On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate your self-awareness? Personally, I would have rated mine an 8.5/9 out of 10. As a coach, I pride myself on knowing myself and have spent hours gaining feedback, reflecting and seeking to understand myself. And surely by my age (late 40's), I must have nailed knowing myself by now!
However, it turns out there was stuff I just wasn't really seeing. By not seeing it, I was acting unconsciously and mistaking some of my protective patterns for who I was, not realising that I was hiding myself away. So maybe more of a 6 out of 10!
So here's what blew my awareness open & helped me see myself in the world much more clearly than ever before: the iEQ9 Enneagram Approach.
Let me give you an example:
I'm known for creating boundaries around projects and relationships. I have seen myself as boundaried; as quite protective of my time. I can become proud of not doing things that aren't what I want to do.
What has been revealed to me through the iEQ9 Enneagram is that 'managing time' is the outward behaviour... it is not the motivation beneath it. The motivation beneath it is an avoidance that there may not be enough of me left to go around. That I will be depleted if I say yes to everything. By knowing this, I've been able to work on saying yes to more things, whilst considering how I stay resourced. I've been able to choose a different strategy to meet my need. And again, this is only one strategy... there are more.
It has made sense of so many aspects of my life AND therefore, I wish I'd come across the approach earlier in life. It's like getting a fast forward button to uncovering how you're wired. The clients that I've used it with so far have been blown away by it... although, it can also feel like being 'hit by a bus'. Because it's so revealing, not all of the insights are pleasant to read and a bit tough to swallow. It's an approach that's not for the faint hearted; and is for those who are really committed to transforming their lives, both their leadership at work and at home.
Celebratory Discount!
Over Summer 2018, I trained and became accredited in the iEQ9 Enneagram approach. To celebrate my accreditation and share my belief in the approach, I'm offering £50 off my iEQ9 Coaching Package:
- A PRO Report (£90)
- 2 x 1.5hr Coaching Sessions at a central London location
Normally £640, now only £590!
Paid in full at the time of commitment. Valid until 31 Dec 2018.
This includes a 30 min complementary chemistry meeting to establish why you want to use the report... What do you hope it will support you with?
Book your complementary session now
My strength of belief in the report is so strong, that if you get your report and after the first 1.5hr session, you don't see or experience it's transformative value, I'll refund you the cost of the whole package. So you've got nothing to lose! It's an investment in yourself that is going to pay back big time over the years to come.
So get in touch and let's get your 30 mins of complementary time in the diary!
If you still need more info... then read on!
The Nuts and Bolts of the iEQ9 Enneagram approach
What is it?
The word Enneagram comes from the Greek words ennea (nine) and gram (points). It refers to the nine different styles. Each number represents a worldview and archetype that resonates with the way in which people think,feel and act and how they stand in relation to the world, others and themselves.
The Enneagram is an archetypal framework that offers in-depth insight to individuals and is a useful guide on the journey towards self development, relationship building, conflict resolution and the improvement of team dynamics. It is not aimed at “boxing”, limiting or categorising people. The Integrative Enneagram Report works with an individual as a more complex, layered, unique and distinct being than other Typing systems.
The Integrative Enneagram consists of 9 main Enneagram types, 3 subtypes, 3 centres of intelligence and Triadic-styles, it offers a rich map to personal development and opens up a pathway to self-discovery and greater personal awareness.
It uncovers the patterns of behaviour that sub-consciously drive and motivate us to act in certain ways. When we make these patterns and motivations conscious, we are able to transcend them and develop richer, more supportive ways of being. It empowers the individual to take responsibility for their own behaviours and growth, from a greater understanding of why they act and react in a certain way.
It shows you your lens on the world, helps you understand why you act like you do, and gives you the awareness to make conscious choices and break out of mindless patterns. We each have a core essential self, which can become hidden by our habitual defensive mechanisms. Understand that you are not your defence patterns!
10 reasons - when it's useful
When you want something to change in your life but feel unsure of how
When you feel at the crossroads of life and are unsure which way to go
When you are stepping up in Leadership and knowing that you will be under increased pressure
When you are experiencing conflict in your workplace relationships but don't know why
When you seem to be looping the same pattern but can't break it alone
To understand how you are similar and different to other types & increase your effectiveness and impact at work
To discover how you respond in conflict & develop a greater range of responses
When you want to develop a robust and meaningful self-development plan that focuses on who you are, not who you are not
To make sense of what is causing you stress at work and how to support yourself to bring balance
To connect to your motivation, uncover your purpose & talk with confidence about your authentic self
The whole point of working with the Enneagram is to be more aware of what happens to you when fear and stress are in play, and how to relax the habits that have formed out of the need to deal with them. This way, we can manifest more off our essential or 'true' or 'higher' selves.
How does it work?
Step 1: We chat for 30 mins about what has attracted you at this point in your life & leadership to the Enneagram. What do you hope it will support you with? What do you wish to be different? Do you want something to stop happening or do you have a vision of something better?
Step 2: On signing up & paying for the package, I'll arrange for you to be sent a link to a questionnaire which takes 20 - 40 mins to complete. I'm quite sceptical about filling out a questionnaire and then being given a report which tells me what I am like. I like self-discovery, and hey... who can possibly know me better than myself?! What makes the iEQ9 Enneagram questionnaire different, is that it adapts the questions in response to your answers... so it's pretty intelligent and drills down into your choices.
Step 3: I get notified that your report is complete and send you either the whole report or the sections of the report that we've agreed will be most useful. I provide you with questions to guide your reflection and processing of the report content and then we meet for our first 1.5hr coaching session.
Step 4: In our two face to face (or online, if you're not London based), we bring your insights to life with examples. We focus on what development strategies will support your goals. We probe what you want to be different in your life and use the Enneagram insights to guide your next steps. I advise that the sessions are a month apart to allow you some assimilation time. In the second session, we cover off the remaining
Why iEQ9 Integrative Enneagram approach vs. the others available?
In short, I think it's the best having tried out a few. Other coaches who have seen the report and are familiar with the Enneagram also validate that it is really robust.
The iEQ9 PRO report gives detail about:
- your core type and sub-type (think of the sub-type as flavouring of the core type. If the core types are ice cream flavours, then the sub-type is the sprinkles and sauce that adds a new twist)
- how you express yourself - Action, Thinking, Feeling
- your 'how I get what I want' approach - Assertion, Compliance, Withdrawal
- what you rely on when you don't get you want - Competency, Positive Outlook, Reaction
- clear development hints and tips, using 'wings' and 'lines of integration' (all a bit of jargon, but really valuable)
The PRO report is fantastic for leadership because it includes a section on giving feedback, leadership style, team building, conflict management, communication preferences plus a few more.
Yes, there are cheaper versions of gaining an entry level of insights through the Enneagram, and if you're budget strapped or just curious, these can be good places to start:
Buying an iEQ9 Enneagram report without the coaching. The simplest level of report starts at £18 and will reveal your core type. Or you can buy the next level up for £44 without the leadership insights, or £90 for the full PRO report.
The Enneagram in Business website offers great descriptions of the different types and offers a FREE interactive tool to find out your type.
RHETI Questionnaire: only $12 per test and through your responses to a questionnaire, it will reveal your Enneagram Type.
The Wisdom of the Enneagram Book (by the same people as the RHETI test and gives you the approach for self-assessment)
Or this one by Helen Palmer Understanding yourself and others in your life
My journey to wanting to work with the Enneagram started with these resources. The watch out, is that they can leave you wondering if you've identified the right type and then the big questions of 'So What?" and 'Now What?".
My experience of the iEQ9 is that it is the only Enneagram approach that leaves you with less doubt, gives so many hints and tips for development strategies and when working on it with a coach, you get the support and challenge to integrate it into your life and leadership and make the changes you hope and wish for. And it's perfect for Leadership development!
Get in touch here to book your free 30 min session and let's see what your mirror has to reveal.
All the best
Felicity
