“The Enneagram is one of the mostefficient and human systems for reaching the compassion and leadership needed in business today.” – Professor Michael Ray, Stanford Business School
The Enneagram (Greek for “nine” and “something written”) refers to a personality indicator and professional growth system that details nine core personality types and twenty-seven subtypes.
In the workplace, much like the MBTI, the Enneagram helps team members identify their core type and the types of their colleagues, so that productive collaborations are more accessible. Unlike the Myers-Briggs, however, the Enneagram tends to unearth deeply held inherent beliefs & cognitive distortions, and provide a more detailed map of each type’s unconscious habits — their blind spots. In this way, it raises the EQ (emotional intelligence) of a team so that each person can relate more effectively with those who have different goals, beliefs, and ways of handling challenges.
Understanding what’s really motivating someone who, for example, tends to stay quiet during meetings, or on the other hand takes up a lot of space every chance they get, is key. This kind of understanding leads to a more successful navigation of a group’s dynamics, because it removes the barriers that tend to rise when a team member judges another, it minimizes frustration about how to collaborate given personality differences, and helps each person bring out the strengths of their core type to benefit the whole.
And, ultimately, it increases trust.
When teams trust each other, they make better decisions, are more creative, efficient, communicative, collaborative… and they enjoy higher job satisfaction.
The Enneagram psychometrics also provide substantial support for leadership development. See how each of the following types differ regarding decision making (credit Ginger Lapid-Bogda).
If you’re a business leader or entrepreneur, the Enneagram can help you:
Learn your core type and the type of your team members
Gain an in-depth understanding of each type’s strengths and challenges as they relate to the professional success
Understand the characteristics of, and make adjustments to, each type’s conflict, self-sabotage, and self-criticism tendencies at work
See how the inherent beliefs, cognitive distortions, and differing conflict styles of each type impact collaboration, decision making, giving feedback, sales, and communication in the office
Identify specific team dysfunctions, and map out a way to build a culture of trust & collaboration
Self knowledge and proactive change gives you, your team, and your organization a competitive advantage. As Jung put it, “Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.”
Team Assessment
If you have the sense that your team is not functioning as well as it could, a Team Assessment might be a cost-effective and relatively quick way to get a reading on how it is doing and ways it might perform at an higher level. Cohesion within a team depends on many things, including, the work habits of the individuals on the team, team members’ willingness to communicate honestly and work through disagreements efficiently, and relational dynamics within the team. I meet with team members individual and as a group and provide an assessment of how your team is interacting and ideas about how it might enhance its functioning.
Team cohesion
Working collaboratively with an experienced coach provides a unique opportunity for leaders to increase self-awareness, build on strengths, and identify and address patterns of behavior that may create obstacles to growth and success.
The coaching process helps individuals recognize and remove barriers that block one’s ability to be an effective leader – and helps leaders enhance their ability to lead others from a place of integrity, honesty, and a deep ground of self-knowledge.
One-on-one meetings focus on past experiences in leadership positions, present considerations, and how to achieve specific future goals. Ultimately, the intention of this work is to bring awareness, purposefulness, and meaning to the lives of individuals.
