As a leader, the Enneagram can reveal how others perceive you and why they react to you the way they do. It can tell you what elements of your leadership style help or hinder building trust.

The Enneagram uncovers the points of view, biases and the fears that influence your choices and govern how you lead. It can show you why you make decisions in the ways you do. And how and why you react to conflict.

In other words, it describes the personality you’ve taken on in order to be successful in work, relationships and life.

But the most important thing the Enneagram gives you is very clear, practical strategies and pathways to develop into the most well-adjusted, integrated and proficient leader you can be.

Why the Enneagram?

The Enneagram as a typing vehicle differs from many other style or leadership assessments.

It doesn’t assess overt behavior as most typing instruments do. Nor does it map out a standardized set of behaviors you should adopt as a leader.

Instead, it uncovers, the motivation behind what you do and the coping strategies you’ve developed as you’ve grown into an adult.

It reveals both your inherent strengths as a leader so you can evolve them, and the blind spots that impair your leadership so you can develop more skill. But within your own personality structure, not by trying to make you into someone you’re not!

The instrument I use, the iEQ9 Assessment, was designed specifically to coach professionals in the workplace. It is the most reliable Enneagram type assessment available with a data base of 100,000 global users. It has a proven accuracy of 95% among English speakers, using adaptive technology to present different questions based on the prior answers you select.

So, our approach to your coaching is data-based. But, you decide what fits and what doesn’t. The Enneagram doesn’t put you in a box. It shows what box you’ve put yourself in, and how to get out.

It is employed in many organizations worldwide, and I’ve personally experienced its use with students at Stanford School of Business, as well as in coaching teams and professionals in the workplace.

“Recently, our firm, DNA Consulting, conducted our own annual offsite and wanted to work with someone on our own personal growth and teaming abilities. Knowledge/Insight are two of our declared values. We asked Susan to assist us and lead us through an Enneagram weekend. We have worked together as a team at DNA for years, and I would say this one weekend with Susan helped us move to an entirely new place together as a team. In just two days she was able to masterfully guide us through a new set of frameworks and gain insights about ourselves and each other. We had fun, laughed and cried together, and so appreciated her skill in group work. We are a stronger team because of Susan.”

– Linda Dunkel, Founder and Partner, DNA Consulting