Using the Enneagram
To Build Self-Awareness and Self-MasteryAbout the Enneagram
The Enneagram is a personality modeling system that is a highly accurate predictor of behavior because it focuses not just on what you do but on why you do it. It’s an insightful tool to build self-awareness and self-mastery; these qualities in turn enhance the way you lead, communicate, and relate to others at work and at home.
The word “enneagram” comes from the Greek words ennea (“nine”) and gram (“something written or drawn”) and refers to the nine points on the Enneagram symbol. The symbol dates back many centuries, but the application of the Enneagram in modern psychology started in the 1960s and then in business only in the 1990s. The nine different Enneagram types reflect distinct habits of thinking, feeling and behavior. Rather than just showing you where you are, the Enneagram offers a unique path of development for each type, allowing you to break through to new levels of performance and fulfillment. Each of us has only one point or type, although all the types live inside us. We have easiest access to four other types; these are called wings and arrows.
Why The Enneagram Is Important
As the CEO of a small but fast-growing company, I’m spending more and more of my time focused on how people are feeling and how we’re interacting with one another. When strong feelings can’t be acknowledged, they fester and get acted out, often in passive and aggressive ways. Over time, they drain energy, individually and organizationally.
With all that in mind, we decided to focus a recent company off-site on giving our people an opportunity simply to talk openly about themselves. The goal was to improve communication, decrease misunderstanding and free up positive energy.
To facilitate this discussion, we used a tool called the Enneagram-a personality typing system akin to the Myers-Briggs, but for my money, much richer, more penetrating and more practically useful.
– Tony Schwartz, Author, Leadership Expert and CEO of the Energy Project
The Classic Enneagram test will help you determine your Enneagram type. Note: this test is accurate about 60-70% of the time. It is one step you can take to begin being more self-observant and self-reflective about your Enneagram type. Working with a trained Enneagram coach will help you determine your type.
To take this test, click the button below. Then, click the “Enneagram test” button under the “Classical Enneagram test” section at the top of the page.
The Enneagram for Teams
The Enneagram is a powerful system that helps teams effectively problem-solve, innovate, and align. It helps leaders learn how to communicate and make decisions collaboratively because team members stop resisting different thinking styles and instead access the unique insights and contributions of each member of the team. A deeper understanding of each other’s motivations increases trust and connection among even the most diverse group of individuals. The system also facilitates productive conflict that leads to increased team member commitment and accountability.The Enneagram for Leadership
The Enneagram helps you understand the prime motive for your best and worst behaviors so you can make more conscious choices. The system also allows you to appreciate the motivations behind other personality types. As your understanding of your personality structure increases, you are free to interrupt old, unconscious habits and limiting aspects of your personality. You can break through to new levels of leadership and relationship effectiveness and well-being.
The Enneagram for YPO Forums
Take your forum experience to a new depth as members learn more about their deeper motivators and understand how best to challenge and support one another. Following a forum retreat using the Enneagram, forum members who apply the Enneagram are more effective at receiving and giving feedback. Monthly meetings come to life as members dive under issues by using the Enneagram to identify root causes of feelings, thoughts, and behaviors; they can use the Enneagram to plot a course to higher levels of development and self-mastery.
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