Written by Scott Miller
Have you ever wondered why people react certain ways under pressure? Or behave completely different in social situations than they do work? Have you ever wondered why your soul responds more readily to some messages than others?
Every once in a while we come across a tool that transforms our view of ourselves and our world.
We recently used Enneagram as a tool for a management retreat. The 60-some staff who participated hailed from a variety of departments across Garden Spot Communities and prepared for the day by taking a 200-question Enneagram assessment. We started the day with ziplines, a ropes course and fellowship, to break the ice and set the stage for the day.
As we headed back to the conference room, we shed our coats and sweatshirts and began to uncover our Enneagram numbers, which were boldly printed on custom t-shirts, made just for the day. Little did we realize how well the following hours would shed light on our numbers, our personalities, our work experiences and the words our souls long to hear from God and others around us.
At first blush, the Enneagram may feel like a personality test and is casually compared to Myers-Briggs by many people. When you take the time, however, you will discover that the Enneagram is a tool that can lead to self-awareness, self-understanding, and self-development. While parts of the Enneagram can be traced back to the 4th century B.C., Oscar Ichazo developed the modern adaptation in the late 1960s.
By understanding our own tendencies and fallibility and why we have those tendencies, we can become a better version of ourselves. It also helps us understand why our teammates and those around us react in certain ways. Our team responded so powerfully to the retreat that we believed this was a tool that was worth sharing with others. We sent a group of team members to Louisville, Kentucky for Enneagram Intensive Training with CrossPoint where they learned how to help others understand their Enneagram profiles.
We use Wagner Enneagram Personality Style Scales (WEPSS) because we believe the tool’s approach and number of questions are central to gaining great results and insight.
We highly recommend this for you, your management teams, small groups, and departments as both a great tool and a fun way to learn how to work more productively with each other. If you have an interest, we would love to connect about how we might help you integrate this into your next team session, management team meeting or retreat. We have a core group of Enneagram resources and trainers ready to help you!
To schedule a no-obligation conversation about Enneagram training for your team, contact us.