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.

The problem, however, was not morale but quality control. There were too many defects in the products which were being returned regularly by suppliers. It was only through expressions with external advisers that these problems became apparent.
As the psychologist Abraham Maslow pointed out, "When all that you have is a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail."
So the enneagram, according to Michael Goldberg, can be a powerful addition to your toolbox .

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by Vincent Alonzo

UNFORTUNATELY, THERE ISN'T one type of incentive that will galvanize all salespeople. If that were the case, creating incentive programs would be easy. But everyone is different. Is there any way to make general assumptions about what a given employee will find motivating? Learning the nine basic personality types of the Enneagram-an ancient Greek personality defining tool--can offer modern-day insight into what excites people. The following primer provides a brief look at each of the types, who they are, and how to rouse them.

TYPE 1 THE PERFECTIONIST

Traits: This type is driven to do the right thing. They are often critical of self as well as others, with a strong sense of responsibility. They are also prone to repressed anger.

How to motivate them: "They are good soldiers about following the plan. Be sure to recognize them when they do things in accordance to the rules. With incentive plans, these employees respond best to well-communicated criteria that is consistent," says Michael Goldberg, a Santa Barbara, California-based Enneagram consultant and author of 9 Ways of Working (Marlowe Company).

TYPE 2 THE HELPER

Traits: These people will go the extra mile to please others at the cost of taking care of themselves. Helpers give and are proud of it, but strings are often attached. "These are people who are concerned with relationships," says Joel Rothhaizer, CEO, Clear Impact Consulting Group, a Boulder, Coloradobased organizational consulting company. "They need to have personal relationships with their managers and know that they are appreciated."

How to motivate them: Goldberg says, "They respond to plaques, awards, and that type of recognition. But they favor one-on-one relationships rather than standing out in front of the group."

TYPE 3 THE ACHIEVER

Traits: Achievers are efficient, goal-driven, and focused on being a winner. "These people need to be successful and be viewed by others as successful," Rothhaizer says.

How to motivate them: "They are the easiest to motivate," Goldberg says. "It's about getting to the finish line first. They like public recognition, such as an office leader board, that tells them exactly where they stand in relation to everyone else and for coworkers to know that they won an award. An achiever will also respond well to flashy merchandise that will help them display their success to the general public."

TYPE 4 THE INDIVIDUALIST

Traits: Individualists are sensitive to beauty and meaning, but prone to melancholy, feelings of inadequacy, and envy. "These people are motivated by quality," Goldberg says. "They are creative and complex people looking for emotional depth."

How to motivate them: "Recognize their uniqueness and depth and let them know they're playing a crucial role in the organization's success," Goldberg says. "These people create wonderful works, but they are often frustrated by the process. Help them with the process and they'll give you their best."

TYPE 5 THE OBSERVER

Traits: This type is perceptive and looks at information in new ways. They are also prone to emotional detachment. "They like to work with ideas rather than a lot of emotional contact," Rothhaizer says.

How to motivate them: "Give them the time and space to immerse themselves in their work," Rothhaizer says. "Performance goals are very hard for these people. Tell them far in advance what is expected so they have some sense of parameters and a bottom line. These people don't want to be surprised. Avoid emotional bonding or rah-rah motivation."

TYPE 6 THE TEAM PLAYER

Traits: Team players are loyal and engaging, but full of contradictions that create self-doubt and indecisiveness. "These people tend to be worriers, the paranoid types," Goldberg says. "Ibey are always looking for threats."

Acknowledge their concerns. Allow them their long litany of negative expectations. Then introduce the upside. It encourages them to move from thinking about all the things that can go wrong to how to proactively reach the goal.

How to motivate them: "They need opportunity for loyalty and belonging," Goldberg says. "Creating teams is the way to motivate them."

TYPE 7 THE ENTHUSIAST

Traits: "These people are fixated on the upside," Rothhaizer says, "and they need lots of stimulation and action. But they also need to be grounded. Team them with people who are good at follow-through to help complete projects."

How to motivate them: "Let them find their own motivation and enthusiasm for the job," Rothhaizer says. "If you have a whole lot of them, that group will organize a lot of parties and outings for themselves."

Rothhaizer suggests rewards such as trips to race car driving schools or baseball fantasy camps. "Keep it fun, lively, and unusual, and these people will respond," he says.

TYPE 8 THE LEADER

Traits: Leaders can be both dominating and protective. Vulnerabilities and a tender heart are often hidden beneath a tough exterior. "These people are power and control driven," says Goldberg. "Don't reign them in."

How to motivate them: "These types like to be in charge but they're not prestige oriented," Goldberg says. "Motivate them with their own little fiefdom."

TYPE 9 THE PEACEMAKER

Traits: Peacemakers are good at seeing all points of view and are very good at letting everyone have their say. "They are often in leadership positions because of this," Goldberg says. "They want to be part of the group. They don't want a lot of confrontation."

How to motivate them: "It's fine to salute their performance as team leader, but this type of person is the least likely to seek out individual recognition," Goldberg says.

Finally, Goldberg says it's also important for sales reps to recognize these traits within themselves. The Enneagram isn't simply a managerial tool, but a collaborative mechanism that allows managers and reps to realize their most productive motivational environment.

ASTD InterChange

Michael Goldberg, one of the leading national experts on the Enneagram approach to personality, blends an introduction of this increasingly popular model with practitoner insights and cutting edge applications for multi-level use. Michael's work demonstrates how know your own style and the style of the people you work with helps enhance relationships, resolve interpersonal problems, and inspire people to work at their best. Since teams and organizations also have enneagram styles, Michael often coaches them to examine and expose the unspoken assumptions for decision-making and planning that can derail their success.

The Enneagram, ("Ennea" is Greek for nine and "gram" is translated as points) is a system of nine world views. Homer's classic poem, The Odyssey (c 850 BCE) is a journey of initiation that describes in symbolic order how to prevail over the nine ways of being. As modern psychological types, each of us has one of these unique world views we can consciously choose to enable for developing deeper self-awareness and more significant life commitments.

Michael will explain each of the approaches and how they relate to each other. He will provide specific advice for working with each style and examples of how this tool has and can be used to improve workplace productivity, performance and relationships. He will lead us through exercises of self-discovery and share how to leverage the natural strengths and virtues of our styles. Michael will also introduce and illustrate his new process work on "The Enneagram Circle of Action" by revealing how presidential candidates' leadership styles influence their campaign strategies.

Michael has consulted with organizations all over the world including Motorola and the CIA and taught at grduate schools of both management and law. His best-selling book The 9 Ways of Working, has been translated into Chinese, Spanish, Korean and German. The American Management Assocation's Getting Results has called his book "a practical and immediately useful book for managers." Fast Company has praised Michael's "concrete ways of dealing with people."