Using the Enneagram and More!
April 2005

We know of an accomplished and well respected professional; we'll call him Paul.

In 1977 at the age of 27 he could be described as talented but "highly dogmatic, self-righteous, intolerant, inflexible, and severely judgmental."

In 2005 at twice that age many refer to him as "principled, objective, extraordinarily wise and discerning, humane, and inspiring."

What happened to this fellow during those last 27 years? Did he get a personality transplant? No, he's a "one" enneagram type, whatever that means.

If you know much about personality, you realize that we can't really change the stripes on a zebra. However, as is so powerfully described in Personality Types , by Don Richard Riso and Russ Hudson, we can have a healthy or unhealthy expression of the one personality we grow up with. These authors are two of the most well regarded experts in the use of the Enneagram Personality Type system that is widely recognized as the most comprehensive and profound system of understanding personality today. In our opinion, its' practical value far exceeds that of Meyers-Briggs and other similar tools. The enneagram system is a set of 9 distinct personality types that come in both "healthy" and "unhealthy" versions. No one type is viewed as inherently better or worse than any other, taking a lot of the pressure off of our "need to fix or change ourselves." The journey is about discovering your own type (it's not difficult at all) and becoming aware of the expression of yourself that emanates from the unrefined aspects of your personality. Once you find your type in the system and read your chapter, you will be shocked at how clearly the system depicts you - in all of your brilliant glory and otherwise! To get started we recommend you look into what's available at The Enneagram Institute.

"I can't believe you've been in business 21 years and have only been teaching the remembrance for the past 5 years! It's the most amazing approach to personal change I've ever experienced. It's huge. How did you ever do without it?"
- Carrie Ure, Wildwood Restaurant

And while having the guts to look into the darker and lighter sides of your own personality is a giant step forward, awareness is only the beginning. By understanding and discovering the essential qualities that exist beneath your personality, you won't be driven by the unhealthy aspects of your self. This is hard work, but who do you want running your life - Paul at 27 or Paul at 54?!? Unfortunately, it wasn't just the natural maturation process that did the trick for Paul. At 45 he was still making some of the same mistakes that he was making at age 27 - in a much more sophisticated manner, mind you. So what accelerated his learning curve during the past 9 years? A practice of reflection or remembrance that opened his heart to love, peace, compassion and freedom from the "internal personality debris" that kept coming out unintentionally - no matter how hard he tried to "do it better." You'll learn a ton if you dive into the enneagram work - please do because it's extremely useful. But you won't accelerate your leadership learning curve the way Paul did, unless you clean your heart of your personality debris - and learn to express the power and wisdom that is already in your heart. Fortunately, Paul has made this work the cornerstone of LionHeart's coaching and leadership programs. Many consultants can help you with awareness and identifying your problems, but LionHeart provides the tools, support and encouragement to create real change if you are ready. Our unique approach will assist you take off from where other great resources have gotten you, because learning to distinguish, trust and follow the voice of inner wisdom is the most powerful way available to "put your best personality forward." If you are interested in acceleration, contact our office at 503-632-8572.