Just as you develop habits for getting to work, eating lunch, and organizing files, you develop habits for what you believe, perceive, and give your energy to. Consider, for example, a manager whose habit of noticing what might go wrong prevents him from fully considering the up-side potential of new ideas. His colleagues construe his relentless questioning as a chronic negativism and wonder why he cant get behind the team. Or take the case of a newly promoted department head whose habit of avoiding conflict is preventing her from confronting poor performers and assertively making needed work flow changes. Her staffers grow impatient as she gathers more and more information, while her boss begins to worry about her inability to prioritize and articulate a clear course of action for her unit. Both of these examples illustrate how the reality of any given situation tends to conform to our preconceived ideas about how things are or should be. While gaps in hard skills, like understanding a balance sheet, are relatively easy to identify and fill in, its often quite difficult to pinpoint the personal assumptions and beliefs that can limit our effectiveness. The Enneagram (any-a-gram) is a development tool that describes nine different personality styles and how information is filtered by each. It provides a practical method for understanding personality-based biases, and how they influence the meaning you assign to events and the actions you decide to take. Each of the nine personality types can aptly be thought of as lenses of perception. Each lens brings certain things into very sharp focus (these are natural talents and strengths) and distorts some areas (these are blind spots). Your beliefs direct your attention to evidence that supports your ideas about how things should be. The core psychological motivations that drive each Enneagram type are as follows: ?Type One individuals are motivated by a need to do things the right way, and focus on errors ?Type Two individuals are motivated by a need to be liked, and focus on what other people need ?Type Three individuals are motivated by a need to succeed, and focus on tasks and goals ?Type Four individuals are motivated by a need to be different, and focus on what is unique and hard to get ?Type Five individuals are motivated by a need to understand, and focus on gathering information ?Type Six individuals are motivated by a need to be certain, and focus on what could go wrong ?Type Seven individuals are motivated by a need for experiences, and focus on exciting possibilities for the future ?Type Eight individuals are motivated by a need to control, and focus on getting power ?Type Nine individuals are motivated by a need to for harmony, and focus on building consensus Each focal point represents a strength that when over-used can lock you into a narrow way of reacting that may not be the best choice for all situations. However, once you become aware of limiting patterns it becomes possible to replace them with new ways of thinking that offer a more balanced perspective. Heres an example from a coaching client. This manager was working very long hours and making little headway on projects. After several coaching sessions (one of which included a typing interview) it became clear that this manager was an Enneagram Type Two. As she learned more about how Twos perceive and sort information, she saw that she rarely pushed back when asked to take on extra assignments, and was becoming resentful about all of her responsibilities. One of this managers coaching assignments was to write down, over the course of a two week period, every time she said yes to extra assignments. Some patterns emerged. She had a strong desire to win the approval of her boss, and also wanted to protect him from repercussions if department goals were not met. She also feared that colleagues wouldnt like her if she said no to their requests. Over the next several months, this manager began clearing her plate of non-critical activities and delegating more to her assistants. She learned to be discriminating about which requests she said yes to, and took some risks in saying no. Since interpersonal skills are a strength, she became a mentor to colleagues (instead of taking responsibility for them), and found that giving staffers more independence freed up her time to focus on genuine priorities. The Enneagram is particularly effective when combined with coaching and other development activities designed to help people learn new skills, increase their confidence, and become better leaders. The insights into motivation enable individuals to shift their perception at a fundamental level, and see how to step out of their own way. The results are better utilization of strengths, greater resourcefulness in confronting challenges, and an expanded view of what is possible. |
