other personality frameworks have you found useful in your product career and professional development? Let me know in the comments.