How To Use The Enneagram At Work

One of the most beautiful parts of life is human connection. The world offers a variety of diverse personalities and individuals from  different walks of life. It is advantageous in the workplace to combine a variety of unique perspectives to achieve goals and solve problems. However, there is no denying that navigating different personalities in the workplace has its fair share of challenges, especially when working as a close-knit team.

That’s why understanding team dynamics in the workplace is such an important skill set to learn. Not only do these dynamics affect your work goals, but they also impact your everyday health and happiness. As experts in the world of wellbeing, we cannot overemphasize the importance of building a foundation of health and wholeness at work. We’ve found that using the Enneagram at work is the most effective method to help discern and empathize with your fellow teammates. 

So, What is the Enneagram?

If you aren’t yet familiar with the Enneagram, check out this blog post. To quickly summarize, the Enneagram is a personality system that helps to define the patterns through which we live our lives. The different personality types are categorized by numbers one through nine and reflect our various emotional tendencies, thought patterns, and behavioral habits.

In addition to these nine core types, there are four other styles called wings and arrows that provide further insight into our personalities. While individuals only fit within one number on the Enneagram, characteristics may ebb and flow. Certain traits may stand out more than others throughout different points in one’s personal development and lifetime. This in-depth quiz from The Enneagram Institute will help you begin to understand your Enneagram type. 

 

What Does The Enneagram Have to Do With Work?

Not only is the Enneagram an incredibly helpful tool for understanding your own patterns, but it can also help you develop an emotional awareness of the patterns of others. All nine types provide anin-depth analyses that break down traits. Everyone falls into one of these nine Enneagram personality types, which are:  

Type One: The Reformer

Type Two: The Helper

Type Three: The Achiever

Type Four: The Individualist

Type Five: The Investigator

Type Six: The Loyalist

Type Seven: The Enthusiast

Type Eight: The Challenger 

Type Nine: The Peacemaker

Using the Enneagram as a means of exploring the depths of yourself and your personality can be a huge asset for many reasons. For one, your personality traits are the road map for how you move through life, and once you learn to read this map, you’ll have a stronger understanding of your driving motivations and desires. This is to say, self-awareness is a key element needed to reach your fullest potential. We love the Enneagram because it is a straightforward, analytical and deep way for individuals to develop  themselves and achieve their work and personal goals. That's why we've used this typing system in our popular product, the Enneagram X Burnout Card Deck.

Why use the Enneagram for Work Teams? 

Self-awareness is obviously a huge asset when leading a team, but even more when you have developed care and awareness for those around you. That’s why understanding the various Enneagram types is a great way to help you better support your work team. Understanding your coworkers’ patterns and emotions leads to empathy, compassion, and the ability to utilize team members’ strengths in the best possible ways—building skills for what is known as Emotional Intelligence (EQ) 

Talent Smart EQ conducted a study that tested 42,000 people using the Emotional Intelligence Appraisal. Individuals with a high EQ earned—on average—$29,000 more per year than those with a low EQ. What’s more, for every point increase in emotional intelligence, the average person earned $1,300 more in their annual salary. EQ, unlike IQ, can change and may have a direct impact on the bottom line of your salary and your business's growth. One of the single best ways to improve EQ is via the Enneagram. 

In our experience working with teams both big and small, the most successful workplace teams are built through deep perception and emotional awareness. When workers feel seen and heard, they are far less likely to experience burnout. Everyone has different ways they deal with stress, so figuring out your teammates’ triggers and coping mechanisms can help you effectively communicate and lead your team to success. 

Want to know more about your Enneagram type? Interested in learning about using the Enneagram system to reach your fullest potential at work? Let’s connect!