Evolutive leadership

Diversity of response is certainly a potential benefit for a company, but initially it can be a headache for a team manager, who has to identify and manage his own responses, and then those of his colleagues. The Enneagram offers a powerful interpretation tool, not only for analysing situations, but above all for initiating change in a realistic way.

Example: Responses of the 9 Types faced with change

According to Kouzes and Posner, acknowledged experts in transformational leadership, true leaders develop the following 5 capacities:

1. they can question processes: they look for opportunities, experiment, take calculated risks;

2. they inspire a shared vision: they can suggest a vision of the future and obtain the support of subordinates to achieve this vision;

3. they enable others to act: they promote collaboration rather than competition and support subordinates in their personal development;

4. they provide an example in their own behaviour, showing how to progress step by step to attain ambitious goals, making them accessible and realistic;

5. they recognise subordinates’ contributions and celebrate successes.

These qualities have much more to do with personal integration by leaders in their 3 centres than with technical day to day management skills. And you don’t learn this in books, but in practice in the workplace. This is why in 1993 Philippe Halin, with Anne Jacob, launched residential LeaderTrip sessions, where the Enneagram is the central tool. They continue today with Joseph Fléron, another HPEI certified trainer, in the form of LeaderStep, also greatly valued by leaders.