Schlegel Consulting

Evolutionary Team Effectiveness

Change Management

Nine Problem Solving Styles of Enneagram Change Management

by Leave a Comment

The Enneagram is a powerful personality dynamics tool, but did you know that it’s also a change management system? Please enjoy this presentation that we delivered to the Project Management Institute’s Los Angeles chapter in which we  share how the Enneagram can be used as a change management problem-solving process.

Many thanks to Alexandra Zhernova and PMI-LA: https://www.pmi-la.org/

Thanks also to my fabulous co-presenters:

Yvonne Burton: https://www.burtonconsulting.biz/

Belle Walker: https://belleviewconsulting.com/

 

[Video Transcript]

Matt Schlegel:                   I’m grateful to the Project Management Institute’s LA chapter for the opportunity to deliver a webinar with my fabulous co-presenters, Yvonne Burton and Bell Walker. In this webinar, we show how the enneagram can be used as a change management process. And we tie each enneagram dynamic to a specific step in change management. So let’s jump right into step one.

The question that I asked is, why are they numbers? Why don’t you use letters like DISC or Myers-Briggs or colors or animals, or … And when I asked that question and I studied it more, I found out that, “Oh, it’s a process. It’s the order of a process. That’s why it’s number.” And it’s the order in which humans solve problems. So it is the human problem solving process.

And when you look at it in terms of a problem solving process, you can see the enneagram as a clock and as you move through problem solving, there’s an element of time to that. And so that circle represents the motion around the diagram like a clock moving through the hours. It can also represent people moving through the steps of problem solving.

And now we have this fascinating relationship between a step in problem solving and a personality style. So there is a personality style that’s specifically tuned or that step in problem solving. So let’s take a look at what that looks like. So let’s start with step one. What is step one in problem solving? There’s a problem. It’s identifying that there’s a problem, right? And so once you’ve identified the problem, one of the words that I associate with this is should. Hey, it shouldn’t be like this. And then you have this understanding if it shouldn’t be like that, you already know instinctually and one is in that instinctive group, that it should be something else. And so you have this intuition of the way it should be. So that is one of the things associated with step one in problem solving.

And so now, let’s just take a look at the personality style that is associated with type one in enneagram. And the word that I would use some call it the perfectionist, but in problem solving, it’s kind of the judge, right? It’s like judging what’s right and what’s wrong. And the enneagram type one is highly motivated to put things right. So their instincts are informing them of the way it should be. And they’re the first to identify that, “Hey, that’s not right. It shouldn’t be like that. It should be like this.”

So that’s step one. And I’m going to just go through these quickly and we can come back during Q&A and answer any questions that you have, but I want to get through these first few steps. So what is the second step in problem solving? This is something … this step here, when I look at other formal problem solving processes, I often see this step neglected. But the enneagram says that the second step in problem solving is asking the question, who cares? Who cares that there’s … about that problem? If nobody cares, then it’s really not a problem. So it’s only for the people who care. And so step two is actually building that team of people who care enough to want to solve the problem. So it’s essentially building your committed team of stakeholders.

So now, what does that look like in terms of the enneagram personality style? So that in the enneagram associated with type two, I call it the caregiver. It’s also often called the helper, because they realize that, “Oh, you have a problem and I want to help you solve your problem.” And they want to do that. And that their underlying motivation from the personality point of view is to receive appreciation. So they’re motivated by that appreciation for their help to chip in and help solve the problem.

All right. So then what is the third step in problem solving? It’s ideation. This is the step where you start to come up with all the different possible ideas to solve the problem. And I heard a number of people talk about when they were talking about their problem solving styles, the different techniques that they use for generating the different ideas. And there are a number of ways to do this. When I do this in practice, I will just have an ideation session. But one of the important things I do in this is I say, “There’s no bad ideas. We’re not going to be putting any critical thought or negative thought on any of the ideas. We’ll just allow all the ideas to come out. And then we can apply that filter later.” So this is the ideation stuff.

And in the enneagram style that most closely relates to this is enneagram type three. And they are motivated to achieve. So they’re often called the achievers, and they want to be recognized for their achievement. So they’re always coming up with ideas for how to succeed, and they’re always striving and working hard to succeed. So there’s another aspect to this, because we’re now in the feeling group. And the interesting thing about the threes is they suppress feelings. And you’ll know that whenever you have an idea, you run it through an emotional filter.

But what happens if you don’t have an emotional filter? You’ve suppressed emotions so you’ve taken that off. And so now your brain is just free to … maybe some people call it out of the box thinking, but it’s thinking without having emotional filters. And that allows you to … You know that expression throwing spaghetti against the wall and seeing what sticks? So that’s what it’s like for a three, when they’re coming up with ideas. They are just throwing ideas out. They don’t know what people like and don’t like. They’re just throwing the ideas out and they’ll see what sticks.

You remember step three was ideation. And I mentioned that when I do these ideation sessions, brainstorming sessions, I ask people to check their negativity. Now, why do I do that? It’s because we can’t help ourselves. As soon as we hear an idea, we think, “Oh my god, that’s a great idea.” Or, “Oh, that idea sucks.” We can’t help ourselves. It’s instantaneous. So that’s step four. Step four is that emotional reaction to any idea. And as you are working through ideas in your team, you’re going to eventually run all these ideas through the emotional filter of your team. And what you’re trying to do is you want the ideas and there might be more than one that you want to explore, but you want the ideas with the most positive energy. You don’t want to be taking the ideas with the negative energy. You want to take the ideas with the positive energy, because to get to the goal from the idea is going to take a lot of work and commitment. So you want to start with the positive ideas.

Now, we naturally do that. But that is the step in problem solving. And this is another step, right? So step two and step four are very soft skill steps that are often not acknowledged in more technical or formal problem solving processes. But if you skip them, then I think somebody mentioned earlier, it’s like the team runs off on some idea that somebody had, but didn’t bring everybody else along. And people aren’t interested in that idea and don’t have a positive feeling about it. And so you’ve essentially skipped this step. That’s what you’ve done when you’ve spun off and done that.

And the way I can practice do step four is after I have that whole set of ideas, I’ll wait usually until the next day. And then I’ll publish all the ideas and then I’ll have people vote. And then I choose the ideas democratically. And that’s the way I can determine which ideas have the most positive energy overall with the team. And that seems to work pretty well. So now let’s look at that style as an enneagram type four. Type four is often called the artist or the romantic, I call it the empath, right? Because you’re empathizing with that idea. And type fours live in their feelings.

They feel everything. They’re reacting to everything in the environment. They’re reacting to the light on the wall. They’re reacting to the faces in Zoom. They’re reacting to the energy of chat. They’re reacting to everything. So that’s … and they are able to take that deep understanding of their feelings and then communicate that in an emotionally impactful way. So it’s not always with words, it can be with music or film or art or photography, because they’re communicating … they’re not necessarily communicating ideas, they’re communicating feelings and emotions. So that’s the type four.

So now, so the type two, three and four were all in that feeling space. And now, we’re moving over to the left side of the enneagram, which is more of the analytical and logical side. You think of left brain, right brain and there’s an analogy there. And I just point that out because the enneagram looks exactly the same way.

So the step five is you now have your set of positive ideas to explore, and now, you want to analyze them. You want to do the cost benefit analysis. You want to do the pro con analysis. You want to do … maybe do some quick prototyping and validation. This is the step where you’re validating the ideas that you want to pursue and making sure that they will actually stand a good chance of getting you to the goal.

Now, what does this look like in terms of the personality enneagram type five? This is the type that is quiet and analytical. They tend to want to observe so they’re often called the observer and they’re taking in information. They’re constantly taking in information and analyzing it, analyzing it, chewing on it. And through that analysis, they start to feel like that they’re in a safer place. So they’re looking for safety in that analysis. And so that’s what’s going on with the five. And so they tend to have very cerebral occupations like engineer, scientist, or professor, or accountant, finance. As project managers, when we have type fives on our team, sometimes it’s hard to get information out of them. They’re keeping things very close to the vest and so that’s the type five.

So let’s do one more and then we’ll take a break for questions. So this is type six. Now, you’ve analyzed all of that information and you have the pro con analysis, and to the five, five see everything is in shades of gray and all the nuance. And they have a hard time making a decision because of that, because they see all the possibilities, and there’s not strong waiting on the possibilities. And that’s where the six comes in. Because sixes are the most tuned to danger and risk. So they can look at all of that analysis and they can find the least risky path through that to the goal. And so they tend to be thinking about the future and they tend to be planning things out, which is why this step, I call the planning step, because this is where you take all that information and you connect the dots and everything you need and all the resources you need to get you from point A to point B.

And so what does that look like on the enneagram type six style? So these are … they’re looking to avoid risk and they’re always thinking what’s going to happen, what’s going to happen, what’s going to happen. So I’m a type six. So I know this one really well. So like I’m constantly thinking, “Oh, what’s going to happen? What’s going to happen?” And then you prepare for all these eventualities. And so they often make good project managers. I find a lot of sixes going into that, but they like going into roles where they can create systems and create predictability. So the controller at a company, what do they do? They put a system in place to manage predictably cash flow. And that’s their job, perfect job for a six.

Now, we have a plan, right? The sixes put together the plan, got a plan. Now, what do we need to do? We need to sell the plan. We need to take the plan back to all of the key stakeholders and get permission and resources to actually move forward. So you probably, as project managers, you have these gates. So the gate, this would be a point in a common problem solving process where you go back to the stakeholders and you show them where you are and where you’re going, and then you get the necessary resources to keep going forward. And so this is an advocacy step.

So what does this look like in terms of enneagram style? The type seven is the type that is often very connected with everybody else. They’re like the consummate networker. They tend to be very fun and charming and affable and joking and what their underlying motivation is that they want to be liked by other people. And their main strategy for doing that is if everybody’s having fun. So they’re great at whipping up enthusiasm for doing new things and moving forward. So it’s the perfect style in problem solving to get everybody on board with, “We’ve got a plan, we’re going to get to the goal. Let’s go, come on.” So that’s the energy that gets you through that step.

And by the way, I’ll just mention, so I’m a type six. And usually for every type, you have access to your core type and then you have pretty easy access to the types along your pads of integration or disintegration. And then you have more or less access to all the other types. But in general, the hardest type for anyone to access is the next type in the clockwise direction. So for the six, I love to plan, but then how do I switch over and become this cheerleader champion of the plan? And that is harder for me. And each one of us faces that, and this is why each one of us, we want to play to our strength and sometimes it’s hard for us to move on. Once we hit our particular type, we can do really well there, but then the project needs to move on. And it’s hard for people sometimes to let go of that and move to the next step, which is why it’s important to have a diverse team to pick up the slack when you move on from a particular step.

So then we go to step eight. Now, what have we done in steps one through seven? Talk, talk, talk, talk, talk. When are we going to get to action? That’s the eight. They’re the ones that are very impatient. They want … And we are now back into the instinctual group. So the five, the six and the seven we’re all in the head group, the eight is back in the instinctual group. And their instincts told them what to do a long time ago. So working through this process for an eight can be a little bit aggravating, because they already think that they know what to do.

Now, when you use that style, then it’s kind of like the ready, fire, aim. You start without aiming and then you maybe misfire, and then you go over here and you try that, and you want to try this and try that. That style. That’s very much an eight style. And so that’s one of the things that eights need to learn. And eight leaders do learn is that it’s important, even though their instincts are already telling them what to do to bring everybody along and go into the head space and explain things in a way that makes sense to us head people or us feeling people.

And so what does this look like from a enneagram type point of view? So this is the engram type eight. And what they want to do, their underlying motivation is to secure control of their environment. And one of the tools that they use is anger. Anger is a very strong tool for getting people to do what you want them to do. And eights are very good at using that tool, and it’s kind of their go-to tool. So if you are ever in a meeting and somebody starts raising their voice or starts pounding the table or starts talking while pointing like this, those are all expressions of anger. And that person is …  whether they’re innate or not, they’re using that eight dynamic to … because they feel like they don’t have control of the situation and they’re trying to get control of the situation back. So that is the eight.

So now, we have gone through and implemented the solution. And then, I think somebody said that they do a project debrief. Well, this is step nine. This is where you measure how well you did at solving the problem. You do your debrief, you do your lessons learned, you try to learn from what you did. You listen to people. You make sure the solution whatever’s implemented is harmonized with everyone. These are all step nine activities. And so what does this look like from the enneagram type nine point of view, the personality point of view? The type nine, I think I mentioned earlier that they’re great listeners and they’re great at putting themselves in other people’s shoes. So they can really understand everybody’s perspective. And the reason why they’re doing this is because they’re very motivated to minimize conflict.

You remember the eight goes to anger and uses anger as a tool? Well, nine is also using anger, but they’re trying to minimize anger. So it’s kind of like that’s that step that I was telling you about going from eight to nine. It is a big step, because of that use of anger. It’s so different between these two types. It’s hard for eights to imagine just sitting back and listening and not doing anything and just making sure everybody’s perspective is taken into account. That’s hard for them. They can do it, but it’s hard for them. But that’s what’s going on with the nine. And the nines are natural at it.

I often see nines in customer service departments. They’re great at customer service, because they can take calls even from angry people and they just listen and they know how to calm them down and then help them solve their problem. And speaking of problems, the reason why the enneagram is a circle is because inevitably when you’re listening to people in step nine, you’ll hear new problems, and then you are back to step one. And that’s why you’ve heard of problem solving processes like continuous improvement. So the enneagram is a continuous improvement process. That’s the circle of going around with continuous improvement, like Kaizen.

So that’s the nine steps of the process mapped to the nine enneagram type styles. I know we wanted to wrap up around now. So I’m just so grateful for the opportunity to share this with you. Feel free, if you have any questions that come to mind later and you want to reach out, do not hesitate at all to do that. I’m happy to answer any questions. I want to thank Belle and Yvonne. I really can’t do this without them, because I can concentrate on what I’m saying and not have to worry about all the technology and they’re keeping me on track. So thank you so much for doing that. And then, thanks to Alexandra for helping us get here and having us present and to all of PMI. I really appreciate the opportunity.

Alexandra Zhernova:      Thank you, Matt. It was really interesting presentation to us the first time and insightful context and then engaging. So great takeaways. We learned a lot. Thank you for teaching us and sharing your expertise. Yeah, it’s really appreciate it.

Matt Schlegel:                   Thanks for watching. Thanks again to Project Management Institute and special thanks to Alexandra Zhernova for inviting us to speak. If you want to learn more details about how the enneagram can be used as a change management system, then please check out my book, Teamwork 9.0. and if you found this video helpful, please click the thumbs up button, subscribe to the channel and get notifications of future episodes. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments and I’ll get to them as soon as possible. Thanks again.

Time to Listen — Enneagram Change Management Step 9

by Leave a Comment

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

– Dalai Lama

You just solved the problem—yay!  Most teams think they are done. But there is one last important step.  Enneagram Change Management Step 9 is going back to the broader set of stakeholders and listening to how the solution is working for them. Did it meet expectations? Were there unintended consequences?  Are there new issues to tackle?  In Step 9 you empathize with each stakeholder, putting yourself in their shoes, and ensuring that the solution is satisfactory for them.  If it is not, then you have identified a new problem and you are back to Step 1—and that is why the Enneagram is a circle of continuous improvement.

Excerpt from Teamwork 9.0

Your problem-solving team has performed an apparent miracle. A transformative change has taken place within the organization. Results have been measured and confirmed. The team reached the goal they set out to achieve and the problem has been solved. Is it time to move on?

Well, hold on just one minute. Whenever there is a transformative change within an organization, there will be perceived “winners” and “losers.” There will be those whose positions in the company are apparently improved and those whose positions are perceived to be diminished. Humans are great at detecting these types of changes—we can’t help ourselves, it’s what we do.

Step 9 in the problem-solving process involves reaching out to all those people affected by the transformation and understanding what is and is not working well in the post-transformation organization. Enneagram Type 9 is called the Peacemaker. They tend to be empathetic and gifted at calming people who are in an agitated state. Step 9 leverages the dynamic of Enneagram Type 9.

Generous Listening

At this point in the problem-solving process, the most important skill is listening. It is particularly important to listen to those who have undergone disruptive change. Not only has this change been emotionally unsettling, there also may be new, unforeseen issues impeding their new workflows. It is important to capture these issues, address the concerns as well as possible, and ensure that all workflows are manageable.

Continuous Improvement

During Step 9, someone may raise an issue of great magnitude and importance that requires more than a simple quick fix. Note that the Enneagram diagram is depicted as a circle, implying that Enneagram-based problem-solving process is circular rather than linear; there is a reason Step 1 follows Step 9. After a transformative change in Step 8, new problems identified during Step 9 can be addressed with the same process. In this manner, an organization can continually evaluate its effectiveness and take steps to improve itself in a never-ending cycle of continuous improvement.

How do you debrief your project?  Do you interview all stakeholders to determine the efficacy of the solution?  Do you anticipate the need for subsequent action to address any new issues or unintended consequences that may arise? Do you ensure that all stakeholders are satisfied with the solution?

[Video Transcript]

Yay. You’re done. The team finished the project. How did they do? Whenever you undergo a transformation, some toes will be stepped on and feathers will be ruffled. Enneagram Type 9 is called the harmonizer. And in Step 9, you want to debrief the project and listen to feedback from the stakeholders. If you have your detailed list of the problems and goals from step one, now is the time to review that and score the project. As you have these conversations with the stakeholders, you’ll uncover that there may be lingering problems and perhaps new problems that need to be addressed. And this is why the Enneagram is a circle, not a line. Step 9 leads right back to step one and illustrates the human desire for continuous improvement.

The aspect I love about this problem-solving framework is that there’s a direct link between each step in problem solving to a specific personality dynamic that is particularly suited for that step. Now more than ever, organizations are being challenged with threats that require everyone in the organization to collaborate and find new ways to survive and thrive working on the business, not just in the business. Using a step-by-step approach to problem solving can get your team to focus on the challenge and invent a new path forward.

Thanks for watching. If you found this helpful, click on the thumbs up button, subscribe to the channel and get notifications of future episodes. If you have a question, please leave it in the comment section and I’ll get to it as soon as possible. Thanks again.

 

Go, Go, Go, Go, Go! — Enneagram Change Management Step 8

by Leave a Comment

If you’re going through hell, keep going.

– Winston Churchill

It’s go time, time to get to action.  In Enneagram Change Management Step 8, the team gets to work implementing the solution.  Step 8 is when the team actually solves the problem! It may not be easy, but when the going gets tough, the tough get going.  As things rarely go as planned, Step 8 requires flexibility and persistence to get to the goal.

Excerpt from Teamwork 9.0

Talk, talk, talk, talk, talk. That is all your team has been doing for the first seven steps. Enneagram Type 8s are not particularly fond of talking without taking action. Well, now is the time for action. Step 8 harnesses the dynamic of Enneagram Type 8. The team now has a plan in place and the project has the resources it needs, so this is the moment to move into action and execute the plan.

Get Busy!

Having gone through the process of developing and promoting the plan, most team members are eager to get into action by Step 8. The team now has envisioned a clear path to a successful outcome, and they will want to start down that path with enthusiasm and vigor.

The actual implementation will vary depending on the plan developed in Step 6. It could take weeks, months, or even years. Of all the steps in problem solving, Step 8 usually takes the longest. Successful implementation will take determination by your team, moving forward daily towards the goal.

Referring back to the Enneagram diagram, Type 8 is connected to both Type 2 and Type 5. The Type 2 dynamic draws the team forward, keeping in mind the benefit that the stakeholders will enjoy upon successful completion of the project. On the other hand, Type 5 is the analytical type, prone to paralysis by analysis. When the team encounters obstacles, there will be a tendency to fall back to Step 5, which is completely natural. The trick is to recognize this, move quickly through Steps 5, 6, and 7, and then back to action in Step 8. While the Type 8 dynamic dominates Step 8, the dynamics of the other types—particularly 5, 6, and 7—will be critical to keep the team moving forward and to prevent the project from stalling.

Start Small, End Big

I have worked with teams that simply do not have a lot of natural Type 8 energy. If this happens with your team, try starting small and building on short-term successes; this is a great recipe for building and keeping up momentum towards the goal.

For instance, when implementing solutions that will affect a company’s product development process, I advise my team to pick one smaller product development project and prototype the solutions with that development team.

Engaging with that one smaller team, you can learn what works and what doesn’t. You can develop the materials you will need to communicate the solutions to other teams. And you can demonstrate the positive effects that the solutions have on outcomes. All of this makes it that much easier for each successive team to adopt the new solution. After a while, all the teams are using your new solution, mitigating the problems and accomplishing the goals of your initiative.

How do you kick off the implementation phase of your initiatives? How do you keep up momentum and energy in this phase?  What approach do you take to overcome obstacles?

[Video Transcript]

In Steps 1 through 7, what have you done? Talk, talk, talk. Step 8 is the time for action. Enneagram Type 8s love to get the action. They will be the type that is most frustrated as the team works through the first seven steps. You will want to coach the Type 8s on your team to have patience during these early steps. But in Step 8, the team gets to action. With the approved plan in hand, your team’s now ready to march ahead, solve the problem, and achieve the goals.

Thanks for watching. If you found this helpful, click on the thumbs up button, subscribe to the channel, and get notifications of future episodes. If you have a question, please leave it in the comment section and I’ll get to it as soon as possible. Thanks again.

Rally Time! — Enneagram Change Management Step 7

by Leave a Comment

You were born to be a player. You were meant to be here. This moment is yours.

– Herb Brooks

Woohoo—it’s time to kick off the project! Your team has developed a plan to get to the goal and is chomping at the bit to get started.  In Enneagram Change Management Step 7, the team spreads their excitement to all stakeholders and enthusiastically promotes the plan to get the resources — people, tools, money and time — to embark on their mission.  Put your best cheerleaders forward and get the buy-in to proceed.

Excerpt from Teamwork 9.0

Now that your team has identified the best path to the goal, your problem-solving team should be revved up and ready to charge down that path. However, the broader group of stakeholders will not be at the same excitement level yet. Now is the time to inspire that wider group—including the executive sponsors—to the same level of enthusiasm as the team. It is time for the team to sell the plan to all the stakeholders. It is time to tap the dynamic of Enneagram Type 7.

People in sales or political roles will understand this phase of problem solving well. A salesperson or politician must present a story with a bright future and receive permission to proceed and create that future for their customers or constituents. Step 7 of problem solving is similar.

When I facilitate problem-solving groups during Step 7, I recommend that the team create a presentation that tells a story. The first part of that story sets the stage: you remind your stakeholders of the pain they are experiencing because of their daunting problem. To make this more dramatic, let’s call the problem the dragon. Then, you introduce your heroes, the team of highly credible and talented folks ready to face the dragon. You may want to share some examples of havoc wreaked by the dragon, and some stories of early, unsuccessful attempts to slay the dragon. Then, you will want to share your heroes’ insight that exposed an alternative path to addressing the dragon problem. Finally, your story will explain the careful preparation the heroes have made to tame the dragon, thereby eliminating the problem once and for all. And, there you stop.

What do you think that your executive sponsors/decision-makers will do at this point? In my experience, having facilitated this process many times, the response is unequivocally “Go Get That Dragon!” I have found that all reasonable requests for resources—people, equipment, and cash—are made available for the Dragon Taming Quest. Also, there is a strong sense of empathy about the shared problem and anticipation of the beautiful world in which the dragon no longer terrorizes the citizens. That anticipation is infectious, and the executive sponsors will feel it. The broader organization will eagerly support your heroes in their quest, too. That widespread support is important since taming this dragon will not be easy and will require everyone’s cooperation.

I may have stretched the dragon metaphor to the limits here, but I think it does highlight the important step of having the team get explicit permission from the executive sponsors in order to proceed. This is similar to a sales process. I recommend that the team enlist the help of an enthusiastic, people-oriented salesperson-type to assist them in creating and telling a compelling story. Once your team has received permission to move forward, you arrive at Step 8, in which you act to solve the problem.

How do you promote a project to get buy-in from stakeholders?  Do you put together a compelling story that excites your audience?  Do you put your most enthusiastic team members forward to tell the story? Do you instill excitement into all stakeholders before moving to action?

[Video Transcript]

Now that you have your plan, the team needs to take it back to the broader set of stakeholders for buy-in. Enneagram Type 7 is often called the enthusiast. They’re the ones who get people excited to try something new. In Step 7, you socialize the plan with your organization. You remind everyone of the problems they face, and show how the plan will solve those problems. Done well, this socialization will lower barriers and resistance during implementation.

Thanks for watching. If you found this helpful, click on the Thumbs Up button, subscribe to the channel, and get notifications of future episodes. If you have a question, please leave it in the Comment section and I’ll get to it as soon as possible. Thanks again.

The Path of Least Danger — Enneagram Change Management Step 6

by Leave a Comment

If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!

— Benjamin Franklin

Once you have verified that you have a viable solution, you can  plot the path that takes you to your goal. In Step 6 of Enneagram Change Management you develop the plan that solves the problem. You optimize the path considering all important metrics — time, cost, quality, resource availability, etc. You anticipate risks and work to minimize and mitigate them.  In Step 6 you are looking into the future, into your crystal ball, envisioning the successful solution to the problem and all the steps that will get you there.

Excerpt from Teamwork 9.0

Enneagram Type 6 is at the core of the Head-Thinking-Anxiety center; as such, 6s will actively pursue minimizing their anxiety. Uncertainty and risk increase anxiety the most for Type 6s. Therefore, they naturally prepare for the future by planning ahead and seeking to minimize risk.

Type 6s can look at a number of scenarios and, using their anxiety level as a guide, instinctively spot the one with the fewest unknowns, the fewest pitfalls, and the highest likelihood of success. Using the pro/con analysis generated in Step 5, the 6 can assess each scenario and plot a path into the future to foresee likely outcomes. They can predict which ideas have the clearest path to the goal, because those ideas cause the 6 the least amount of anxiety. This Type 6 dynamic comes into play in Step 6 of problem solving.

The Path of Least Danger

Having worked through the logical analysis of Step 5, the team will have reached a general consensus as to which ideas are the most viable and favorable for getting to the goal. This is the indication that your team has naturally arrived at Step 6, the Planning step. You can treat these favorable ideas as the framework for your solution—the skeleton, as it were. Now it is time to add the meat.

If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!

In this step, the meat includes all the details associated with associated with following the plan to achieve the goal. What resources are needed? How much do those resources cost? Who needs to be involved, and when? What is the schedule for implementation? All these details need to be mapped out for presentation to the stakeholders responsible for allocating those resources. Enlisting the help of a team member with project management skills makes sense at this point in the process. It is exactly this skill set that comes into play in Step 6.

Plan A/Plan B

At this point, you still may have a couple of viable paths to get to the goal. You may want to split your problem-solving team into smaller groups of advocates for each viable idea and let each group build a plan. As the details are fleshed out, you will see which idea has the shorter schedule, which has the lower cost, which requires the fewest people, and which has the fewest uncertainties and risks. With that knowledge, the team can develop a Plan A and a backup Plan B.

In Step 6, you will have decided the one or two ideas or sets of ideas that get you to the goal and solve the problem. You will have put together a detailed plan to implement the ideas. The team is now prepared to present the plan to the stakeholders and sponsors, especially those who can allocate the resources necessary to make the plan come true. Now is the time to promote the plan!

Does your team take the time to plan the path to your goal?  Do you anticipate and mitigate risks? Do you have a fallback plan, a Plan B?

[Video Transcript]

Step 6 is where your team takes the most promising idea and builds a project plan that gets you all the way to the goal. Who does what and when? Type 6 is often called the questioner. Their brain is constantly asking questions. What if this happens? What if that happens? They’re constantly on the lookout for pitfalls and developing strategies to avoid them. In Step 6 of problem solving, you’ll want the team to build a low-risk plan that gets it to the goal. The plan can include risk mitigation strategies and contingency plans.

Thanks for watching. If you found this helpful, click on the thumbs-up button, subscribe to the channel, and get notifications of future episodes. If you have a question, please leave it in the comment section, and I’ll get to it as soon as possible. Thanks again.

Your Number Makes a Difference.™ Reveal Your Number with a Free Enneagram Questionnaire »