Last week I hosted an Enneagram for Teams workshop with a 20-person media company in Toronto.
The Enneagram is one of my favorite coaching tools and during the workshop, I was amazed at how quickly the Enneagram became a vehicle for team members to candidly share about themselves and how they wanted to communicate differently with each other.
Here are some of the reviews:
“This material is absolutely essential for any organization that involves teamwork. Best way to appreciate your colleagues.”
“It was awesome to have the opportunity to express myself and explain the reason behind my behaviors. It was equally fulfilling to hear all my team members' perspectives.”
“This training allowed me deeper introspection and helped me to get a better appreciation for my colleagues and our workplace.”
And my favorite review:
“I've watched a lot of TED talks and Nathan's workshop tops all of them so far.”
My guess is this last person has not watched “a lot” of TED talks, but I’ll take the compliment.
I got into executive coaching because I believe that when people work for bosses and on teams that are self-aware they live happier lives.
We spend much of our waking lives at work and when we work on teams, we invariably rub up against people who experience the world differently from ourselves. These differences are critical for tackling goals together, but they also lead us to misunderstand one another and experience frustration, irritation, vulnerability, disappointment, and more.
The Enneagram is powerful because it allows us team members to bridge this gap between disparate working styles, while being simultaneously complex and fun.
Here are a number of reasons why I believe the Enneagram is a powerful communication tool for all teams:
It is simple to learn, and yet offers a lifetime of self-discovery.
Unlike other personality typing tools, such as the Myers-Briggs, the Enneagram emphasizes how dynamic people are, and offers pathways for different types of people to grow.
The Enneagram helps people understand their triggers, which is one of the most important and least talked about issues in the workplace. Are you triggered by inauthentic people, people who break their word, etc.? the Enneagram not only helps us articulate these triggers, but also learn why they are so painful to each of us, which allows team members to have greater empathy for each other.
Lastly, and importantly, the Enneagram is fun. I was blown away, working with this team and watching such a variety of people explore the Enneagram and laugh as they talked about their strengths, weaknesses, and blind spots. When we talk about our emotions and our triggers it is vulnerable; the Enneagram creates space for us to open up about our warts and have fun while doing it.
If you are interested in learning more about the Enneagram or how it can be used to support team communication, feel free to reach out.
If you are interested in learning your Enneagram type, I highly recommend taking the Enneagram Institute’s test (for $12) here, with the caveat that the test itself is only 80% accurate and you shouldn’t take your results as dogma (explore all 3 of your top results and consult an expert if you want to dig deeper into learning your type).
I want to thank the team at Upbuild NYC for teaching me so much of what I know about the Enneagram. If you live in NY and are curious about this work, I highly recommend attending one of their beginner Enneagram workshops offered here.