Finding Your Enneagram Superpower
Personality tests can be leveraged to create a more connected and collaborative workplace with A+ communication.
There are many tools available for deeper self analysis, some draw on ancient practices, others are modern inventions. Whether you choose to read your monthly horoscope, see a therapist, sit in meditation, or draw a tarot card, they all work towards the same goal: deeper self exploration. As our own Madeline Reeves shared with our Director of Operations, Sarah Hines, on their recent IG Live: “I'm totally woo so I love all of them. But ultimately, I see these as another tool in our toolkit to understand humans.”
The Enneagram of Personality
Operations queen Sarah arrived at Fearless Foundry with a well-rounded background in HR, which she embodies frequently in her role. “Coming from HR, I had gotten involved in so many personality type frameworks,” she says. At a previous job, Sarah had taken the Meyers-Briggs test and discovered she was an INFJ: “That told me a little bit about myself, but it really didn't feel like anything exciting or that I wanted to learn more about. And then I started hearing about the Enneagram.”
The Enneagram of Personality, known simply as the Enneagram, is a complex framework of 9 distinct personality types denoted by numbers. According to The Enneagram Institute, it draws on ancient traditions including the Kabbala, religion, mysticism, and Greek philosophy, but the system as we know it was created by philosopher Oscar Ichazo in the 1960s. “Ichazo saw the Enneagram as a way of examining specifics about the structure of the human soul and particularly about the ways in which actual soul qualities of Essence become distorted, or contracted into states of ego,” explains the Institute.
Image source: Doist
Work Life vs. Real Life
Most of us spend a large chunk of our lives at work. Whether we like it or not, our work lives are entangled in our personalities. Some of us are lucky enough to have occupations where we can embrace our full personas, but many don’t feel comfortable bringing their uninhibited identities to the workplace. For many, mental health necessitates a boundary between “work” and “personal life,” which we’re not debating. However, a workplace atmosphere where every team member feels empowered to present themselves authentically is a beautiful goal that all leaders can strive towards.
The Enneagram Goes to Work
Applying the Enneagram at work can help leaders to understand a fuller picture of their team. “How we get to a healthy organization is that we understand the way people operate,” says Madeline. But that comes with a grain of caution—it can be detrimental to cage people into their number, or use the system too prescriptively. We’d never recommend hiring or firing solely based on a personality test—it’s simply another picture of the skills and preference a person might bring to the table. “Knowing what a person’s Enneagram style is might help you know how to talk to them more effectively, or how to approach them,” shares Sarah.
If you’re going to bring the Enneagram to work, it’s crucial to understand that every number comes with both strengths and weaknesses, and even so-called shortcomings are needed—because “You need a well rounded team,” as Sarah says. “The most important piece is that deeper motivation; what really drives that person.”
Itching to get familiar with your own Enneagram type before the session? Find Sarah’s recommended free version of the test here, or if you want to indulge in the “official” test, visit the Enneagram Institute.