Could This Star Reveal The Secret Of Success?

By Bryan Christie

   Dizzy blonde is the image cultivated by the actress Goldie Hawn but scrape away the glitter and underneath lies an ingenious and innovative thinker ever dreaming on a grand scale. Goldie Hawn is a visionary. She is a Seven.

Margaret Thatcher was promoting an anti-litter campaign, cleaning up a messy corner of London for the benefit of the cameras. After the media had all the shots they needed, the prime minister was still picking up the litter and ordering her officials to help out. Margaret Thatcher is a perfectionist. She is a One.

These are two of nine basic personality types which, according to a new book, determine how we see the world and interact with one another. Each type has "its own natural gifts, limitations and blind spots, its own distinctive way of thinking, acting and being."

They form part of an ancient philosophical system, the enneagram, which it is claimed will help to make sense of an apparently increasingly baffling world. Knowledge is power and the enneagram is said to provide the key to unlock inside information on the motivation and beahvior of friends, work colleagues and your boss.

Michael Goldberg, the book's author and an intrnational management consultant has worked with managers at the Central Intelligence Agency in using the enneagram to analyse leadership and managerial beahvior."With the enneagram you are in a position to understand why others act in the bizarre, inconsiderate, intrusive, self-interested, seductive or charming ways they do," he says.

Some people might find it valuable to know that Tony Blair- a three- is likely to react like a nine when under stress. His task-oriented approach is likely to fragment, concentration will weaken and instead of his usual sense of competence and control, he will begin to feel a victim of events. After that he may even get elected.

The nine types are neither fixed nor imutable- we move between them when we are under stress or on a high. Caring helpers (twos) become bossier bullies (eithers) under stress while they become more passionate and aspirational (fours) when things are going well. Goldberg stresses that the types are pointers which help to explain behavior patterns but they do not amount to the full story. However, the enneagram, he says, can be particularly useful in helping to get the best out of ther people- and for knowing when to steer clear of them.

Understanding what motivates them means you can respond more effectively to what they want. "The more you can adjust to see the world from a problem person's point of view, the more effective you will be when you encounter them," says Goldberg.

What happens when a high-minded perfectionist (One) ends up working for an unscrupulous Top Dog (Eight)? Although the perfectionist might be tempted to try to exercise his moral superiority, this route offers few recommendations. The things that are important to a One- rules, regulations, procedures and conventions- are insignificant to an Eight. Instead the book recommends that a One should offer what an Eight needs to be effective- steadiness, moderation and restraint.

The personality types determine the characteristics of people's work performance. Fours, for instance, centre on their own creativity and want to be quality producers and providers. Sixes, by contrast, worry about hidden agendas and any possible downside risks so that they can prepare. Nines want to bring all sides together to ensure the workplace is free of conflict. Goldberg says the characteristic style of people at work can mean they solve the wrong problem because of "tram-line" thinking. He tells the story of Peter, a Seven who owned a company that manufactured swimwear and sunglasses. It had a loose, fun seven-type company culture. However, the company was not doing well and Peter, committed to keeping things upbeat, thought he had a morale problem. He responded by increasing the perks to senior executives.