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People with a preference for INTP seem to have finely tuned radar that let’s them look at any situation and literally “see” the underlying principles involved. Understanding the requisite guiding principles for the best result and then operating accordingly is second nature. Therefore they may also measure the success of an endeavour by how closely the result matches these guiding principles.

What may not be second nature is fully understanding that others do not necessarily process the same way. People with different preferences may need help to make the connection between a particular principle and the behaviours that go along with it.

I can imagine that it is disappointing to the INTP when the people act in a way that goes counter to agreed principles. It is worth taking the time up front to help make some links.

“If we say we agree on these principles what does that look like in action?”

It may also seem too obvious but keeping a running check in will keep “drift” from being inevitable.

“Does this current direction align with our principles?”

Do you have a set of operating principles for how you conduct your business (or career)?

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

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.

Palliative care takes a special kind of person. Imagine stepping into this role with someone in your social circle.

Recently I spoke with a woman who commented that she had just come from the last visit with a woman who she had been caring for for the last 6 months. That wasn’t her career and she hadn’t even started out as a best friend, but here she was saying goodbye to someone important in her life.

Granted she had skills that allowed her to do this work as a caregiver. She had been a nurse and is a trained coach working in the education system with families. However what was amazing to me was the combination of practicality and compassion that went hand in hand in her approach.

Understandably the family of the woman who was dying were in a state of confusion and denial. Part of what this ESFJ offered to them was being able to see through the overwhelm to know what needed to be done not only in the moment but for the next steps. The suggestions she made provided organized, well thought through information with concrete steps that were easily achievable. The family came to trust her open and compassionate guidance. Plus it gave them something to do to feel somewhat in control.

ESFJ’s supply warmth and are a steadying influence. They work well in systems and/or teams as they create collaborative environments where the practical needs of all concerned are top of mind.

What was most evident to me was the value in the simple act of daily conversation. These two women talked from the heart about what was wanting to be said…no holding back…no being afraid to go to all of the scary places.

Perhaps other types can also bring this level of heart and hand but this ESFJ has my vote for getting her angel wings.

I love it when real life situations inspire a “doodle” – one of my MBTI cartoons. I had scheduled a day of work with a friend, who happens to have a preference for Perceiving, when towards the late afternoon she asked if we could continue in the evening as she had other things scheduled.

Work horse that I am, I had to ask what could possibly interrupt our work flow. A big grin crossed her face as she announced that this was a “S” day and that as well as working with me she also had a swim time planned followed by Scrabble.

I laughed thinking that it was a coincidence that everything started with an “S”, but when I asked what letter day the next day was she rattled off the items all starting with “C” with such a straight face as if it was the most natural way of scheduling one’s day.

I realize this an unprofessional question but I wonder “Do P”s have more fun?”

In self-development work it seems to me that people often fall in love with the first assessment tool that offered them some insight. The Enneagram is that tool for me. This model of nine worldviews and ways of focusing attention was the first window that allowed me to see that how I was in the world made sense in the larger scheme of things. At the same time it held up a mirror so that for the first time I understood the concept of “blindspot” and how mine played out in my thinking and behaviour.

During a recent visit to Victoria British Columbia I attended an Introduction to the Enneagram workshop hosted by Kira MacDuffee and Edward Colley. Both Kira and Edward use the Enneagram as a lens in their work with clients as Clinical Counsellors so they have an intimate familiarity with the model.

While their presentation was chock full of useful and practical applications of the the model what I appreciated most was just how grounded their teaching was in the deeper meanings offered by the Enneagram. One of the things that initially appealed to me about the Enneagram was illustrated by the respectful approach taken by my first teachers. Kira and Edward made a point of setting the training in a historical context and helping us make the distinction between finding our type as an orientation – a home base and using it as yet another way to excuse or restrict ourselves. They reinforced the importance of not using the model label but rather to understand possible dynamics between essence qualities and how our personality acts to compensate for loss of connection with that essence quality.

The participants in the workshop responded to this approach willingly engaging in exercises designed to mark out how aspects of the various types are alive for each of us. One woman, an Enneagram Four expressed the impact of taking an online Enneagram assessment, ” When I got my Enneagram results it was one of the few times I’d felt seen and by a computer at that!”

The reminder that the Enneagram is a map of how we have lost our connection to our central nature, a look at our strategy to avoid pain was enough to remind me why I fell in love with it in the first place. It has helped me develop compassion for myself and others.

Thank you Kira and Edward

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIT7easNGFE

Visioning through collage making is something that I have done with individual clients and teams. The process typically includes some upfront exercises and discussions to clarify the purpose of the exploration and to focus in on what’s important. During the collage making itself participants are encouraged to be spontaneous and allow surprises to happen. And they do!

If time allows my preference is always to work on good quality gessoed canvas with professional quality paint. Colour plays an important role in setting the tone. I want people to be able to paint their canvas the colour that matches their vision. If you just asked what the heck does that mean, it’s not so woo woo. If the next steps will require the intention of passion and drive the colour might be red or orange, if the coming year is one of integration a cooler colour such as blue or green may be the right call. In all the years of doing this people just know what colour they need/want after a few exercises upfront to mine for gold.

Because we integrate the cognitive processes at the beginning, people are more willing to go into a “play” zone, similar to brainstorming where we say YES to everything and then edit down afterward by listening to our intuition and the wisdom of the body as well as our more rational side.

This collage making process integrates nicely with other work:

• Creating a vision of excellent client care for a service organization
• Emerging the leading edge of personal leadership for directors and managers
• Anchoring discoveries during an intact team offsite
• Setting an intention for the upcoming year for independent professionals / coaches /consultants
• Rounding out a business planning session to capture the essence of the new direction
• Illustrating the sweet spot of growth as part of retreat using the Enneagram
• Focusing on what’s important for individuals dealing with cancer

I have had 99% positive response

• From people of all MBTI types
• From senior managers who came into the room shocked and clutching the door who later did a complete 180 dragging me into their office to brag about their piece during the following months
• From coaches who have brought their clients for a joint session. The clients not only gained some insight but by seeing their coach work the level of trust, transparency and deep conversation was enhanced
• From team members who were surprised at what they learned about each other

Because the message of the collage is captured visually with colour and images the person is able to anchor the essence of their intention for what they are focusing on next. I have heard from people who put the collage in their office but also from folks who have theirs in the laundry room or bathroom where they will see it. I have one friend who does an annual collage and swears it is her best planning tool as she almost always completes her vision withing six months.

Collage – have you done one?

Aaron was inspired to do his own MBTI cartoons for his type INFJ. He tells me that the inspiration for these come from his own life. I think they speak for themselves. Thanks for sharing Aaron. You can learn more about him at his website, blog or follow him on Twitter

Sensing and Intuitive Entrepreneurs in Action

This “Doodle” came out of a chicken and egg conversation I had this week. The natural starting point for those who prefer Intuition is with the big picture. Those with a Sensing preference may start with something more concrete and visible and build the big picture as the pieces add up.

Even though I know better – this still blows my mind.

Where do you start? AND how does it work for you?

Life Coach Yost posted a great piece on INTJ humour which was too good not to pass on. This post features the Intel commercial below which is funny in itself. What I enjoyed about Yost’s post, MBTI geek that I am, is the way Lauren, a self- disclosed INTJ talks about the video clip. There is nothing like hearing things first hand.

I did a workshop for an intact team that had a predominance of INTJ’s and they were very silent during the session. During a break one of the participants assured me that they were hilarious but that with my ENFP sensibilities I just might not “get it.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXZ1Qg-k3Xc