Navigating Transitions in the Workplace by Enneagram Type
Over the past few years, I’ve worked with dozens of companies and teams to help them navigate transitions through the Enneagram!
If you’d like to use the Enneagram to help your team improve communication and create a sense of connection, well-being, and mutual care, I’d love to work with you! Set up a free consultation to learn how I can help your team thrive.
In the last few months, I’ve noticed a trend in books that makes me want to throw them across the room.
See, many of my favorite books published in 2020 or 2021 feature some sort of reflection on the pandemic, and they specifically say something about ✨how beautiful it’s been to slow down✨ or ✨how the world’s consciousness has taken a deep breath and we’re all being righted anew.✨
Um. I don’t know about you, but that is NOT how I feel.
I feel more like my most scatterbrained friend dumped out her purse to find a bobby pin and didn’t quite get everything back in the bag.
I feel like we’ve gone to hell in a handbag — rustling around with loose sticks of gum and random receipts. And some days, the handbag is also on fire.
And yes, some of us have fared better than others, but I have no intention of painting a rosy picture of these last few years.
However, when I first wrote the post I want to share with you today, I thought 2020 would be a *season* not an upheaval. And when I read back the introduction, it reminded me of the paragraphs in those books that make me want to chuck them at the wall.
There’s no sugarcoating this – things have been difficult.
So instead of the introduction I wrote 18 months ago, let me say this instead:
Whether you’ve gone back to “normal,”
…or your work has changed or your kids' schooling has changed,
…whether you are perpetually “Zoomed-out” (what I call it when I can’t stand the thought of another virtual meeting),
…or you’re grieving
…or you’re worried about friends and family impacted by war overseas or violence at home,
…it’s all been a bit topsy-turvy. (An understatement akin to calling the last dab on hot ones a little spicy.)
Wherever you find yourself today, there have been many transitions to navigate as of late. And there has been a lot that we’ve needed to cope with and transition around over the last few years.
Today, I want to share a post with you that I first wrote with my friend and fellow Enneagram professional, Scott Allender. This post specifically relates to workplace transitions, but I’m sure there can be some resonance across various aspects of life. After all, we are who we are, wherever we are.
I’ll leave you with a few questions that this post seeks to answer:
What strengths do you bring to planning for transition?
What strengths might you overuse if you’re not careful?
What do you need to create space for in order to show up as your best self?
If you’d like to read more about each type, keep reading!
One
The Strengths Ones Bring to Transitions
Impartiality and fairness when evaluating the best way forward
The ability to remain focused on the objective
Logic, structure, and systems
Discernment
The ability to trust the process
Strengths Overused Can Look Like...
Over-reliance on systems, structures, and processes, even when they’re no longer working
Resentment toward those who don’t follow the processes properly
Resistance to agility and adaptation
Create space for…
Last minute changes, recognizing that agility and flexibility are helpful resources in times of ongoing transition
Two
The Strengths Twos Bring to Transitions
Making sure everyone is heard
A sense of optimism that things will work out
Big picture thinking
Cooperation
The willingness to work hard for the team
Strengths Overused Can Look Like...
Feeling dejected if their contributions aren’t recognized or appreciated
Overworking themselves on projects that should be owned by someone else
Neglecting things they need to do to make their life or job sustainable
Create space for…
Checking in with the self to make sure that contributions aren’t rooted in a desire to feel loved and affirmed
Three
The Strengths Three Bring to Transitions
Practicality
Instilling confidence in the possibilities
The ability to imagine the big picture and the steps to get there
Task-focused & committed to deadlines
Willingness to step up wherever needed
Strengths Overused Can Look Like...
Being dismissive of those who aren’t working as hard as they are toward the goal
Rushing to action too quickly, cutting corners, or excluding important information on their way to the finish line
Over-selling a picture of utopia in order to convince people to come along with them, who may otherwise wish to head in a different direction
Create space for…
Identifying and acknowledging your feelings & the feelings of others, to create a psychologically safe climate & encourage emotional commitment to the changes ahead
Four
The Strengths Fours Bring to Transitions
Creative thinking
The ability to see what is missing in the change strategy
Empathy for others who may struggle with change
Surfacing difficult emotions & creating safety for team members to express themselves
Openness to different perspectives
Strengths Overused Can Look Like...
Becoming too focused on how the change feels & not enough on execution
Introjecting others’ emotions or opinions at the expense of logic & reason
Becoming dejected & withdrawn when reality doesn’t live up to ideals
Create space for…
The mundane and less interesting parts of implementing transitions. See to the details & stay focused on the feelings & needs of others without comparing them to your feelings/needs.
Five
The Strengths Fives Bring to Transitions
Thorough consideration of various elements of any problem
Consistency and outward steadiness
Curiosity
Asking thoughtful, relevant questions to ease the transition for everyone involved
A desire to gain expertise when needed
Strengths Overused Can Look Like...
Becoming so focused on the problem that their minds cycle through endless minutia
Resorting to isolation to prevent their steadiness from being upended
Separating themselves from emotion to the point that things no longer make sense
Create space for…
Feelings of fear, anxiety, and the unknown. Take small steps forward, even if everything is not yet knowable, and clarity will often follow. Lean into connecting with others who are transitioning with you.
Six
The Strengths Sixes Bring to Transitions
Acute awareness of all possibilities
Comfort with surfacing elements of the plan that could go wrong so that everyone can benefit
Dutifully accomplishing the next task
Willingness to do what is needed
Intention, purpose, and consideration
Strengths Overused Can Look Like...
Becoming so focused on preparation that they don’t see or appreciate what’s going well
Surfacing so many risks that the project feels too big to accomplish
Getting stuck in preparation mode
Create space for…
Confidence in the competence that others bring. It’s sometimes hard for Sixes to trust when someone else says things are ready to move forward, even when that person has not shown to be untrustworthy. Allowing the self to trust someone else can be a growth exercise.
Seven
The Strengths Sevens Bring to Transitions
The ability to see all the new birth, new growth, and advantages available
Positivity and enthusiasm
The confidence and courage needed to move forward through uncertainty
Willingness to challenge the status quo
Unorthodox ideas that just might work
Strengths Overused Can Look Like...
Looking for a silver lining to the point that they are missing the dark cloud above
Becoming frustrated when others can’t keep up
Not allowing the self to mourn what has been lost as part of embracing the new
Create space for…
Slowing down to find the best way forward. It’s not always easy, but especially when working on teams, slowing down just a touch can ease tension and help you make better decisions. Allow room for others’ difficult emotional experiences without compulsively reframing them for them.
Eight
The Strengths Eights Bring to Transitions
Big-picture thinking AND the ability to cut excess
Focus on fairness and speaking up for those who don’t speak for themselves
Direct, transparent, and truthful about all that the change will require
High-energy, roll-up-the-sleeves work toward getting things done
Impact and intuition
Strengths Overused Can Look Like...
Becoming so focused on driving things forward that they don’t listen to the concerns of others.
Their directness, truth & transparency can feel over-bearing & insensitive to others.
Becoming dismissive of those who don’t match their level of energy, commitment, or intensity.
Create space for…
Allowing & acknowledging your softer emotions, and the feelings of others, in order to create the climate of trust & safety that you desire to have. Help others learn to fight their own fights instead of reactively trying to fight for them.
Nine
The Strengths Nines Bring to Transitions
Actively listening to diverse perspectives & opinions on strategy
The ability to keep a level head & bring balance to the team
A comforting and optimistic presence
Commitment to thinking through various aspects of the situation with careful attention
Steadiness
Strengths Overused Can Look Like...
Allowing everyone’s opinions to overshadow their own.
Focusing on the things they don’t want, but remaining unable or unwilling to articulate what they do want
Becoming so concerned with creating a peaceful experience, that they may passive-aggressively resist actions that they disagree with, but don’t vocalize
Create space for…
Getting comfortable with healthy conflict by taking inventory of your own preferences and voicing them to the group. Put yourself first, be honest, direct, and transparent. Shift your attention from what you don’t want, to what you do want.
Steph Barron Hall
Stephanie Barron Hall (M.A. Organizational Communication & Leadership) is a speaker, certified Enneagram coach, author of the book, The Enneagram in Love: A Roadmap for Building and Strengthening Romantic Relationships. Stephanie founded her Instagram page, @NineTypesCo, in 2017 as a way to explore her own interest in the Enneagram, and it has since grown into a community of people who are learning about the Enneagram, themselves, and their relationships together. Stephanie specializes in bringing clarity to complex concepts and communicating the Enneagram in a way that is relatable and concise so that it can be transformative for all.
Scott Allender
Scott Allender is currently the Senior Vice President of Talent Strategy & Development at Warner Music Group, and an expert in global leadership and organizational development. Scott is a professionally certified enneagram teacher, certified Myers Briggs and Hogan practitioner, and a certified emotional intelligence coach. Scott is also the cohost of The Evolving Leader Podcast (co-hosted with Jean Gomes). Scott is also the creator of a multi-award-winning leadership development program and has built a broad curriculum of custom workshops and programs that accelerate organizational performance. Scott regularly teaches enneagram workshops, conducting typing interviews, and emotional intelligence assessments for individuals and teams who seek to become more radically self-aware and cognizant of the impact they have on the world. He also shares weekly enneagram insights on Instagram at @eqenneagram. Scott is a husband, and father of two amazing daughters.
