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WHY USE THE ENNEAGRAM
 It’s the cornerstone of our work at Solution Points. There
are many typologies out there, such as MBTI, DISC, 4-Quadrants, and
even astrology. No other system matches the power and clarity of
the Enneagram. Many people ask me what I mean by that. Let me
explain.
I recently heard someone put it this way, “The Enneagram has legs.”
That means once you learn this system, it can “run” far with you,
supporting your journey of development whenever you remember to look
at the dynamics of ”type” playing out in your life.
The reasons include its immediate resonance--a sense of “ah-ah” and
“it’s true.” This allows you to begin to recognize your
patterns and take corrective action to a
better way. It’s dynamic and deep, so it’ll support your
continued development over your lifetime. Since our
personalities always influence our experiences, Enneagram
applications address practically any situation. You’ll
grow to understand people on a new level.
Simply stated, the Enneagram is the best!
Immediate Resonance and Actionable Information
For many people, the moment of determining their type feels like
coming home. Your type’s description suddenly becomes more
meaningful as it moves from a theory to the known experience of your
life. Light bulbs will go on in your head as you realize all of the
areas of your life are being described.
Learning your type isn’t always an easy experience. Once,
while helping a group of 60 people type themselves, I walked by a
man who looked upset. I asked him if there was a problem and he
said, “Yes.” When I asked if he needed help determining his type, he
said, “No, I have figured out my type. That’s the problem!” Well,
the good news for him and everyone who learns their type is: You can
evolve and grow beyond your habitual patterns. Until then, you are
trapped by them.
This leads us to another benefit of using the Enneagram: once you
know your type, you can further your development immediately. We
are blind to the moment by moment habits of our minds, knowing your
Enneagram type opens up a new world for awareness in everything you
do. Just by catching yourself in the act of a previously unknown
tendency brings you to a moment of choice for the first time; this
is you developing emotional intelligence.
Dynamic & Deep
The Enneagram is a circle. Its fundamental premise is that we all
have access to all of the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of being
human through each of the types.
As people learn the Enneagram system, they often report that they
relate to multiple types and get confused because they also learn
that we each have just one primary style. The Enneagram explains
that each primary type is strongly influenced by four other types;
two types next to us (called our “wings”) and two types connected by
lines or arrows. We unconsciously “move” to these types under
certain circumstances.
As we develop our self-awareness, we access the wisdom of each of
these connected points, developing our skills and honing our
intended impact. As we move forward in our self-mastery, we look
to the remaining four types for guidance as well as integrating our
three centers of intelligence; head, heart and body.
Beyond those movements, there are varying degrees of self-mastery
within each type. For example, an unaware person will have
different experiences of thinking, emoting, and behaving than an
average or highly aware person of the same type. Yet the underlying
motivation and core belief remain the same for these people. As we
develop, we can choose how we respond to our fundamental
motivations.
A more advanced Enneagram concept is called the “instincts”.
We all have three: self-preservation, sexual, and social. One of
these is dominant (or over-used) and becomes our “sub-type”.
Fine-tuning our awareness by exploring our sub-type helps bring
these three instincts into balance; another way to develop
ourselves.
If you are getting confused on how all of these things fit
together, then I’m making my point. The Enneagram is dynamic and
deep! Learning it experientially will make help make it come alive
for you!
Practical Application
The key qualities that make outstanding leaders include:
vision, results, effective communication, conflict resolution, team
development, authenticity and personal mastery. With the Enneagram,
you can develop all of them.
Many great models exist in the leadership development world. Using
them in conjuncture with the Enneagram helps you create specific
action plans that are uniquely effective for you!
Understanding Others
A basic framework for how to find our way of relating to others
is invaluable. It helps us see the people in our lives through a
richer lens of perception. When we become aware of how others are
receiving our words, we can learn to reach them more clearly.
When we understand the motivation underlying the words of others, we
take things less personally. Working on teams becomes easier and
relationships make more sense.
The bottom line? The Enneagram launches immediate
self-development and guides you and your team to a framework for
life-long growth.
Explore how we use the Enneagram in our
services or learn more about
me.
Welcome to the journey,
Matt Ahrens
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