Enneagram

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.

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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.

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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.