The 9 Ways of Working: How to Use the Enneagram to Discover Your Natural Strengths and Work More Effectively

5 Responses to “The 9 Ways of Working: How to Use the Enneagram to Discover Your Natural Strengths and Work More Effectively”

1. Carol C. says:

   October 2, 2010 at 11:23 pm

   Sometimes it is hard to know the hows and whys of the workplace — why we invariably expect and meet resistance to certain initiatives, why some actions are met by praise, others by criticism or even indifference, why one boss wants you to critique his thoughts, while another is offended by anything remotely challenging. When we view the rest of the world through our own self-made, self-biased lens and are unable to imagine the view from the eyes of another, we will permanently be limited in our ability to make sense of it all.

   I’ve establish the enneagram to be extremely useful in understanding myself, others, and interaction between people. The enneagram posits that folks fall into one of nine basic personality types (or styles or worldviews), each with its own natural gifts and limitations (ennea= nine in Greek). A person typically acts in a manner consistent with her personality type, interpreting information and dealing with obstacles in a manner consistent with the personality type. When you come to know a person’s enneagram type, you can better anticipate their actions and know the why’s behind their actions. Trying to make sense of others’ behavior lacking understanding their worldview regularly leads to frustration and rarely leads to an accurate understanding. Realizing that others don’t approach the world in the same way makes it simpler to know and ultimately work productively with others.

   The nine enneagram types as labeled by the leader are:
   
   1. Perfectionist (rule-follower, goody two shoes, wants to get things right)
   
   2. Helper (care-taker, derives fantastic self-worth from helping others)
   
   3. Producer (achiever, wants to be “successful” as traditionally defined)
   
   4. Connoisseur (artist, romantic, free spirit, want to be authentic and prompt their right feelings)
   
   5. Sage (professor, know-it-all, likes to hoard objective information)
   
   6. Troubleshooter (skeptic, worry-wart)
   
   7. Visionary (fun-seeker, adventurer, wants a range of possibilities, excitement)
   
   8. Top Dog (dictator, all-purpose)
   
   9. Negotiator (peacemaker)

   In a work environment, for example, a seven visionary boss may be huge on brainstorming, tossing out many thoughts lacking first thinking them through, will start many projects but not permanently follow through. As quick as the seven visionary can place thoughts on the table and make possibilities, the six troubleshooter will counter with objections, detailing every possible problem that might arise. The one perfectionist will be all ears on whether the thoughts conform to the rules — is this thought consistent with our SOP? Does this align with the company’s mission statement? Can we run this by the proper channels before discussing further? The four connoisseur will reject the mundane, and will marvel how others will feel if the thought is implemented. The five won’t care so much how others feel about implementation, but will want to collect as much objective data as possible about the thought. The two helper will be busy taking notes or getting coffee or building sure that everyone has had a turn to speak. The eight is grumbling because he’s not the boss, and will support an thought as long as he gets to be project leader and run things his way.

   Once you get a sense of a person’s enneagram type, you can better know their behaviors. Why does a certain person ALWAYS come up with a laundry list of reasons not to proceed with a new process, why are they rarely supportive of change in the beginning? Because they’re a six, and their world view is to be a skeptic. Why is one boss visibly offended when you fail to acknowledge his superior status in the corporate pecking order (because he’s an eight) while another boss is more concerned with helping you achieve your own career goals (because he’s a two).

   This book is chock-full of examples of how the enneagram plays out in the workplace. It also gives very point guidance for effective with each of the types, as well as tips for performance with each of the types. For example, when effective with an agenda-driven, achievement-all ears three, you need to make an appointment, be prepared and organized, define success, outline target deadlines, and stay on course. Threes set goals and follow through to achieve persons goals. When effective with a four, on the additional hand, focusing on setting rigid goals and marching along lacking reflection simply to achieve persons goals is a recipe for disaster. For fours, the process is regularly more vital than the point goal. Fours are prone to take things personally and give up easily — so bluntness and abrupt communication can cause fours to disengage. Eights, on the additional hand, want things to be black & white. When you’re dealing with an eight, be on time, get to the point, be direct, show respect. Eight bosses want you to follow their orders lacking question, lacking objection. They don’t want to hear objections once a choice has been made. In contrast, a four boss wants to ensure that all of the ramifications of a choice have been well-vetted. A four boss is much more likely to appreciate creativity and curiosity; a four boss generally wonders what isn’t being voiced when things are open as clear-cut, black and white. Telling a two not to worry can be reassuring. In contrast, telling a six not to worry can quickly undermine your credibility. Much better to acknowledge a six’s concern as legitimate and seek ways to take up it.

   The bottom line is that people are motivated differently, make decisions differently, and interact with others differently.

   I trust that there are enneagram skeptics who reflect you can’t just slap a mark on a person and use that mark to clarify everything about the person. It is simplistic to say that everyone in the world can be pigeon-holed into one of nine categories and that clarifies all. Goldberg isn’t all ears on pigeon-holing & labeling; his focus is on how to make things function better in a work environment. And, for the most part, most people are internally consistent with one of the enneagram types. A two will generally treat others in a certain way (helpful), be motivated in a certain way (recognition for utility), learn in a certain way. A three will generally treat others in a certain way (goal-all ears, how can this person help me achieve my goal) and be motivated by certain things (top sales award, best student award, anything the looks like a certificate or trophy). A one will obey the rules even if the rules don’t make sense; a four will question whether the rules make sense and try to make rules that do make sense, and eight wants you to follow his rules. Period. And although the marks aren’t the perfect guide to understading everything about the workplace, they are a useful starting point.

   This book is an updated version of Goldberg’s now=out-of-print Getting Your Boss’s Number. The title of the current version is much more appropriate, as the tools and examples apply to all workplace relationships, not just superior-subordinate.
   Reader’s Rating: 5 / 5
2. Anonymous says:

   October 3, 2010 at 1:11 am

   This is an brilliant resource for people with interpersonal problems at work. I have establish Goldberg’s book very helpful when I’ve been stuck with uncertainty about how to handle an issue with an employee or a colleague in the mental health meadow. I’ve recommended this book to some of my therapy clients who report back that they find it useful in their work settings also.
   Reader’s Rating: 5 / 5
3. Jeffrey Keimer says:

   October 3, 2010 at 1:42 am

   I had studied the Enneagram for several years and knew it was useful in business, so I was pleased to see this book come out as the first I’d seen applying the Enneagram to the business environment. I was not disappointed in what it delivered. While the leader has developed some unique Enneagram terminology (i.e. the “ally point”) that I don’t automatically agree with, his understanding and descriptions of each Enneagram Type and how they manifests their unconscious agendas in the workplace, as well as how to respond to them in the most productive way, was brilliant. For example, his description of what makes a Type 6 tick, and how to best work with a 6, so helped me in understanding better one of my own work colleagues, that single insight alone made the book worthwhile for me. I highly recommend this book, and I also recommend reading “Learning Your Personality Type”, by Don Riso and Russ Hudson, for a excellent introduction to Enneagram basics.
   Reader’s Rating: 5 / 5
4. Anonymous says:

   October 3, 2010 at 1:45 am

   I like “The 9 Ways of Effective”. I refer to it before I go into a meeting and when I return. The content enables me to know the different personalities I am dealing with and how best to use the information to secure a signed contract. If you use the book to admit the different types you will learn their choice-building pattern, where a name goes in their stress, and that some people feel pressured and need time to reflect before building a choice. It helps you know when to hold and when to fold. I establish that being a seven can be exciting but I have to pull in the strings and not have so many kites flying at the same time. Now I try to do things in stages and though I am not a detail person I must keep a timeline to go things along to completion. Bravo!!! Fantastic book Michael Goldberg.
   Reader’s Rating: 5 / 5
5. Anonymous says:

   October 3, 2010 at 2:09 am

   Michael Goldberg’s Nine Ways of Effective is a clear,practical and concise presentation of the Enneagram as it applies to Work and Business. I establish Goldberg’s portraits of the types and his skillful and knowledgeable application of the Enneagram within the Work dynamic extremely helpful.It gave me insight into how I can enhance and better know the work experience as it applies to myself.I easily drew upon the material to sharpen my choice building skills and how to improve my work relationships. This revised new edition of his previous hardcover relief “Getting Your Boss’s Number is a tighter and clearer presentation of the material than the ex-.It also improves on an already customary excellent read.
   Reader’s Rating: 5 / 5