There is a shift in what Canadians say they want in a leader from what we have experienced as the archetypal ‘in charge” leader to a more people focused approach. A recent survey by Psychometrics Canada identified what current leadership looks like by temperament and then compares that to what people indicate as the profile of their optimal choice.

Current leadership profile:

• 40 % SJ Temperament – “someone who is thorough and orderly, and focuses on organizational stability and consolidating systems”
• 30% NT Temperament – “someone who is pragmatic and analytical, and focuses on creating far-reaching and comprehensive plans”

Survey results for “ideal leader”

• 67% NF Temperament – “someone who is democratic and involved, and focuses on working with and through people”

The article in Psychometrics Quarterly newsletter goes on to say

The other three temperament groups were selected much less frequently. NT leaders, who adopt a strategic, long-range focus, were seen as the ideal leader by 13% of respondents. SP leaders, who like to tackle problems resourcefully and have a timely cleverness, were seen as ideal by 11% of respondents. Leaders with an SJ temperament, who tend to be traditional and act as a stabilizing force on their organization, were seen as ideal by 7% of those who completed the survey.

What challenge does this really indicate to current leadership? I wonder if influences such as the internet have had a democratizing effect that demands a different approach everywhere in the workplace, in parenting and in politics. No matter what your temperament type, it is not sufficient to give lip-service to the people factor. Are we really ready to create the kinds of structures, systems and leadership models that allow people to risk contributing freely?

Seth Godin, author of Linchpin and my blog of choice each day talks about the limitations imposed by the fear originating in what he calls our lizard brain.

“The lizard is a physical part of your brain, the pre-historic lump near the brain stem that is responsible for fear and rage and reproductive drive.”

This fear shows up as resistance that infects the voice in our head we listen to telling us “to go slow, be careful, not to risk, not to try, not to rock the boat, not to stand out etc. etc,)

There is a distinction I would like to add to Seth’s wisdom that comes from understanding the instinctual subtypes of Enneagram. In other words we are not all created equal in our motivation in this area. We are driven by needs for intimacy, for social needs and for security, safety and self care or self preservation needs. BUT we do not have these in the same intensity or priority. You can watch the clip of Enneagram author Helen Palmer below http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D86IVsoiqTE

If you recognize that self preservation or security needs are highly important to you, you need to factor that into how you decide what to listen to. These needs are not going to go away nor can you simply dismiss them. However, it seems to me that people with strong security needs often pay a price that they don’t acknowledge consciously. They will stay in a relationship or difficult work situation long past the time to take action because the familiar discomfort of the current conditions seems less painful than the discomfort of the what is unknown and insecure.

Avoiding is not a strategy or plan that works long term. Don’t wait for a crisis in order to make a plan of action. You can make a plan that is rational and well considered and respectful of who you are as a person. Sacrificing your power by relinquishing the steering wheel for the illusion of safety is anything but safe.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D86IVsoiqTE

We become the stories we tell ourselves. I have seen assessment tools such as the MBTI and Enneagram used to justify believing faulty tales we tell ourselves about who we are.

In case I have just lost you completely let me get more concrete.

Imagine an INTJ who in the course of their day to day work is accustomed to getting the “big picture” swiftly and getting into action perhaps without a lot of engagement with fellow staff because why bother when the outcome required is so obvious and required. The INTJ simply sees things so clearly that they can’t imagine others don’t as well.

On the other hand in this specific circumstance the powers that interpreted this independent and individualistic approach as something exclusionary, perhaps cool and labeled it not “collegial” and grounds for dismissal in a work culture that values being a team player.

Here’s where the storytelling part kicks in.

Does this become the truth… that this person is not collegial and is somehow defective in this area? Or is this an event to learn from and to use to build next steps? What a shame to let it become part of a story that reinforces something that keeps one stuck and in fear of trying again.

We are always trying to make sense of reality. Something happens. We bring what we know from our senses and then we interpret that data through all the filters of our past experiences and our belief systems. It is an easy leap to latch onto a tool such as the MBTI to explain or even justify what occurred. “Because I am INTJ or INFP or name your type, I can’t…I don’t….I won’t…they always…this happens…”

My advice is to see each event for what it is or what it was. Something happened. Perhaps based on MBTI preferences how someone responded contributed to the way people reacted BUT it is not a direct automatic result that will happen every time. Each one of us gets to be at choice. We can become aware of our impact on others. Armed with that knowledge we can become transparent about how we interact. Yes it may take courage to say something like “I get focused on the end result and may need your help to remember to seek your input or lighten up or…”

In decision after decision day after day we get to decide what we want to happen or at least how we want to react to what happens and not let past experiences become a verdict of a doomed future.

If a past experience cannot be forgiven or forgotten get help from a coach or therapist to reframe the event and get the learning. Then let go of the story especially if it impacts negatively on your identity and decide what is the next step that lines up with your heart, your gut and your head.

(Note: This post was sparked by an email from a reader. Unfortunately the return email was not deliverable so I wanted to address the aspect of storytelling that leaped off the screen at me by responding in a post – not my first choice but perhaps it will resonate with someone else as well)

This is a tale of apples and oranges.. The MBTI and Enneagram are two very different personality typologies which look at very different things. They work well when used in conjunction to provide a fuller understanding of what make us tick just as apples and oranges both contribute to making an excellent fruit salad.

The MBTI is based on the work of Karl Jung and it looks at the conscious functions of taking in information through the functions of Sensing and Intuition and making decisions through Thinking or Feeling. The underlying assumption is that one way of doing this is not inherently better than another. It is a preference one has that is in fact not an indication of skill or talent but of what is often most accessible and therefore most often practiced. The 4 letter code that makes up the 16 different MBTI types helps to indicate how these functions interconnect. Most MBTI literature focuses on the positive or more neutral aspects of the types before looking at what happens “in the grip” of stress.

The Enneagram has a history that is more esoteric. It dates back before the mystic schools of Islam where the Sufis used aspects of the Enneagram in the spiritual development of initiates. When the Enneagram was brought to the West the first teachers were exploring questions in psychology concerned with dysfunction. The Enneagram looks at the world of the unconscious and how the 9 different worldviews outlined by the Enneagram influence our orientation to the world. The current teachers of the Enneagram have shifted the focus from the shadow aspects of personality to focusing on real world applications of the model for business and self development.

Mapping One onto the Other
There isn’t a direct correlation- hence the apples and oranges analogy. There are some things that may be typical however given the understanding that there is an exception to every one of these forced correlations.

• Enneagram 5 and I,T
• Enneagram 8 and E
• Enneagram 2 and F
• Enneagram 7 and E,P
• Enneagram 1 and J
• Enneagram 3 and E
• Enneagram 9 and I
• Enneagram 4 and I,N,F

Some authors and researchers such as Tom Flautt and Renee Baron with Elizabeth Wagele have mapped this even more extensively than my very limited correlations. They too add the cautionary tale of exceptions being a distinct possibility.

Using these tools

The MBTI has a validated inventory that has one publisher so that it is readily recognized across sectors as a valuable tool in business for team building and personal development. People can recognize areas of possible strength and what else may need looking after. The downside is the perception that it can be learned and applied in a one time event. Without reinforcement the MBTI type may be forgotten and shelved MBTI-amnesia!

The Enneagram has a variety of assessments that have been tested to various degrees. It comes out of the oral tradition and is best learned by watching participants discuss their type in a workshop setting. Then you can see the physical characteristics, patterns of speech as well as hearing typical ways of focusing attention. Even though it may not have been as rigorously tested for validity the Enneagram has its own distinct advantages in certain circumstances. It too can be effective for personal development and creating understanding in teams. The Enneagram is uncannily accurate in capturing core dynamics. In part this means that the disowned shadow elements are also on the table from the beginning and some people find this challenging.

My personal take is that the Enneagram is a harder “sell” in a business environment, but a very important tool that anyone serious about leadership ought to consider. It isn’t the easiest route to take but the rewards of self knowledge at the deepest level make it worth the effort. At the end of the day real leaders need to dig deep to take people into uncharted territory.

Knowing both tools adds the distinctions that make for a truer picture. Mastery is in the ability to make these kinds of distinctions.

Please don’t make me choose I am delighted to have both in my toolkit.

Click here if you cannot see this doodle

This MBTI based cartoon is based on a direct quote from an ISTJ. I love the word “obviously” smack in the middle of this summation. I can imagine someone who knows what their place is in the organizational structure and abides by all of the spoken and unspoken traditions that accompany the org chart. Efficient, orderly, organized and a strong dose of being realistic. The job at hand gets done – fun, frivolity and spontaneity may not be in the job description here.