Have you ever wondered if an issue you were facing at work was related to the task or perhaps to personality styles? Do you long to feel more confident in your ability to be a great leader? What if I could share data that could give you x-ray vision into your team dynamics?
In this episode, I share two ways that I use the Enneagram personality system to help teams reach their full potential. We cover how the Enneagram can help with leadership development, how to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your team.
(The two ways I use the Enneagram to help teams communicate better are explored in Part 2 next week.)
🔗 This episode is packed with tools and resources to help you uplevel work. You'll find everything mentioned in the complete show notes at https://uplevelingwork.com/6
Connect with Michelle:
Welcome to episode five, how I use the Enneagram to help teams.
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:I'm Michelle Kay Anderson and I'm excited
to bring you this two part series on
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:four ways that you can use the Enneagram
to help improve performance at work.
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:I recorded this episode after conducting
a team workshop with a group that I've
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:been working with for a couple of years.
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:And I was celebrating the fact that
we did some really deep work over a
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:couple of days and how that opportunity
becomes available to teams when
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:you've been working with a system
like the Enneagram for a little bit.
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:So I thought I'd share specifics
on how you can apply the Enneagram
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:at work so you can evaluate if
this might be a good fit for you.
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:Typically managers who are working
on team building might have the team
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:take a personality test or bring
in an expert to conduct a workshop.
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:But often within like a week,
things seem to go back to normal.
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:Working with a system like the Enneagram
allows you not just to understand each
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:other better, but to begin to identify
interventions and pattern changes that
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:will move the needle for you collectively.
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:But working with a system like the
Enneagram is a little bit different
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:in that it allows you not just to
understand each other better or
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:to put each other into categories.
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:Right.
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:But it allows you to begin to identify
specific interventions and patterns
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:that you can change that are going to
move the needle for you collectively.
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:The conscious leaders that I work
with know that categorizing people is
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:not a useful way to build connection.
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:---
Okay, so The four main things that I tend to work on with teams when I'm
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:using the Enneagram are leadership
development, identifying the strengths
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:and weaknesses of your team style,
improving relationships on the team, and
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:becoming more effective communicators.
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:Let's start by looking at
leadership development specifically.
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:In 21st century organizations,
every employee is encouraged to
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:think of themselves as a leader.
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:And that tends to come from the
seemingly endless set of challenges
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:that go beyond just doing your job.
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:Being a leader in this new world means
dealing with the fast pace of change,
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:the need to improve communications
to foster better collaboration, and
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:the need to relate to an increasingly
diverse workforce and stakeholders.
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:Now more than ever, we need
reliable tools to help decode
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:and resolve the misunderstandings
and relationship problems that
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:happen all the time in business.
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:One of the mistakes that managers
make when they get promoted or take
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:on responsibility for a new team
is that they try to adopt a new
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:leadership style or to strengthen
their leadership style typically by
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:modeling it after Maybe a mentor or
the previous manager or someone who has
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:been successful at the organization.
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:But the type of leadership development
that I'm interested in is helping you to
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:trust your unique style and the gifts that
you bring and the perspective that you
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:have about the work that needs to be done.
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:We don't just need one
kind of leader, right?
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:There is a lot of value in
organizations and having a diverse
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:set of experiences and personalities
that are leading the way.
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:Warren Bennis, an author, scholar,
and leadership expert, is quoted
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:as saying, "Becoming a leader is
synonymous with becoming yourself.
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:It is precisely that simple,
and it is also that difficult."
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:And Peter Hawkins, who's also an author,
leadership professor, and management
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:consultant, thinks that to "develop
leadership is less about learning
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:new skills and more about unlearning
habits and breaking free from limiting
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:mindsets we already have acquired.
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:I love the idea of thinking about
leadership development as a homecoming to
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:who you really are and the potentiality
that already exists inside of you.
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:And working with the Enneagram Types
can help you really embrace what
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:makes you unique and to see the ego
defensiveness that might be getting
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:in the way or become unconscious
habits that are no longer serving you.
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:It also allows you to access the wisdom
of all three of your centers - your
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:mind, body, and heart - so that you
can lead from a more grounded place
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:and access a deeper source of wisdom.
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:According to research by Daniel Goleman
and others, the key factors in developing
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:high quality leadership are self
awareness and emotional intelligence.
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:Self awareness is the ability to be
mindful or conscious about what you
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:do, how you do it, and why you do it.
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:And emotional intelligence is the
ability to recognize, understand,
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:and manage your own emotions, and the
capacity to recognize, understand, and
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:empathize with the emotions of others.
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:Imagine I'm drawing a graph that's
divided into four quadrants.
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:Along the horizontal axis we have
emotional intelligence, and on the
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:vertical axis we have self awareness.
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:So then across the bottom we have leaders
who are not self aware, and across the
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:top we have ones that are highly self
aware, and on the left of this graph
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:we have leaders who have low emotional
intelligence, and on the right, ones
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:that have higher emotional intelligence.
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:If we were to put a name to each
of these quadrants, I might call
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:the lower left quadrant that has
low emotional intelligence and
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:low self awareness, Task Managers.
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:These folks will put their head down
and do what they're asked to do.
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:As long as the rules are
clear, they're good to go.
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:As a leader develops higher self
awareness, but maybe they still have
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:low emotional intelligence, so we're in
the upper left quadrant here, I might
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:call this the Egocentric Architect.
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:The high self awareness makes them
acutely aware of their own needs and
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:desires, but they can be blind to
the needs of other people because
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:they have low emotional intelligence.
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:These guys tend to be outlaws and
a little bit oblivious and their
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:self interest tends to drive them
a little bit more, which is why I
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:call them the egocentric architects.
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:They're often quite smart and
know how to get things done.
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:Okay, so now we go over to leaders
who have high emotional intelligence.
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:So in the lower right quadrant.
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:You have high emotional
intelligence and low self awareness.
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:I might call these leaders
Empathic Martyrs, right?
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:They're very attuned to the needs of
other people, but a little bit blind
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:to their own patterns and needs.
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:They can be self
sacrificing and super warm.
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:And finally, you have leaders with high
emotional intelligence and high self
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:awareness in that upper right quadrant.
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:These leaders I call Resilient
Visionaries because they are self aware
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:of their own strengths and limitations
of those strengths and the patterns
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:that tend to get in their own way, and
they have high emotional intelligence
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:so they can self regulate, they can
attune to the needs of other people,
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:and even see into the environment.
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:These are folks that have better access
to the wisdom of all three centers of
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:intelligence, and so that allows them
to be more creative and innovative
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:because they can see things more clearly.
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:The idea here is that working with the
Enneagram can help you develop both self
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:awareness and emotional intelligence in
a way that can help you collectively move
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:up and into that upper right quadrant.
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:Okay, so that is how I use the Enneagram
to work on leadership development.
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:The second area that I use the Enneagram
to help teams reach their full potential
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:is by running that Integrative Enneagrams
team report, which creates a team profile.
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:And with that profile, I'm
able to identify the strengths,
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:weaknesses, and risks associated
with your current team style.
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:We look at the dominant style on your
team and the two supporting styles
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:that are coming up underneath it.
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:Like, you get this bar chart that
shows you for each of the nine styles,
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:where you rank and so it's really
easy to visually see which style you
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:might be overusing and which ones are
supporting and coloring the certain
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:strengths that you have on your team.
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:But it also identifies the lowest
used styles on your team to help
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:you understand where you might
have a weakness or a blind spot.
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:So seeing these imbalances visually
can help name some dynamics that
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:might be playing out on your team
that you didn't fully understand
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:or couldn't put your finger on.
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:And the combination of all of this
knowledge starts to help us identify risks
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:associated with relying on our strengths
too much or some of those blind spots, so
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:that as you're planning your project, you
can mitigate those risks or plan to get
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:more data or to pull in more resources
depending on how risk averse you are
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:or what resources are available to you.
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:This is also where we use
Tuckman's stages of development
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:and overlay Enneagram styles.
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:So you can look at how your team
style shows up in each of those
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:stages of development that we
talked about in episode two.
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:And pinpoint specific interventions
that are going to help you accelerate
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:through those stages of development
faster so that you can get to high
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:performance as a team more efficiently.
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:Okay, so that's the second way.
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:We're identifying strengths, weaknesses,
and risks associated with your team style.
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:So that covers the first two ways that I
work with teams to improve performance,
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:using insights from the Enneagram - we're
cultivating your unique leadership
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:style and identifying the strengths
and weaknesses of your team style.
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:These are the first steps and becoming
a more empowering, conscious leader.
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:In the next episode, I'm going to
cover building trust and becoming
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:more effective communicators.
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:Because I go into detail on Enneagram
patterns in the next episode,
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:you might want to brush up on
the system, if it is new to you.
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:In addition to the free
content available on my blog at
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:michellekayanderson.com/enneagram101,
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:I also have a course that breaks it
all down for you in under two hours.
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:You can find that at
michellekanderson.com/enneagramforteams.
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:If you already know that you want access
to this type of information for your
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:team and are interested in running
a team report, you can DM me or go
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:to michellekayanderson.com/services
to learn more.
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:And if you have a specific question that
you want me to answer on this podcast,
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:you can go to uplevelingwork.com.
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:Click on leave a voicemail.
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:And I'll get in touch with
you for a future episode.
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:This is episode four, how I
use the Enneagram at work.
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:In the last episode we talked a little
bit about why I use the Enneagram
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:system and some of the personal
benefits that I've seen in my life.
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:Today I'd like to focus on how I
use the Enneagram at work and the
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:benefits that the teams that I'm
working with can see as they use it.
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:Most people find the Enneagram
like at a dinner party.
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:They have a friend kind of tell
them about it and share a little
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:bit about what they've learned about
themselves and how knowing your
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:type might help you understand a
particular situation in your life.
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:I get a lot of questions about how
would you even use this at work?
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:In this episode, I will share four
specific ways that I use Enneagram data
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:and personality generally to help teams
improve their performance or communicate
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:better and establish trust and rapport.
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:The Enneagram can help unlock
the potential of a team by
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:working to identify the gifts and
strengths of your team's style.
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:And then within your team it can
help you value and support the unique
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:contribution of each team member.
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:And then it also helps you
to notice any significant
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:imbalances in the team profile.
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:It's almost an invitation to ask,
what does a team lose by paying
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:attention to these specific areas?
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:When I run the team report from
integrative Enneagram for the teams that
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:I work with, it generates a team style,
which is kind of like a compilation of how
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:all the individual styles come together
on your team and how you're operating.
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:Sometimes a style is aligned with the
other styles on your team, but other times
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:it can be a completely different style.
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:So you each have your
individual Enneagram styles.
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:And then we can also look at how those
styles come together to form a team style.
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:And you can discuss points of inefficiency
or friction in the team and the patterns
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:or assumptions that are underlying them.
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:It's like as a team we have this new
language to start to name certain dynamics
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:with more specificity so that we can start
to talk about them and work with them.
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:The Enneagram can help you understand
your collective social and conflict
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:styles and develop processes to
harness healthy conflict as a driver
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:of performance, not a barrier.
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:It is becoming increasingly clear
that businesses need to invest
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:in leadership development for
both team members and managers.
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:Did you know that 75 percent
of long term success in a job
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:role comes from soft skills?
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:The remaining 25 percent
are from technical skills.
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:You would think it would be the reverse,
but it's the soft skills that separate
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:high performers from average performers,
according to the Stanford Research
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:Institute, and 21 percent of profitability
increases come from highly engaged teams.
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:Engagement looks like employees
showing up every day with passion
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:and purpose, presence and energy.
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:However, 53 percent of workers
report not feeling engaged
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:at work, according to Gallup.
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:94 percent of employees would
prolong their stay in an organization
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:who invests in their development.
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:And 96 percent of employees believe
that showing empathy is one of the most
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:important ways we can improve retention.
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:That's according to LinkedIn's
Workplace Learning Report.
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:However, 69 percent of managers
express feeling uncomfortable
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:communicating with their employees.
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:Businesses with highly effective
communicators have a 47 percent higher
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:total return to shareholders compared
to companies with the least effective
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:communicators, according to the Harvard
Business Review and Towers Watson.
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:What it tells us is that communication
has a direct link to both engagement
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:in employees and retention of workers.
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:And that soft skills are the things
that are going to help you translate
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:mediocre performance into high performance
at the individual and team level.
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:But the thing is, most of us
are operating on autopilot.
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:This is a common mistake I see with
clients as they start coaching with me.
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:It's true of everyone, really.
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:The thing is, we don't know that we're
operating on autopilot most of the
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:time, but most of us stay asleep to
our blind spots and the unconscious
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:tendencies that are no longer serving us.
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:This might look like doing the
same things over and over again,
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:hoping something will change.
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:Or not making progress in your
career or business for reasons
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:you don't totally understand.
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:Or maybe surrendering to the hustle,
working harder or longer, but not
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:making a material difference and finding
yourself on a fast track to burnout.
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:Maybe you're staying in a job
longer than you should, or you're
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:waiting around for the right
opportunities to fall in your lap.
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:I talk to a lot of people in career
crisis who are tired of playing office
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:politics, or chasing the next client
or new job opportunity in the hopes of
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:feeling more fulfilled or successful.
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:And because they're asleep to their
own blind spots, and the ways that
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:they might be preventing the very
thing that they want, they feel
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:frustrated and insecure, believing
that they can't catch a break, or that
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:maybe they aren't cut out for this.
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:It is hard not to think that you
aren't enough when you get passed
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:over for a promotion again and again.
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:Using the Enneagram system at work
allows you to more clearly see the
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:areas where you're strong and have
something unique to contribute and
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:what work might not be meant for you.
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:In other words, where are you trying
to fit a square peg in a round hole,
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:when instead you could be embracing
and celebrating what makes you unique
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:or communicating in a way that it
will land better with your audience.
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:That way you can more confidently go
after those dream projects or clients,
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:say no to the things that aren't
helping you get where you want to go,
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:and find a little more ease and flow.
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:Think about it, managing a team
when you're operating on autopilot
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:is like traveling around the
world without navigation or sonar.
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:You might see what is immediately
in front of you and try to navigate
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:what comes up in the moment.
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:If you hit an iceberg or something
under the surface, it's because
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:you didn't see it or anticipate it.
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:And so you have no way of what
is really lurking under there.
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:If you run into something, you
might take on water and start to
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:bail and try to patch things up
in order to keep moving forward.
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:You have a choice.
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:Either you do what you need to do to
move forward in these situations, or
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:you turn your engines off and drift.
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:Either way, it tends to be
super inefficient way to
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:get where you want to go.
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:This is kind of how we're
living on the daily.
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:Your conscious mind deals with
the immediate demands, but the
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:subconscious is what is determining
your course and influencing the results
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:that you're seeing in your life.
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:But what if you could install
a navigation and sonar system?
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:Would you invest the time
to learn how to use it and
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:practice your navigation skills?
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:Of course you would.
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:The truth is, it isn't about
how hard you're working or how
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:long you've been at the job.
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:It's all about charting your course,
using the resources available to
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:you, and being strategic about
avoiding the obstacles in your way.
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:What if you didn't have to work
any harder to get what you want?
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:While many people are familiar
with the Enneagram as a framework
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:for working with individuals, the
Enneagram also offers insight into
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:what drives the behavior of teams,
groups, organizations, and communities,
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:as well as providing practical
ways to improve the effectiveness.
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:Most of us think of business
like a machine, where you have
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:people or resources as inputs
that produce a product or service.
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:And managers think about pulling
different levers or trying to
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:optimize the performance of this
machine in order to produce the most
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:products in the most efficient way.
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:But human systems and organizations
operate more like an ecosystem or
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:a living community than a machine.
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:The people and teams that
make up organizations have an
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:undeniably powerful effect on
the systems that they act within.
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:So as each individual takes action and
then interacts with the other people
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:that they work with, individuals and
the groups are making sense of the world
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:and learning and adapting as they go.
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:The Enneagram helps us decode and make
sense of the dynamic relationships between
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:people and the systems that they form
as groups, teams, and organizations.
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:So as we operate within teams and
organizations, The individuals
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:influence each other, and then
the collective is also influencing
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:individuals in very complex ways.
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:The challenges often lie in the
relationship between individuals,
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:or between the individual and
the system, and the Enneagram can
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:help highlight both tensions and
possibilities in these relationships.
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:Okay, so this next section draws on a
lot of the training materials that I
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:received from the Integrative Enneagram
when I learned how to administer the
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:team report and interpret the results.
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:I really like the way they use
this model of concentric circles to
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:describe the ripple effect that this
work can have within an organization.
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:In the middle of this...
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:model, if you can imagine, uh, the
little circle in the middle is the
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:individual and then the next largest
circle that is around it is the team.
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:And then the biggest circle on
the outside is the organization.
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:So you can think of this
model as three nested circles.
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:Starting at that individual circle in the
middle, people who are self aware are more
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:aware of their habits and are better able
to reflect on and change their behaviors.
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:They have this enhanced understanding
of themselves and others that enables
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:them not only to be more effective
at the personal level, but also more
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:compassionate and authentic in the
relationships that they have with others.
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:And then, at the team level,
compassionate, authentic engagement drives
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:trust in teams, groups, and even families.
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:Self aware people support
positive group dynamics.
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:They're better at communicating,
managing conflict, and making
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:decisions collectively.
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:And in the outside circle, learnings from
the individual and the team level then
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:filter through to the organization and
community to create improved collaboration
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:and the ability to affect real change,
supporting an innovative, adaptive culture
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:that is positioned for long term success.
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:So let's look at how working with
the Enneagram at the individual
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:level adds value to the system.
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:Within teams, families, and
systems, individuals are constantly
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:learning, developing, adapting,
and improving their skills and
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:knowledge to remain relevant and grow.
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:The Enneagram offers an in depth
understanding of the diverse, often
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:unconscious assumptions and patterns
that drive individual behavior.
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:This deeper self awareness leads to
a fundamental shift in the way that
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:we think, feel, and show up in the
world, while also developing our
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:compassion and understanding of the
needs and perspectives of others.
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:Employees, leaders, and teams with higher
levels of emotional intelligence, self
343
:awareness, and the ability to understand
and communicate with others tend to
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:outperform their peers in most settings.
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:The Enneagram is helpful for any
individual who seeks to understand
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:themselves and others better, become more
tolerant, better at conflict resolution,
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:and more courageous and authentic.
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:It supports a diverse range of individuals
in using their strengths more effectively
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:in many different areas of their life.
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:Its depth and integrative nature make
it ideal for multi layered development
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:over time and it is capable of
addressing a diverse range of issues.
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:Now let's look at how working
with the Enneagram supports teams.
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:Working effectively in teams requires
high levels of collaboration, trust,
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:and interactive decision making between
diverse members and personalities.
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:Therefore, much of the conflict and
friction in teams is the result of
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:misunderstandings or differences
between members perspectives.
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:The Enneagram offers teams a language for
understanding, discussing, and leveraging
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:their diverse perspectives and strengths.
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:This enables them to improve
communication, understand different
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:members approaches to conflict, and
respect and leverage the gifts of
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:each individual within the team.
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:The Integrative Enneagram Report also
scales to apply to teams, going beyond
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:illuminating the challenges each player
may experience in a team environment
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:as a result of their individual type.
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:This team profile applies team theory
to decode and describe how the team's
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:diverse perspectives blend into a set of
unique collective drivers and dynamics.
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:Reflecting their collective Enneagram
team style and the gifts and
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:potential challenges they might face.
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:And then finally, we'll look at
how working with the Enneagram
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:supports the organization as a
whole and adds value at that level.
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:To succeed and thrive in this
modern, increasingly complex and fast
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:changing world, organizations need
different voices and perspectives.
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:This is why diversity and inclusion
initiatives are so important right now.
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:Major organizations around the world
are using the Enneagram to align and
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:link diverse organizational development
initiatives, such as leadership
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:development, team building, culture and
climate, engagement, and productivity.
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:As one framework that scales to multiple
levels, the Enneagram not only offers
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:a language for discussing and balancing
diverse perspectives, complex trade
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:offs, and real systemic polarities, It
allows organizations to embrace diverse
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:perspectives and utilize the gifts of
their staff, offering the potential
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:to create coherent, long term journeys
that result in sustainable change.
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:By helping managers and leaders
identify the individual needs,
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:motivations, and drivers of their
staff, the Enneagram helps them get
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:the best out of their people, even
in times of change or uncertainty.
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:Did you know that the Enneagram
has been used to develop leaders
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:in hundreds of companies, including
the NBA, Spotify, Dropbox, Toyota,
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:Best Buy, and Avon, among others.
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:Companies who work with the Enneagram have
experienced specific benefits, including
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:improved happiness, job performance,
engagement, communication, problem
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:solving, relationship satisfaction,
effectiveness, and self confidence.
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:And they've seen decreased
anxiety, stress, depression,
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:misunderstanding, and conflict.
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:This comes out of a survey that
the Enneagram in Business conducts.
394
:I just completed a team workshop
with a group that I've been
395
:working with for a couple of years.
396
:We were doing some deep work that can
only happen when you've been working
397
:with the system for a little bit.
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:Okay, so the four main things that I
tend to work on with teams when I'm
399
:using the Enneagram are leadership
development, identifying the strengths
400
:and weaknesses of your team style.
401
:Improving relationships on the team and
becoming more effective communicators.
402
:Let's start by looking at
leadership development specifically.
403
:In 21st century organizations,
every employee is encouraged to
404
:think of themselves as a leader.
405
:And that tends to come from the
seemingly endless set of challenges
406
:that go beyond just doing your job.
407
:Being a leader in this new world means
dealing with the fast pace of change,
408
:the need to improve communications
to foster better collaboration, and
409
:the need to relate to an increasingly
diverse workforce and stakeholders.
410
:Now more than ever, we need
reliable tools to help decode
411
:and resolve the misunderstandings
and relationship problems that
412
:happen all the time in business.
413
:One of the mistakes that managers
make when they get promoted or take on
414
:responsibility for a new team is that
they try to Adopt a new leadership style
415
:or to strengthen their leadership style
typically by modeling it after Maybe
416
:a mentor or the previous manager or
someone who has been successful at the
417
:organization But the type of leadership
development that I'm interested in
418
:is helping you to trust your unique
style and the gifts that you bring
419
:and the perspective that you have
about the work that needs to be done.
420
:We don't just need one
kind of leader, right?
421
:There is a lot of value in
organizations and having a diverse
422
:set of experiences and personalities
that are leading the way.
423
:Warren Bennis, an author, scholar,
and leadership expert, is quoted
424
:as saying, Becoming a leader is
synonymous with becoming yourself.
425
:It is precisely that simple,
and it is also that difficult.
426
:And Peter Hawkins, who's also an author,
leadership professor, and management
427
:consultant, thinks that to develop
leadership is less about learning
428
:new skills and more about unlearning
habits and breaking free from limiting
429
:mindsets we already have acquired.
430
:I love the idea of thinking about
leadership development as a homecoming to
431
:who you really are and the potentiality
that already exists inside of you.
432
:And working with the Enneagram Types
can help you really embrace what
433
:makes you unique and to see the ego
defensiveness that might be getting
434
:in the way or become unconscious
habits that are no longer serving you.
435
:It also allows you to access the
wisdom of all three of your centers.
436
:your mind, body, and heart so that you
can lead from a more grounded place
437
:and access a deeper source of wisdom.
438
:According to research by Daniel Goleman
and others, the key factors in developing
439
:high quality leadership are self
awareness and emotional intelligence.
440
:Self awareness is the ability to be
mindful or conscious about what you
441
:do, how you do it, and why you do it.
442
:And emotional intelligence is the
ability to recognize, understand,
443
:and manage your own emotions, and the
capacity to recognize, understand, and
444
:empathize with the emotions of others.
445
:Imagine I'm drawing a graph that's
divided into four quadrants.
446
:Along the horizontal axis we have
emotional intelligence, and on the
447
:vertical axis we have self awareness.
448
:So then across the bottom we have leaders
who are not self aware, and across the
449
:top we have ones that are highly self
aware, and on the left of this graph
450
:we have leaders who have low emotional
intelligence, and on the right, ones
451
:that have higher emotional intelligence.
452
:If we were to put a name to each
of these quadrants, I might call
453
:the lower left quadrant that has
low emotional intelligence and
454
:low self awareness, Task Managers.
455
:These folks will put their head down
and do what they're asked to do.
456
:As long as the rules are
clear, they're good to go.
457
:As a leader develops higher self
awareness, but maybe they still have
458
:low emotional intelligence, so we're
in the upper left quadrant here.
459
:I might call this the
egocentric architect.
460
:The high self awareness makes them
acutely aware of their own needs and
461
:desires, but they can be blind to
the needs of other people because
462
:they have low emotional intelligence.
463
:These guys tend to be outlaws and
a little bit oblivious and their
464
:self interest tends to drive them
a little bit more, which is why I
465
:call them the egocentric architects.
466
:They're often quite smart and
know how to get things done.
467
:Okay, so now we go over to leaders
who have high emotional intelligence.
468
:So in the lower right quadrant.
469
:You have high emotional
intelligence and low self awareness.
470
:I might call these leaders
empathic martyrs, right?
471
:They're very attuned to the needs of
other people, but a little bit blind
472
:to their own patterns and needs.
473
:They can be self
sacrificing and super warm.
474
:And finally, you have leaders with high
emotional intelligence and high self
475
:awareness in that upper right quadrant.
476
:These leaders I call resilient
visionaries because they are self aware
477
:of their own strengths and limitations
of those strengths and the patterns
478
:that tend to get in their own way, and
they have high emotional intelligence
479
:so they can self regulate, they can
attune to the needs of other people,
480
:and even see into the environment.
481
:These are folks that have better
access to the wisdom of all three.
482
:centers of intelligence, and
so that allows them to be more
483
:creative and innovative because
they can see things more clearly.
484
:The idea here is that working with the
Enneagram can help you develop both self
485
:awareness and emotional intelligence in
a way that can help you collectively move
486
:up and into that upper right quadrant.
487
:Okay, so that is how I use the Enneagram
to work On leadership development.
488
:The second area that I use the Enneagram
to help teams reach their full potential
489
:is by running that integrative Enneagrams
team report, which creates a team profile.
490
:And with that profile, I'm
able to identify the strengths,
491
:weaknesses, and risks associated
with your current team style.
492
:We look at the dominant style on your
team and the two supporting styles
493
:that are coming up underneath it.
494
:Like you get this bar chart that
shows you for each of the nine styles,
495
:where you rank and so it's really
easy to visually see which style you
496
:might be overusing and which ones are
supporting and coloring the certain
497
:strengths that you have on your team.
498
:But it also identifies the lowest
used styles on your team to help
499
:you understand where you might
have A weakness or a blind spot.
500
:So seeing these imbalances visually
can help name some dynamics that
501
:might be playing out on your team
that you didn't fully understand
502
:or couldn't put your finger on.
503
:And the combination of all of this
knowledge starts to help us identify risks
504
:associated with relying on our strengths.
505
:Too much.
506
:Or some of those blind spots so that
as you're planning your project, you
507
:can mitigate those risks or plan to get
more data or to pull in more resources
508
:depending on how risk averse you are
or what resources are available to you.
509
:This is also where we use
Tuckman's stages of development
510
:and overlay Enneagram styles.
511
:So you can look at how your team
style shows up in each of those
512
:stages of development that we
talked about in episode two.
513
:And pinpoint specific interventions
that are going to help you accelerate
514
:through those stages of development
faster so that you can get to high
515
:performance as a team more efficiently.
516
:Okay, so that's the second way.
517
:We're identifying strengths, weaknesses,
and risks associated with your team style.
518
:The third way that I use the
Enneagram to help teams increase their
519
:potential is to build relationships.
520
:And what I found is that you can
reduce conflict by increasing the
521
:understanding that we have of each other.
522
:There are four specific patterns that
the Enneagram can measure on your
523
:team to help you identify friction
or inefficiencies that are there.
524
:One of the patterns that are
identified in your team report
525
:are the centers of expression.
526
:Which are like preferences
in how you express yourself
527
:or you relate to the world.
528
:In the Action Center, you're
more focused on tasks.
529
:So, like, the teams who rely on the
Task Center or Action Center the most
530
:are asking questions like, what's
the goal and how can we get started?
531
:They tend to get it done,
jump in, and focus on results.
532
:The thinking center on a team is
associated more with process or how.
533
:When you're operating from this center
more, you're asking questions like,
534
:what's the best way to approach this?
535
:You analyze, you think it through, and
you tend to stay a little more calm.
536
:And the feeling center is more
focused on people or relationships.
537
:When you rely on this center,
you're asking questions like how do
538
:people feel about what's happening?
539
:You check in more, you listen really
well, and you take care of each other.
540
:And whether you over rely or
under use one of those centers of
541
:expression can also create certain
patterns you can get fixated in,
542
:ways that you might over rely on.
543
:data or jump into action before you've
really gathered enough data, etc.
544
:The second pattern we can look at with
the data is the instinctual preferences
545
:that are present on your team.
546
:We all have three basic instinctual drives
that are essential for human experience.
547
:Think of these as primal,
body based forces that are
548
:necessary for our survival.
549
:They're separate from personality and
are behind a lot of our life strategies.
550
:They're often unconscious and
running in the background, yet
551
:they are powerfully directing a
fundamental way of being in the world.
552
:One of these three tends to be more
dominant and is more easily accessed and
553
:thus more easily used than the others.
554
:Some people have two that are very
close, but one is always more sleepy, and
555
:depending on which instinctual preference
is the most sleepy on your team, that
556
:can color how you show up in the world,
and what makes you feel safe, and what
557
:some of your preferences are around work.
558
:The three instinctual preferences are
self preservation, which is concerned with
559
:safety, finding a stable structure, having
enough resources, and feeling comfortable.
560
:Then you've got the social
instinctual preference.
561
:Which is more about healthy relationship
dynamics, belonging to the group,
562
:maybe my relationship to the group
or my position within the group.
563
:These folks are more focused
on group norms and rules and
564
:creating a shared purpose.
565
:And the last instinctual preference
is called one to one or sometimes
566
:called the sexual instinct.
567
:This is less about sex, per
se, and more about the intimacy
568
:and, um, relationship dynamics.
569
:Like, these folks are more
focused on creating really strong
570
:relationships and feeling connected
and aligned with other people.
571
:They prefer intense experiences and
are thinking about impact and legacy.
572
:The next pattern we have are
social interaction styles.
573
:Okay?
574
:These three styles tend to
answer the question, how do we go
575
:about trying to meet our needs?
576
:How are we naturally
trying to get what we want?
577
:And the team interaction style is
indicating your typical stance or
578
:approach to engaging with the world.
579
:And it also can give you clues to like
where your team gets energized or how you
580
:might show up in everyday circumstances.
581
:This gets reported as a stack.
582
:of your highest, mid, and then lowest.
583
:So the three social interaction styles
are assertive, compliant, and withdrawn.
584
:Assertive folks tend to move against
the world in an independent and
585
:energetic way, going out of their
way to get what they want and need.
586
:They find challenges energizing
and they like to get to the
587
:point and get things done.
588
:Their response to resistance
is often to push harder rather
589
:than to slow down or reflect.
590
:Enneagram types 8, 3, and 7 are
the assertive social styles.
591
:Then you have the compliant social style.
592
:People with this style move towards
the world, going along with established
593
:norms, rules, and ways of doing things.
594
:They are dutiful and cooperative in their
efforts to get what they want and need.
595
:They want to do what is expected of
them, within boundaries and limits, and
596
:appreciate clear expectations from others.
597
:Enneagram types 1, 2, and 6 are
the compliant social styles.
598
:And then the withdrawn social style
has folks who are said to move away
599
:from the world because they tend to
look inward and become contemplative
600
:in their efforts to get what they want.
601
:They may need time and space to
process and share their ideas
602
:and prefer to disengage or deeply
consider issues before responding.
603
:Enneagram types 4, 5, and 9 are
the withdrawn social styles.
604
:So it should be noted that we all
use all of these social styles, but
605
:our personality tends to resort or
default to one of them unconsciously.
606
:And you can see that sometimes
friction or inefficiency or
607
:misunderstandings can happen just
in the difference of social styles.
608
:So exploring this as a
team can really help.
609
:And then the team report reports
these as a stack where you can see.
610
:Which one ranks the highest on your
team and which one's the lowest and
611
:it shows you like a bar chart compared
with your leader so that you can start
612
:to examine like power dynamics and
how the leader style may be similar or
613
:different to the team style and what
that means for your team and how you guys
614
:show up and interact with each other.
615
:Okay, so the final pattern that we look
at as we're trying to understand each
616
:other and build relationships and trust
on the team is the conflict styles.
617
:Conflict styles describe how
we respond when we tend not
618
:to get what we want, right?
619
:So if the social styles are how do
we go about trying to get what we
620
:want, the conflict styles are what
happens when we don't get what we want.
621
:The team conflict style represents the
conflict response of the team overall
622
:and indicates the team's likely focus
of attention during periods of conflict
623
:or when they do not get what they want.
624
:The three conflict styles are
avoidant, methodical, and reactive.
625
:And again, we all tend to use these
three different styles, but one tends
626
:to be used more than the others.
627
:And your team overall may prefer,
like, one of these may be more
628
:acceptable than the others too.
629
:So the avoidant conflict style
is also sometimes known as
630
:escapist or the positive outlook.
631
:This style focuses on making the
conflict go away or escaping the impact.
632
:People with this style tend to disengage
themselves from the situation, taking a
633
:positive outlook, and moving on quickly.
634
:Enneagram types 2, 7, and
9 are the avoidant types.
635
:The methodical conflict styles are
also known as the competency style.
636
:This emphasizes the need to put
personal feelings aside and focus on
637
:addressing the situation or challenge
in an efficient and effective way.
638
:Enneagram types 1, 3, and
5 are the methodical types.
639
:And finally, you have the
reactive conflict styles.
640
:Someone with this style is not necessarily
aggressive, but they do tend to react
641
:strongly and passionately and demand
or provoke equally passionate responses
642
:from others involved in the situation.
643
:Enneagram types 4, 6, and 8 are
the more reactive conflict styles.
644
:Okay, so that was the third way
that I use the Enneagram to help
645
:teams reach their potential.
646
:We reduce the conflict by increasing
the understanding we have of each
647
:other and building relationships.
648
:So the fourth way that I tend to use the
Enneagram to help teams is to help them
649
:be more effective in how they communicate.
650
:When we run the individual report, you
get a lot of information about your
651
:style and how you tend to communicate,
and this can draw your attention to
652
:some unconscious patterns or ways that
you tend to show up in conversation
653
:that may or may not be helping you.
654
:I use an iceberg analogy to talk about
the different elements of personality,
655
:that there are behaviors or thoughts
or feeling patterns that are visible
656
:on the surface, but there are these
other elements that are invisible
657
:and live in your subconscious.
658
:That are driving those visible patterns,
things like mental fixation, emotional
659
:patterns, your sense of self, core
beliefs about the world, or your default
660
:coping strategy for getting what you want
that's driven by some unconscious fears.
661
:Once you understand these different
elements of type and how your ego
662
:creates filters on reality based
in a worldview that you've adopted.
663
:You can see more clearly how
you contribute to each situation
664
:and open up to different ways of
interpreting what's happening.
665
:That's a key stance for resilient
and visionary leaders, being open to
666
:learning, entertaining the possibility
that I might be wrong about something.
667
:See, each Enneagram type is driven
by a different motivation, and
668
:communication and trust will break
down when we interpret the actions of
669
:others through our own type filters.
670
:I'll walk you through the motivation
of each type really quick now.
671
:I always start with type 8 because
it's the first in the body center, and
672
:then I work my way clockwise around
the circle of the Enneagram symbol.
673
:So 8s have a need to be in
control and to be strong.
674
:9s have a need to keep the balance.
675
:1s have a need to do
the right or good thing.
676
:2s have a need to be
liked and appreciated.
677
:Threes have a need to outshine the rest.
678
:Fours have to be unique and authentic.
679
:Fives have to understand.
680
:Sixes have to be safe and
belong, and sevens have to
681
:experience it all and avoid pain.
682
:Conscious leaders are the ones that
know when they're operating from
683
:that constricted ego defensiveness,
and when they are able to be more
684
:intentional and present because they're
staying open and curious and can let
685
:those defenses down a little bit.
686
:Communication is so much easier
when you can see things clearly.
687
:And as you work with the patterns of
type, you can understand where others
688
:are coming from and how they might
see things a little bit differently.
689
:Which helps you not to take
things so personally when they
690
:do come up in conversation.
691
:It also helps you to name things
more clearly and have more efficient
692
:conversations because you can
get to the heart of the matter.
693
:One of the things I teach my clients
are the three layers to a conversation.
694
:Most people stay on the surface of what
happened, but when you know that the
695
:feelings about what happened are really
what create these points of friction
696
:in relationships, You can talk about
that instead of circling around the
697
:same set of facts or interpretation
about what happened over and over again.
698
:Or playing the blame game where you're
trying to figure out who's, who's
699
:responsible for, for the mistake or the
misstep and what happens when you play
700
:the blame game is that shame is your
constant companion for someone and it's
701
:obscuring your vision and preventing
you from seeing things more clearly.
702
:Your individual report that
comes with the test has feedback
703
:tips for each of the types.
704
:So you can adjust your style
to help your message land.
705
:See, conscious leaders aren't just
intentional about what they say.
706
:They're very aware that how
they deliver it, the context, is
707
:more important than the content.
708
:And this information can be
used in sales conversations too.
709
:Knowing what might be an unconscious
need or motivation for a client, or
710
:what their sensitivities are, can help
you be more intentional about how you
711
:pitch or engage with your clients.
712
:Working with the Enneagram can really
develop your intuition around people
713
:in a way that isn't manipulative.
714
:It is an opening up to learning about why
people do the things that they do and what
715
:helps them to feel safe or get excited.
716
:Gosh, what I wouldn't do to have
this information early in my career
717
:when I was working at Amazon in
account management and business
718
:development and doing negotiations.
719
:Negotiation, or getting to yes,
feels very different when you
720
:have this intuitive understanding
about those unconscious drivers.
721
:You can speak to something that's
more real and more true for people and
722
:find better compromises and help them
genuinely meet their needs in a way that
723
:feels like a win-win because there's
depth and real authentic connection.
724
:When you think about being a more
effective communicator, a lot of times
725
:we go to like tactics of articulating
and posture and commanding the room.
726
:But the cool thing about working with
the Enneagram types is that there's this
727
:whole other layer to communication that
is happening at an unconscious level.
728
:And if you are blind to your own
patterns and the ways that your ego
729
:is trying to protect you by limiting
what you see, then you can't own
730
:your contribution to a situation.
731
:You can't see clearly why things
are the way they are and how to
732
:get out of this mess or how to
get to a better feeling state.
733
:But when you have the self awareness
and emotional intelligence to
734
:understand yourself and the other
people on your team or your clients,
735
:Or even your family members.
736
:Communicating when things come up feels
less like a high stakes game where
737
:I have to win, or be seen, or heard.
738
:Instead, it's an opportunity
to connect, to get better data.
739
:And even to heal, to find ways to meet
the real underlying needs in a way where
740
:we hopefully both get what we want, but
even if it's not possible for both of us
741
:to get what we want, we're understanding
what those trade offs are and making
742
:the best decision we can for the team.
743
:With compassion and empathy for what
this means for all the parties involved.
744
:And that, my friend, is magic.
745
:When a team can engage in
communication at this level, they
746
:are fully invested in each other.
747
:And when we're fully invested
in each other, we can move with
748
:lightning speed to get the result
that we want and need as a team.
749
:So here's how it works.
750
:Each person on the team
takes the IEQ 9 test.
751
:And when they finish the test,
they get like a 42 page report
752
:that details everything you
need to know about your type.
753
:This allows people to start to work with
the system immediately without having
754
:to understand all the other types.
755
:It's a very targeted reference
document that you'll use and go
756
:back to again and again and again.
757
:Then I do a debrief with each
person to make sure that this lands
758
:for them and makes sense, answer
any questions, and make sure that
759
:their type resonates for them.
760
:The IEQ 9 has a 95 percent accuracy
rating, which is significantly better
761
:than any other test on the market.
762
:And that's in part because it
measures your Enneagram type from
763
:lots of different dimensions.
764
:So this is the only report that
I'm using professionally right now.
765
:Mainly because it's just efficient
way to get to the data quickly.
766
:And because it allows us
to run the team report.
767
:So that's the second thing that I'll do.
768
:After everybody's taken the test and
received the report and we've had a
769
:conversation about how it lands for them
and making sure that that type feels right
770
:to them, then we'll run the team report.
771
:And what the team report does is it
will overlay all of your information
772
:and then compare the team style
with your leaders and all of the
773
:illustrations and bar charts are
helping you to visualize this data.
774
:It makes it.
775
:feel more visceral and real, and then
we tend to do like a team workshop to
776
:explore the results, either virtually
or in person, or I work with the
777
:manager to understand these more
deeply so that they can start to work
778
:with these dynamics on the team and
manage their team more effectively.
779
:So I've been able to help entrepreneurs
who are just building out their team
780
:for the first time understand their own
unconscious styles and articulate their
781
:needs a little bit more deeply, but also
understand how the people that they're
782
:hiring look at the world a little bit
differently or show up for work in a
783
:different way and that those differences
aren't necessarily problems once you
784
:can name them and understand them.
785
:And I've worked with new managers
who are increasing the scope of
786
:their responsibility, like doubling
the size of their team, taking on
787
:increasingly bigger responsibilities,
being able to measure the Enneagram
788
:type of each person on the team.
789
:Provides invaluable insight into what
work might they best be suited for.
790
:How can I understand them better when
conflict or friction tends to show up?
791
:How can I phrase what I need to say in a
way that they can will really understand
792
:me the first time to avoid unnecessary
friction and misunderstandings?
793
:But also, how do I develop
my own leadership style?
794
:How can I learn to trust myself more?
795
:A lot of the work that I'm doing with
women who are in management positions
796
:is kind of an up leveling of their
self worth and feeling safe enough to
797
:let down some of those ego defenses.
798
:Because it's not that your ego is bad
in and of itself, it's just some places
799
:it's not safe to let down your defenses,
and you want to be able to discern
800
:when it is safe and when it isn't, and
when that defensiveness is getting in
801
:your way, and when it's serving you.
802
:Okay, hopefully that gives you a sense
of all the different ways that you can
803
:start to use the Enneagram at work.
804
:Now, I don't do all of this all at
once, but usually there's like one
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:particular thing that a manager or a
team will come to me with where they
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:need the most help and will start
working very deeply in one area.
807
:If you are interested in working with
me or getting this data for your team,
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:go to michellekanderson.com/contact
and fill out the form and let me know
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:what's going on with your team and what
you're most interested in working on.
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:You can go to uplevelingwork.com/4 to
see the show notes for this episode.
811
:There you'll find the concentric
circle model and the quadrant graph
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:that I was describing, so you can
visualize that a little bit more.
813
:And I'll include a link to reach out to me
if you're interested in working together.
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:Working with the Enneagram has
been transformative for a lot of
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:the teams that I work with, and I
cannot wait to get this in the hands
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:of as many leaders as possible.
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:Till next time!