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You're listening to the Enneagram at Work Podcast, a show about understanding people at work, including yourself. I'm your host, Sarah Wallace, and I'm looking forward to diving into this week's episode with you. Welcome back to another episode here on the Enneagram at Work Podcast. I am your host, Sarah Wallace. If you're listening for the first time, welcome. I hope to be able to say welcome back to you in the near future. I have been planning this episode, some other future episodes, as well as working on a conference event that we have coming up in May down in Nashville, where we get to bring the Enneagram to a group of 350 plus business owners that are going to be there for leadership development, professional development. And they're bringing some of their team members to the event. And I think it is awesome that the event organizers have chosen to not just invest the financial aspect, but also to make time in a very tight schedule already. Like this conference is packed already to make time for the Enneagram. I think that's awesome. And so specifically, we're going to come at this through the lens of leadership. How can you use the nine types of the Enneagram to start to understand your own leadership style and then to start to understand how others work very differently than you sometimes that are on your team and what they might need? And this one, we made kind of a last-minute decision to add on some extra time so that because these business owners already had their team members there, we could jump right in to applying the Enneagram in real time. And so we're going to do an introduction and then we're going to have some time for a team breakout with some facilitated questions so that they can, like I said, start using the Enneagram right away. So this is going to be really fun. So starting to plan for that today, though, I want to talk about a specific team map analysis and how you can use it to be a better facilitator. So this might be a really great one for our HR leaders, for our learning and development managers who maybe aren't leading a specific team, but leading different types of people from different groups, bringing everybody together for a specific purpose. Maybe a special project, a project manager might also benefit from this episode. Like I said, HR leaders, learning and development, bringing people together for the purpose of growing professionally and how we can use our Enneagram understanding and our own Enneagram type, understanding others' Enneagram types to be a better facilitator, to facilitate your group in a in a more effective, uh, impactful way. So I'm gonna bring an example that is a specific example. So we're I I just don't get lost in theory and hypothesis, and we're just kind of talking about something. Um I tried to do it that way, but I I think it's gonna be most impactful and clear if we focus on a specific dynamic that I've that I've seen in the past. Um, and then some of this may resonate with your own team, some of it may not. Um, it probably won't exactly overlay, but I'm hoping that more so than the specific details about the type makeup of this team. It's giving you some things to consider to maybe tweak in your own facilitation group dynamics that that you may lead. So let's pull up this group map. And uh this is some insight that I provided to that we provided really had some help to a group facilitator who is managing and leading an internal professional development program. This one is specifically for emerging leaders, and so we looked at the people in this program that are gonna be together for the next four to six months. Um, we wanted to understand what that dynamic was, and so we kind of knew specifically um the the people on the team, but also as a group. So, and that's that's what we're gonna focus on here. So um this particular group um had over half of the group identify as either a type six or a type nine, so very focused um on stability and group cohesion. This suggests that this team um prioritizes collaboration, trust building, and creating a very supportive and safe environment that can lead to really strong teamwork, um, but may take some time to open up, to really start participating, to really start speaking up, sharing, getting vulnerable, sharing, you know, mistakes. Uh and so just as a facilitator to a group like this, that's something to be aware of. Um, and then it's also something important to note that I think we all want to be in a safe and supportive environment. But for some of us, this is going to have to be weighted a bit differently. And for this group, it is weighted very heavily. And so, as this group's facilitator, thinking about okay, what are some things that I can do or that we can do as an organization to create a really safe, supportive, trusting environment from day one? What sort of onboarding, pre-work, pre-meetings, pre-planning do we need to do? What we what needs to happen during the sessions, not just in the content itself, but the way that the facilitation takes place, the way that people are asked to participate. Um, one little example uh, you know, might be giving people a heads up if they're going to be expected to participate and or not just participate, but come with specific suggestions or ideas is to send it out the work a day ahead of time, a week ahead of time, so that those that need it have some time to think through, to process the questions, to maybe take notes, to write things down, to cross things out, to rewrite it. There's gonna be some that won't even remember what question you asked until you do it in the meeting. Um, but many in this group are going to be a little bit more thoughtful and really appreciate that time to get the questions, to think about it. Um, and so that's just one little thing that you can do to create a more supportive environment. So thinking through um what specific things can you do within your organization for this. Now, we talked about how these this group, specifically made up of sixes and nines, really value stability. They're gonna be a little bit more cautious. And so this group um really wants clear guidance that is also going to feel really safe and supportive. So this might mean having a very clear agenda that is that you stick to that you deliver maybe the day before or you pass out before the meeting starts or the session. It might also mean taking time to go to put together a really thorough syllabus, what to expect over the next next four to six months. What are those topics coming up? What is gonna be your homework? What's gonna be the time commitment for this? Providing as much of that detail and clear guidance as possible is really gonna mean a lot to the these types. Um, the strengths of being a little bit more cautious and maybe valuing that stability is that this group is probably gonna be really team-oriented. So even though they may not work shoulder to shoulder on a daily basis, when they're in this room together, they're going to be really thoughtful and probably have a strong desire to start supporting each other, to be a team within that room, to be a team within the program. And that is awesome. They're gonna be probably really thoughtful of one another, really committed, not just to their own development in this program, but committed to being a supportive teammate as others are learning and growing inside the program. Uh, a potential drawback, though, of this can be that they may hesitate to take risks. And a risk might mean speaking up before they maybe know the complete answer. Um it might be, yeah, it, I mean, that's a that's a really simple one. It's just it can feel really risky to raise your hand when nobody else is raising their hand. So they may also struggle a little bit with some indecision and be reluctant to maybe push back on something that you said or um to voice a strong opinion. Now, our sixes uh are known for having some really strong opinions. It's just a matter of is this a safe place? Is this a safe person to voice those strong opinions to? And so again, doing what you can to be that person to create that space. Um, another insight that I have here is that with this particular group dynamic, a facilitator can kind of look and see, okay, we have a lot of types that really are valuing collaboration and teamwork, that stability, that safety and security. And I'm looking at this team map and hmm, there's no eights. There's maybe one three. And so this might mean that there are fewer um people that are willing to speak first, to raise their hand first, to try something before somebody else has tried it, um, to take a really strong stance. And the potential impact of this in the this group situation is that sometimes maybe the the discussion then might be a little bit lacking. It might lack that momentum, it might lack that that kind of back and forth, um, those interesting conversations that might happen with more of that assertive energy. Um and there were a few in this particular group, it wasn't all just sixes and nines, but there were a few who did identify as a seven or a three. And so these types then who tend to kind of thrive on success and excitement, um, they may tend to naturally step into the leadership roles inside this particular group dynamic and start to be the first and maybe the only ones that speak up, that say something. And so that is great to have some of those people who are willing to kind of be the spark that lights gets the fire going, gets that conversation going. But also you want to be just a little cautious that those people don't become the only people that are participating. So a facilitator tip here is to provide provide structure and some direct facilitation to ever to each person to ensure that there is engagement from everyone and there isn't just a single one or two drivers pushers through the whole program, and that people are given an opportunity to step out of their comfort zone. Now that's that's different than you know, asking somebody to, you know, completely feel unsupported and unsafe. And, you know, it's gonna feel a little scary speaking first. It's gonna feel a little scary, maybe coming in with a with a hot opinion or a hot take. Um, but encouraging that, and again, that will take some time. So it may not happen in session one or session two or even three, but hopefully over time, the more that you are consistent, uh, the more, you know, clear guidance you can give, that safe place that you can create, these people are gonna feel safe and secure and encouraged to also speak up. Uh, the other insight that I had shared was that the collaboration of this group dynamic will be strong. But because of that, the conflict avoidance may be a challenge. And so with multiple sixes and nines, and you know, let's be honest, our sevens don't love the conflict either. Um, this group will really value that that teamwork, trust, and fairness. However, this that can lead to avoiding direct confrontation, having difficult discussions. Um, if disagreements do come up, they may downplay them. Um, and then you kind of have some weird tension in the group. There may be some passive aggressiveness, just a weird vibe. And so that's gonna go on instead of them addressing it directly. So as a facilitator of a group dynamic like this, you can incorporate some intentional and structured debate. Um, this might be just practice exercises, role play, case study, scenarios, um, or maybe some decision-making role plays to build the confidence to have those needed conflict discussions, but in a in a really healthy way, um, start to develop the skill of healthy conflict resolution rather than avoidance and get really good at doing it that way. Um let's see, a couple other things that I have down here for this particular group, um, to use breakout sessions or breakout smaller breakout groups to encourage engagement and participation. Sometimes it can feel kind of weird and scary to speak up in front of the full group. But if you are splitting people up into smaller groups, they maybe are more likely to participate and contribute. So be thoughtful and intentional about how you um create those types of things. Um, maybe there's opportunities for people to provide anonymous input, maybe through surveys, anonymous feedback. Um you could have an anonymous, you know, poll going on during during a session, um, but allowing them to participate um in that way um as well, where they're not having to put their name on there. There, there may that may be an opportunity to step out of their comfort zone. Um, there may be some, we talked about some indecisiveness, especially when it comes to decision making. And so if there is a situation where this group needs to make a decision or there needs to be, there's some practice around that topic, um, creating some decision-making exercises with a time limit to encourage confidence in those skills. So you could frame decisions as, you know, hey, we're just experimenting, low-risk uh experiment here with decision making, um, making a call before maybe you have every single detail, um, stepping into some uncertainty, but we're gonna do it through some safe practice scenarios here. And that can really feel supportive to these types. The only way to get better at decision making is to make decisions. The only way to get better at speaking up is to speak up. The only way to get better at um, you know, to get more confident is just to do the the thing that you need to get more confident at. You know, you're not confident, as you know, at day at day zero. And so giving people um almost kind of like put putting the guardrails up, like at bowling. Let's get the gutter rails, the gutter, the bumper gutters, whatever they're called, um, in there for this group. And so it's like, hey, you're not gonna put the company into financial ruin ruin with this decision. We're just kind of doing some simulation. We're just kind of like uh, you know, NASA with our astronauts doing a little uh, you know, moon landing simulation here. Um, and then sometimes because of that overfocus on group harmony, um, they may not speak up. So we talked about creating some case studies that require opposing viewpoints and giving opportunities for healthy uh intentional debate exercises to encourage productive conflict. Um, we have also talked about that there may be a handful of people in the group that tend to take the lead time and time again, speak up first. So um being aware as a facilitator to rotate specific leadership opportunities within the group dynamic, within the program dynamic, rotate participation for who starts the discussion, um, ensuring that there is some sort of structure to give as much as possible equal time to contribute for everybody. Um, we talked about the need for clarity and guidance, and this includes clear takeaways. And so uh there may be a recap that provides clear, actionable things to remember important from today, specific exercises, um, so that people know really what to focus on. There may also be an opportunity to provide um frameworks, models, processes, step one, two, three for the team, for the group to take out of the development session and then start to apply in their real world roles, checklists, um, toolkits, uh maybe decision trees, you know, those yes or no kind of things, those type of resources to help them take action, not get stuck in paralysis analysis. So, what sort of tangible tools can you also provide in addition to some of the training? Um, and then let's see, the other one that I had here was that um there may be an opportunity to um again kind of practice speaking up, articulating your side, your opinion, why you think something. Um the it may not make sense to encourage everybody to just speak up and and share your opinion. Uh, there may be some practice, there may be some buildup time, and to help with that buildup time, maybe offering some, I don't know, journaling or reflective writing type of exercises where you have to write or type out um what you would do in a certain situation and then have an opportunity to reflect on that, review it, clean it up if you need to before you share. So you're you're as a facilitator still very much keeping the training practical and you're encouraging participation, you're building that confidence. So those are some specific ideas uh for our group leader who might be leading a training group with this with this very um collaborative focus on the group, harmony, dynamic. Um they are uh key takeaways just kind of as a as a recap, channeling that, that channeling, trying to channel that those clear um takeaways that I just mentioned to you. Um keep in mind that a group like this is going to be very collaborative, very thoughtful of one another, and they will engage best when the learning feels practical and it's structured and there's some interaction, giving them opportunities not just to information dump. And I don't think anybody loves to be information dumped on. Um, so giving them the structure of the information, but also time to interact with one another. They may need encouragement to take action, to speak up, to deliver confident opinions. So incorporate low-stake, real-world scenarios, role playing where they have an opportunity to actually practice. Even though this may be a you know a training where you want to get a lot of content out, find ways to add in those types of engagement and activities. Um, you want to balance the participation, um, ensuring that the quieter voices are heard. And that the fast-paced learners don't just rush the group through deeper reflections or meaningful conversation just to get through it. And then we talked about conflict resolution and decision making can be top skills for this group dynamic to really focus on, something to reinforce as the group facilitator here, given that this group just kind of naturally tends to avoid tension and conflict. And then looking at ways to use a mix of structure, discussion, hands-on application to cater to your diverse learning styles. And that is a tip that will apply to whatever your group dynamic is, thinking about who's on the team. And so, you know, this the practical takeaway for you as a facilitator of some sort of internal program at your organization is to have your team go through some sort of assessment, some sort of training so that they start to become a little more self-aware so that they can share that information with you. You kind of have a better understanding of where everybody is, who everybody is that's joining. And then you can really develop the programming, the exercises, how fast to go, how slow to go, um, what exercises you might need to do more of, less of, um, and just kind of understanding who's on the team. Yes, individually. What is that individual, complex human being that we can never distill down into just a single type? They're gonna need some different things that we're not able to capture with the Enneagram. They're gonna show up differently, that it's not gonna be reflected in every way of the Enneagram type, but there'll be some themes. And then also just as a group, what are some themes to keep in mind at leading this group? And then also not forgetting your own tendencies as a facilitator. Do you tend to talk really fast and want to get through things? Um, do you tend to over-explain things? Do you tend to um make sure, you know, every single person has been heard every single time before you can move on? Sometimes you just need to hear from one person, or sometimes it's just whatever you decide and move on. Hey, what does everybody want for lunch? Nobody's speaking up, make the decision. You know, there's gonna be times like that. And so just understanding, hey, what it what are my natural tendencies? How does what's what's the dynamic of this group? What are their tendencies? How do we fit together? And how do we create a really valuable, hopefully fun experience over the next however long we're gonna be together? Days, weeks, months, potentially. So I hope that something in there is is um something in there is something that you can take into the real world, whether you are leading a specific project, group, training group, um, or maybe you are leading, leading your own team and you saw some things in here that you can apply to that situation. So these are the types of things that we talk about in our Enneagram workshops. We are very focused on bringing structured content, uh, learning distilled, impactful learning topics to a group while also giving opportunities to share each person's real world experience with that type or another type, giving people an opportunity to discuss and share, giving people an opportunity to practice using what they're learning about themselves and about others on the team with various role play exercises that ends up being sometimes a little uncomfortable, but always entertaining and fun and memorable for the most part. So if this is something you would like to look at bringing into your learning and development program, your new manager program, leadership development program, whatever type of uh professional development your organization is leading, if you would like to add the Enneagram or add it to a team building training, I'm gonna invite you to check out our workshop and programming and coaching options over at EnneagramNBA.com. Thank you for being here, and I look forward to seeing you in the next one.