Your Personality and Team Dynamics

I recently came across a study by Jiajun Kan (2024) that stopped me in my tracks. It confirmed that a team leader’s personality plays a decisive role in shaping team dynamics. Some team leaders come to us looking for ways to “fix” their team. They describe the symptoms, varying from poor communication, lack of accountability, conflict, or disengagement. “How do I fix them?”, they ask.

At times, there are very real external factors such as organisational changes, resource constraints, lack of clarity, or historical baggage that can weigh a team down. These are important, and we work with teams to navigate them. But there’s a moment when the team leader realises something bigger. No matter the external circumstances, how a team shows up is shaped by how it’s led. The team leader’s presence, behaviour, and personality have a massive influence on the team.

This is, of course, appropriate. What is the point of having a team leader if they don’t have an impact on the team? So this isn’t about blame but the importance of leaders being mindful of that impact. While team leaders can’t control every external factor, they can take ownership of how they show up, the tone they set, and how they nurture healthy team dynamics. This is a useful and powerful idea – especially as it is within the team leader’s control.

There’s no “ideal” team leader personality. As Peter Drucker put it, “The best leaders are all over the map.” What makes the difference isn’t having the “right” personality but self-awareness. Team leaders who understand their personality, how they affect others, and where they may need to stretch, create healthy, high-performing teams.

Which brings me to one of the many reasons we use the Enneagram – it is a useful and practical way to understand personality. The point of the Enneagram is not to box people or leaders into rigid categories but rather to foster self-awareness and growth. What makes the Enneagram particularly powerful for leadership development is its dynamic nature. Leaders can use the language of the enneagram to identify and develop aspects of their personality, becoming more balanced, responsive, and effective.

A few scenarios in practice:

• A Challenger personality brings high energy and directness. The team may become more decisive but could also become combative without care.
• A Peacemaker personality creates calm and harmony but may avoid addressing important conflicts or decisions, leading to a lack of clarity.
• An Achiever personality drives performance and results but may unintentionally neglect emotional dynamics or burn out the team.

The team reports give team leaders and teams a shared language to explore these dynamics. They reveal how the team shows up collectively, and how the team leader's profile shapes the patterns of communication, decision-making, and conflict resolution.

So yes, your personality as a team leader absolutely matters. Not because you need to fit a particular mould or be a certain type, but because your self-awareness and willingness to grow directly shapes the health, performance, and potential of your team. That’s when real shifts happen, when teams begin to trust more, communicate better, and unlock new levels of performance. While there are always other factors at play, it’s often the team leader’s own growth and self-awareness that create the conditions for lasting change.

Teams That Talk, anchored in the Enneagram, helps leaders and teams understand their collective dynamics, how they work together, where their strengths lie, and what’s getting in the way. Partner with us to build productive and healthy organisations through organisational strategy, leadership development, and team development. ?

Written by: Mbali Masinga