Looking to dominate your competitors? If you are planning on becoming the office superstar, here is what the buzz will be about. It’s time to harness the secret weapon that’s been hiding in plain sight: one of these systems is the Enneagram.
I am sure you have come across it once in a while. Perhaps you have even taken the test. But here is the shocker – do you find yourself utilizing it to the maximum?
So without any further ado, let’s jump in and find out how this antique personality profile can help you get the corner office.
The Enneagram: Not Just Another Personality Test
First things first. Contrary to the free Enneagram test that state what character from Friends you actually are, the enneagram test, even if it is available for free is not like that. It is an especially strong system that appeals to one’s psychical urges and phobias, and vices.
So, when she says she has found the key to volunteering, imagine it as if an ophthalmologist is peering deep into your soul to diagnose an affliction known as ‘incomplete purpose.’
But it’s here that things start getting really interesting. It is just like what has been observed that knowing one’s type is not just a question of possessing self-awareness. It is about how to apply that knowledge to CRUSH IT in your career, or at least that’s how the title is translated to me.
Well, how does knowing your Enneagram type contribute to making you a better candidate fit for that promotion that you have had your eye on? Let’s break it down.
1. Supercharge Your Self-Awareness
Won’t it be a distributive negation of the universal adage You can’t fix what you don’t know is broken? The Enneagram puts a magnifying glass on your weaknesses.
Do you belong to the third type of achievers, who are always pursuing success and who are inauthentic at the same time? Perhaps you belong to what ORE calls Type 6 Loyalist – a highly competent problem anticipator who finds himself or herself froze with doubt?
Being informed of your type assists you identify such behaviors. And acknowledgement le you start the process of change .
2. Turbocharge Your Communication
Do you ever feel like you’re in a different world, in terms of language, to everyone you work with? I want the Enneagram to be your universal translator.
Imagine this: The result reveals that you’re a Type 8 Challenger – the straight shooter that doesn’t mess around. That means your boss is a Type 2 Helper, which focuses on such values as relationship and social order. Do you see conflict potential?
But equipped yourself with this information, you are in a position to adapt your language. Take the chill off, say ‘thank you’ and those barriers will crumble.
3. Boost Your Emotional Intelligence
Emotional Intelligence Quotient or EQ is the new Intelligence Quotient or IQ at the workplace. And guess what? In a way, the Enneagram is the EQ steroid; it amplifies everything.
If you learn the mindset, desires and anxieties of each type, you will have excellent chances to become a real ‘people-spotter’. You will know your customers inside and out, what gets them fired up and what switches them off.
And just like that, you’re no longer the person that works with them at the office, you’re the office shoulder to cry on, the office advice giver.
4. Unlock Your Leadership Potential
Here’s a truth bomb for you: Leaders are not gifted, they are developed. And the Enneagram is your personal leadership mentor.
Both types have their advantages and pitfalls as far as the leadership quality is concerned. In dealing with their work, Type 1 Perfectionists are great project managers but have an issue with delegating tasks. Another type of enthusiasts can be marked as Type 7; these people are good at mobilizing the teams but may lack the motivation to complete the tasks.
Self-awareness of your leadership personality means you get to optimise on the areas that are strong and work on the areas of the least strength. It is a blessing in disguise for learners as it is like having a marketed program that has been developed to fit the needs of an organization.
5. Crush Your Weaknesses
We all have them. A collection of all those minor nuisances which tend to hinder our performance. The Enneagram doesn’t just tell you about them – it helps you find ways of dealing with them.
Do you know that you are a Type 9 Peacemaker and you have issues with assertiveness? To that end, the Enneagram can assist you in identifying how you can effective and assertively assert your voice.
Perhaps you’re a Type 5 Investigator, for which one of the key tendencies is to distance oneself from others. With this knowledge you make a deliberate effort to engage more with your team.
Real Talk: The Enneagram as a Psychological Profile
Alright, let’s get a bit blunt here. And this is not just some theory which I have learnt in school – I have seen it in action and how it can change lives.
Let as consider Sarah, a type 4 individualist. She had inadequacy issues with her marketing position and the company rarely paid her the attention she needed. By studying her Enneagram type in depth, she came to the conclusion that her obsession with truth threatened to disrupt the corporate environment.
Rather than giving up, she took this realization and transmuted it into a position that was properly her own. Recently she proposed a new project which was well within her domain and more importantly she really wanted to contribute to the organization. The result? A promotion to head a new social marketing campaign that will be created in the upcoming period.
Or Tom, a 6 Loyalist type of identity. This had earned him the reputation of following the company’s policy of asking questions and even acting like the devil’s advocate all through to the utter annoyance of his team. With the help of knowing his type, he became able to direct the skepticism which he experienced in the proper way. He willingly took all the risks and become the ‘point man’ of risk management, and thanks to that, he was promoted to project manager.
Thus the Enneagram is not magic – it is an instrument. But when it is with the right and conscientious application, then, it proves to be magical.
Putting It All Together: The Enneagram Action Plan
So, you’re convinced. Calling all enneagram bros, the Enneagram is your ticket to the top. But how, in practical terms, does one work with it?
Here’s your step-by-step guide:
1. Take the test: Now there are endless options on the Internet and many of them are free, but for best quality I would advise to purchase the most reliable test.
2. Study your type: Do not merely dilute yourself to the scratch line. Sink below the water line and get to the real issues driving behavior, the things that make people feel vulnerable and what they want.
3. Identify your growth areas: How can your self-attributes cause you difficulty in the workplace?
4. Develop strategies: The above areas should be assigned plans to operationalize them within certain action envelopes. For instance, if you are a Type 2 that is fundamentally bad at delivering a no, start doing so in less critical contexts.
5. Learn about other types: It is therefore imperative that you try and get a hang of the kind of people you are working with in a bid to make communication much easier.
6. Apply your insights daily: It is recommended to start developing the habit of analysing your experiences with a view to searching for the connections that exist between them and the Enneagram.
7. Seek feedback: You can consult friends and other people you know whether or not they observed changes in your conduct or work performance.
But let me remind you – this is not about redefining your personality or altering your identity. It is about self-actualization, or self- improvement to the highest possible level that one is capable of.
The Million-Dollar Question: Is It True that the Enneagram Will Get You Promoted?
To be technical about it. Does it mean that as soon as you take an Enneagram test you will nudge yourself to the corner office?
Of course not. Career mobility does not hope on a single lucky strike.
BUT I have to add a very big but here If you take the time to really learn the system – the self-awareness the understanding the personal growth the ‘soft skills’, then yes – it can absolutely make you shine among your peers.
If this sounds like the goal- a guide for workplace politics, the internal structure of teams and growth for the character – then yes.
And the obvious is that any advantage can help in the modern competitive employment.
Well, are you ready to unleach your career superpowers?
The Choice Is Yours
You have this one moment, right now, before you start making your decisions – and in that moment, you are standing at a crossroads. To the left is the familiar territory of the same old problems, of the same old aggravations.
Down the other? A life-changing trip of self actualization which could also change your job.
Contrary to other diverse personality tests, the Enneagram is not a simple tool. Such an object can reflect, illustrate and guide: such an object is a mirror, a map, a mentor.
Then again, what is your choice going to be? Will you remain as you are, or will you explore the unknown just within your limits and over excel yourself?
The corner office, as many have noted, is waiting for its occupant. Well, are you ready to stake your claim on it?
Questions for Reflection:
1. What irritations do you have in your present working environment? In what way can knowledge of the Enneagram work help to deal with such difficulties?
2. That is why let me tell you about a conflict that has taken place at work in the past few weeks. In what ways would knowledge of the Enneagram have affected your practice?
3. In which field of professional activity do you perceive yourself to be in your weakness? In what regard can you progress further with the help of ideas provided by the Enneagram?
4. Do you know someone at work with whom you do not initially see eye to eye with or indeed have a conflict with occasionally? The specific ways that the knowledge of types in Enneagram could enhance your relationship can be best illustrated by the following examples:
5. So what is your greatest career aspiration presently? How might this self-awareness obtained from the Enneagram be of benefit in attaining it?
Bear in mind the Enneagram is not in any way a prison into which one is locked. The unspoken rules and tendencies it’s about are as simple and as profound as leaving the confining boxes, of which one, in many cases, was not even aware of, behind.
I have one last advice for you: take that Enneagram test. Dive deep. what again lies before the careers of these candidates are beyond anyone’s imagination.
It will save your future self a lot of hassle.
