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enneagram leadership Development

What is the Enneagram?

The Enneagram is a personality classification model that identifies nine different types and their respective traits.

Used in both personal and professional development, the Enneagram personality test is often regarded as a map of the human psyche that helps individuals gain a profound understanding of their:

  • Behaviours
  • Drivers
  • Unconscious beliefs
  • Strengths
  • Interpersonal relationships

Why is the Enneagram important in leadership?

The Enneagram assessment enables leaders to develop a higher sense of self-awareness and emotional intelligence to build and guide exceptional teams. As a valuable tool for discovery, it allows leaders to get substantial insight into human behaviour, the unconscious mind and team dynamics.

Enneagram personality types are indicative of leadership styles. In other words, the characteristics associated with each type reveal how a person is naturally inclined to lead. When leaders recognise their innate qualities and work with them, they are able to boost organisational results, make better decisions and solve problems with more effectiveness.

In addition, the Enneagram bridges the comprehension gap between leaders and their teams. Once they are aware of the diversity of traits that come with all personality types, leaders will be able to embrace the differences between team members with increased empathy. Consequently, the Enneagram also paves the way for enhanced communication within the organisation.

The results?

  • Self-aware leaders who understand the weight of their actions
  • High-performing, ultra-productive teams that feel seen, heard and valued
  • Thriving organisations with a stronger and healthier company culture

What are the 9 Enneagram types of leaders?

Every individual can present characteristics from multiple or all nine Enneagram types, whether strengths or challenges. However, one single personality type will stand out as dominant. Below is a brief overview of each type and how it ties into certain leadership approaches.

Type 1. Strict Perfectionist (Reformer)

  • Leads by example, with a pragmatic approach to company operations
  • Detail-oriented, consistent and reliable
  • Has a hard time delegating
  • Might demonstrate lack of flexibility

Type 2. Considerate Helper (Giver)

  • Creates and maintains strong interpersonal relationships
  • Resourceful, motivational and altruistic
  • People-pleaser who neglects their own requirements
  • Struggles with setting healthy boundaries

Type 3. Competitive Achiever (Performer)

  • Laser-focused with excellent results
  • Energetic, ambitious and driven to succeed
  • Poor work/life balance, prone to working in excess
  • Overly competitive and can lose patience quickly

Type 4. Intense Creative (Individualist)

  • Powerful visionary and creative thinker
  • Inspired, empathetic and imaginative
  • Can become self-conscious, isolated and melancholic
  • Introverted nature can keep them from integrating

Type 5. Quiet Specialist (Investigator)

  • Avid researchers and strategic planners
  • Observant, analytical and perspicacious expert
  • Prone to becoming reclusive and disconnected from peers
  • Can become immersed in concepts and lose sense of reality

Type 6. Loyal Sceptic (Loyalist)

  • Exceptional problem-solver and risk detector
  • Loyal, prolific and responsible
  • Overly suspicious and cautious approach
  • Can easily lose balance and lean towards extremes

Type 7. Enthusiastic Visionary (Epicure)

  • Passionate leader with innumerable ideas
  • Curious, versatile and innovative
  • Discipline issues, distracted with ease
  • Impulsive tendencies due to impatience

Type 8. Active Controller (Challenger)

  • Assertive and strategic thinker
  • Knowledgeable, inspiring and visionary
  • Risks dominating and over-controlling
  • Can come across as intimidating to their team

Type 9. Adaptive Peacemaker (Mediator)

  • Strives for harmony within the team
  • Inclusive, respectful and conciliatory
  • Tends to confrontation, even at the cost of productiveness
  • Can have troubles making decisions or dealing with hardships

How can the Enneagram help leaders thrive?

Aside from being a trending topic in business, the Enneagram provides immeasurable value for leaders in numerous industries. Each of the nine personality types is conducive to an actionable plan of growth, both inside and outside of the company.

As a result of the Enneagram system, they can broaden their horizons, experience an authentic paradigm shift and lead with compassion, responsibility and mindfulness.

After taking the Enneagram assessment and creating a development map, you will become a self-aware, empowered and insightful leader by:

  • Understanding your own needs, desires and motivations, as well as those of your team and organisation
  • Recognising your unconscious patterns and why you behave the way you do
  • Unearthing your limiting beliefs and replacing them with healthy ones
  • Surpassing the ‘leader’ label and becoming a genuine team player
  • Building rapport through authenticity and mutual understanding
  • Developing emotional intelligence and strengthening your relationships with your team
  • Identifying more effective solutions for responding to high stress situations
  • Eliminating assumptions and working with concrete insight
  • Adapting to any change that may occur in the workplace with ease
  • Increasing creativity and flexibility
  • Re-evaluating and enhancing your perspective, vision and overall leadership style
  • Accessing your true potential as a remarkable leader

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