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Evolutionary Team Effectiveness

Team Effectiveness

Success! — Intrinsic Motivation of Enneagram Type 3

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Whoever said, “You can learn from your mistakes,” was obviously not Enneagram Type 3.  The saying that best resonates with Type 3? Failure is not an option! What compels Type 3s to work so hard and what roles attract them?  This brief video gives you insights into what makes Type 3 tick.

Excerpt from Teamwork 9.0

As the suppressed emotion type, Enneagram Type 3s have the remarkable gift of being able to generate fresh ideas without feeling constrained by emotional baggage. They can think freely, unencumbered, and will enthusiastically generate ideas with the aim of successfully solving the problem.

In Step 3, the leader must solicit ideas from all team members and stakeholders and, most importantly, not react to those ideas. The aim is to collect as many ideas as possible for later analysis. Type 3s would be ideal leaders for this part of the project since they provide both enthusiasm for successful outcomes and restraint from emotional reactions to any of the ideas.

Does the idea of success motivate you to work hard? Are you sensitive to appearances, especially appearance of success?  Are you attracted to roles that have an inherent sense of success? Do you tend to downplay feelings?

[Video Transcript]

So now we’re going to get to the 3. The 3 is also in the feeling group but it’s suppressed feelings. So they come off actually, as the cool cats. They’re not as focused on your feelings and having emotional connections with you. And rather than receiving appreciation, they’re more about receiving acknowledgment for success.  They want to be recognized for their success.

You’ve heard of that saying dress for success, this is the type 3. The type 3s they look the part, they play the part. They are looking successful and they are highly motivated to be successful. They’re about efficiency, they’re about working hard, they’re about setting goals and meeting the goals. Boom, boom, boom. This is where the 3’s shine.

And for the 3s, failure is not an option, so that really compels them to work harder than any of the types in the Enneagram as far as I’ve seen. And because they’re so focused on that sense of success, they tend to be drawn to roles in which it’s easy to measure success. If they’re going to be an attorney, they’re going to be a litigator and they can rack up the wins. If they’re a surgeon they’re going to be the top surgeon with 150 brain surgeries or whatever, right, so there’s often a numerical component. They’re so sensitive to how things appear and appear to other people, they often will go into marketing roles or advertising roles.

Thanks so much for listening. If you like this, please leave a comment, and share it with others. And please subscribe to the channel and stay tuned for the next episode. Thanks again.

Feeling Everything — Intrinsic Motivation of Enneagram Type 4

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Ever feel something so strongly that you are at a loss for words?  You may not be able to put words to it, but Enneagram Type 4 will know how you are feeling—perhaps even better than you know yourself!  Not only do they relish immersion in their own feelings, but they also evoke feelings in others by communicating in emotionally impactful ways, often through art, music, and film.  They migrate to roles in which feelings, theirs and others, are at the center.

Excerpt from Teamwork 9.0

While every Enneagram type can have an emotional reaction to an idea, the internal emotion Type 4 is highly attuned to the emotional content in any idea. In Step 3 (Ideation), it was important to hold back negative reactions in order to generate the richest possible set of ideas. In Step 4, it is important to review and reflect on how people reacted to the ideas, both positively and negatively.

While some initiatives can combine Steps 3 and 4 as described in the previous chapter, for projects that must carefully consider the possible emotional reactions of all stakeholders, I dedicate time to this analysis. Type 4s are ideal for leading this discussion since they will have the most nuanced appreciation of others’ reactions and a sense of what stakeholders will like. While many of us would like to think we are driven by logic and data, the truth is that emotions play an even greater role in our decision making. The ability to understand emotional reactions is critical for determining both the short- and long[1]term acceptability of any idea.

How do you used feelings and emotions to communicate with others?  How do you communicate in ways that make the strongest emotional impact?  In what situations do feelings play a central role for you?

[Video Transcript]

Now we go to the 4. This is the internal emotion. Instead of all of that emotion externalized, it’s now all inside. It’s roiling around, roiling around. If you ask a 4 “Hey, how are you feeling?” the 4 would look at you and say “I’m feeling fine,” but what they’re actually thinking is, “What an idiotic question. How can I tell you how I’m feeling? I’m feeling the warmth of the light on the wall. I’m feeling all of the warmth from the faces on the screen. I’m feeling the sounds of conversation in my family in the background. I’m missing being with them right now and I’m feeling all this stuff, but if I told you that, you would think I’m crazy, so what I say is, ‘I’m feeling fine.'”

So that’s what’s going on with the 4. 4s are absorbed in feelings. They want to be engaged with their feelings, and the more intense the situations, the better, the more it invigorates them, so they tend to immerse themselves in activities with lots of emotional feelings.

The other really interesting thing about the 4s is that not only are they feelings, emotional content of everything around them, but they’re also able to communicate in emotionally impactful ways. They tend to become communicators, but emotional communicators, so artists, musicians, poets. That is the realm in which they’re dealing. They’re just living in feelings. Feelings and communicating feelings.

Thanks so much for listening. If you liked this, please leave a comment and share it with others, and please subscribe to the channel and stay tuned for the next episode. Thanks again.

Change Management and the Enneagram

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Many know the Enneagram as a personality system. Less well known is that the Enneagram can also serve as a change management framework independent of personality. I discovered this aspect of the Enneagram when I asked the simple question, why are numbers used to label Enneagram types. It turns out that the numbers are the order of a change management process! Here’s how it works…

Change Management Defined

Change management is the term used to describe the systematic approach to transforming an organization to solve structural problems and improve organizational performance. I developed the change management tools described in Teamwork 9.0 based on the dynamics associated with each Enneagram number, a change management process comprised of 9 steps.

Change Management Framework

Having a systematic change management process to lead your organization through challenging situations keeps your team focused on objectives and consistently moving towards resilient solutions.  Here is a brief summary of the change management steps that I outline in chapter 2 of Teamwork 9.0:

Step 1 – Define the Problem and Set the Goal – Step 1 establishes the Big Why, the starting point of any transformative effort.  Clearly define the problem by ensuring you include all stakeholders’ perspectives.  The flip side of defining the problem is creating the vision for success—what will the world look like when your team reaches the goal and solves the problem.  Step 1 creates purpose for your effort.

Step 2 – Identify All Stakeholders – The people who have any connection with the effort are the stakeholders.  This is the Big Who. Who is suffering with the problem?  Who will be affected by the solution? Who needs to help in the effort? As new stakeholders are brought into the fold, be sure and loop back to Step 1 and record their unique perspectives on the problem. Also, verify that new stakeholders are in alignment with the effort’s vision and goals.

Step 3 – Brainstorm Ideas – Listen to everyone’s ideas for how to solve the problem.  Collect all ideas without prejudice. By creating a positive, inclusive environment, you will enhance your team’s creativity.  Don’t discard any idea—keep them all!  Out of these will emerge the team’s Big What.

Step 4 – Pick Positive Ideas – That idea’s great! That idea sucks!  You will have some emotional reaction to each idea.  In this step the team collectively ranks the ideas.  The top few ideas serve as the Big What.

Step 5 – Analyze Ideas – Validate which promising ideas actually solve the problem. Perform cost-benefit and pro-con analysis.  Prototype and validate ideas. Step 5 determines the Big How for your transformation.

Step 6 – Plan Path to Goal – Taking the best approaches from Step 5, build a plan around the most promising idea —  Plan A — and keep a backup approach — Plan B. Consider what resources you will need and schedule a path that will get your team to the goal.  Step 6 considers the timing of resource allocation — the Big When.

Step 7 – Get Buy-In – With the plan completed, it’s time to get stakeholder buy-in. In this step you present the plan and get the approval and the resources to start the project.  Keeping stakeholders updated on progress in Steps 1 through 6 makes Step 7 buy-in easier by minimizing surprises.

Step 8 – Implement the Plan – Having stakeholder buy-in, you now get to action.  Step 8 in the Enneagram change management process is the step in which you actually solve the problem!  Up to this point it has been all talk.  Now you execute the plan, achieve the goals and realize the vision!

Step 9 – Debrief and Harmonize the Solution – In Step 9, the team assesses how well they realized the vision and solved the problems. Here you assess the solution measured against the problem-goal statement from Step 1. Step 9 requires conversations with and feedback from all stakeholders.  Here you ensure that the solutions are working well with everyone and becoming integrated and habituated within the organization. Inevitably,  these conversations will uncover new issues which can take you back into Step 1, and that’s why the Enneagram-based process is a circle, a never-ending cycle of continuous improvement.

Change Management Models

There are a number of change management processes.   When compared to the Teamwork 9.0 change management approach, I find that some systems will overemphasize some steps while skipping other steps entirely.  For instance, the more analytical change management approaches may skip steps related to the emotional aspects of change management like Steps 2 and 4. Skipping these steps may slow or even prevent buy-in in Step 7.  Another aspect of strictly analytical approaches is that they can become bogged down in detail—paralysis by analysis.   Compare your current approach to the Teamwork 9.0 model and see how they differ. Such a comparison will give you insights into the efficacy of your approach.  I share an number of such change management examples in chapter 8 of Teamwork 9.0.

People Plus Process Provides Purpose

Having a change management system that takes into account the distinct gifts of each team member keeps your problem solvers engaged and performing at their best. The Enneagram as a personality system describes nine personality dynamics each with a set of strengths. Since the Enneagram change management process dedicates one and only one step to each Enneagram type, this change management framework is arguably the most balanced approach from a humanistic point of view. The framework considers the strengths of all nine Enneagram human dynamics.  Applying the strengths of your teammates to the process creates a powerful and purposeful team dynamic.

What change management tools have you used? Which work well? Which have stalled?  How do those approaches compare to the Teamwork 9.0 approach?

Feeling Safe — Intrinsic Motivation of Enneagram Type 5

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Going deep on a topic?  Enneagram Type 5s are masters at mastering subject matter.  If you want to ensure that all the nooks and crannies of any matter are uncovered, you can count on Type 5 for the job.  What motivates Type 5’s drive for subject mastery?  This video provides a sneak peek into the mind of the 5.  Don’t worry, it’s safe.

Excerpt from Teamwork 9.0

As the internal anxiety type, Enneagram Type 5’s anxious energy conveys an extraordinary ability to collect and comb through mountains of data. Type 5s will follow the data wherever it takes them and will not be satisfied until they believe they have exhausted all avenues. At Step 5, your team will have developed a handful of promising ideas that need careful consideration. Type 5 is ideally suited to take up the leadership mantle in this step and guide the team through the pro/con analysis of each idea.

A special trait of the 5s is their unbiased pursuit of information. They would just as soon collect all available data and not leave anything out. Other types tend to have biases that cause them to filter out certain data. While those filters may help them arrive at a decision more quickly, they might overlook important information that the 5 would have uncovered.

How does your leadership style approach uncovering all knowledge on a subject matter?  Do you do the research yourself? Or do you trust others go deep while staying focused on the big picture.  How do you ensure that you haven’t overlooked anything? What are leadership styles that work well with Enneagram Type 5?

[Video Transcript]

And now for the 5. Again, they’re dealing with anxiety but it’s internalized. And the way they deal with their anxiety is they want to feel safe. They just want to feel safe. So, what makes the 5 feel safe? Well, they collect resources that they need to feel safe. So, what kind of resources would make a 5 feel safe? Money, certainly collecting money.  But also information and knowledge. So, they will collect lots and lots of resources. If you know a 5, you’ll find that they go very, very deep on subjects. I was talking with a client the other day, and we talked about how he was in the military and he knew everything about all the military weapons; he could just talk through everything. And then he talked about, oh yeah I was in a band. And then he talked about guitars deep, deep, deep, deep, deep in guitars. And then oh yeah, I was a writer for a music magazine. And then he was listing all these bands that he’s written about.

So, these are very narrow and very deep. That is very typical of a type 5. They might be engineers or in academia, in finance but really deep topics, that’s their comfort zone. And once they’ve mastered that knowledge, then they feel safe. And that makes them feel safe, that mastery. I said earlier 5s can be kind of the flip side of the 1, where the 1 wants to get it right, the 5 is afraid of getting it wrong. And that’s what compels them (the 5) because they don’t want to appear uninformed. But both (1 and 5)  are compelled to go very deep on topics. And if you work with 5s, they can be challenging because they’re not very communicative. They’re the ones who just sit in meetings and you’re just trying to draw information out and of them, but why should they give away their information? That’s their gold, right? So, 5s can be particularly challenging for project managers.

Thanks so much for listening. If you like this, please leave a comment and share it with others and please subscribe to the channel and stay tuned for the next episode. Thanks again.

Avoiding Risk — Intrinsic Motivation of Enneagram Type 6

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Like a computer simulator, the mind of Enneagram Type 6 is constantly racing into the future imagining what might happen, alert to any possible risks or danger.  Type 6s are masterful at plotting a path forward that avoids pitfalls and gets your team safely to the goal. In this video, I describe the intrinsic motivation of Type 6. Don’t be afraid, danger is avoided.

Excerpt from Teamwork 9.0

The active Type 6 mind continuously connects dots into the future. As the suppressed anxiety type, they seek to minimize their feelings of anxiety by identifying a path to the goal that has a high likelihood for success. As 6s review the pro/con analysis of each idea in Step 5, they can intuitively assign probabilities to outcomes, which gives them insight into the most promising ideas.

The 6s are driven by the fear of failure and the danger that failure represents, so they can easily identify the danger in each option. Their gift is being able to identify the path of least danger. In their minds, the 6s connect the dots along the path to the goal for each idea. The path with the clearest set of dots stands out starkly to them. This makes the 6 well equipped to lead the group in both selecting the most promising ideas and creating a plan of action that connects the dots and guides the team to the desired goal.

The aphorism, “Failing to plan is planning to fail,” captures the mindset of Type 6. In Step 6, you plan schedules, budgets, resource allocation, and contingencies that will withstand scrutiny from the stakeholders. Before further investment in the project, the action plan needs to be organized in a logical and palatable manner.

How does your leadership style minimize risk? Do you take time to think through possible problems, or do you plunge ahead and figure it out as you go?  How much do you value planning? What are leadership styles that work well with Enneagram Type 6?

[Video Transcript]

Now, we’re going to get to the suppressed anxiety. And I know this one well, because this is my type. And the way that I address my anxiety is, if I know what’s going to happen, then my anxiety goes down. And what I’m trying to do is I’m just trying to avoid any possible risks or danger, right? And I will plan things out and as long as everything goes on track and everything’s smoothly going along, my anxiety stays down. But when things start to go up, it’s, “Danger, Will Robinson. Danger, Will Robinson.” That’s the six dynamic, right? And my anxiety’s coming up, because now I don’t know what’s going to happen anymore. So sixes love to… I think a lot of sixes are drawn to project management, because we love to plan. We like to plan things out. And we have our contingency plans. We have our plan A and our plan B. And we think things through to make sure that we can successfully get to the outcomes that we’re after.

Thanks so much for listening. If you like this, please leave a comment and share it with others, and please subscribe to the channel. And stay tuned for the next episode. Thanks, again.

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