The team at Intelligentics has been training and coaching individuals and teams at every level of our clients’ organizations for over thirty years. Most of that training has been focused on omnichannel customer service skills and communication. In recent years, our team has increasingly been asked to help mentor young leads, supervisors, and managers in their leadership, interpersonal, and communication skills. In the process of doing so, we began using Enneagram personality types to help facilitate personal understanding of self and others. It’s been tremendously successful.
Tom Vander Well, Intelligentics CEO and certified Enneagram coach explains, “Across the years, we’ve used or utilized all of the major personality tests out there. They are all helpful, but nothing we’ve ever used has been as thorough in helping clients understand the nuances and complexities of their personality type and how they relate, conflict, and cope with others on their team. It’s a powerful tool.”
Unlike most personality assessments that type individuals in one of four quadrants based on typical behavior, the Enneagram recognizes nine unique personality types based on core motivations, fears, desires, and longing. It then recognizes that each type exhibits traits of neighboring types (called “wings”) and will also exhibit characteristics of another type when stressed and yet another type when healthy. When digging even deeper, the Enneagram recognizes that there is incredible diversity within each type based on yet another level of understanding.
“The understanding of self and others gained through the Enneagram has helped our clients and their teams develop better communication, become more empathetic with how their teammates think, and improve in addressing and resolving conflicts,” Vander Well said. “As a side bonus, we also get to hear clients tell us how it’s positively impacted their personal relationships outside of work, as well.”
Intelligentics has presented group training regarding the Enneagram, as well as utilizing it in one-on-one coaching and mentoring for leadership development. In one project, an entire management team participated in a two-hour introductory training then individually took an online assessment. Tom Vander Well then met one-on-one with team members to discuss and unpack the results. That led to monthly one-on-ones with the management team over the past year as well as group meetings with managers and their teams.
“In the past year, I’ve had two long-term clients tell me that the leadership development we’ve done with their team members has become the most impactful thing Intelligentics has done for them,” Vander Well added. “That says a lot given the fact that we’ve served them for years, and our customer surveys and service quality assessments have been integral pieces of their success.”
If you’re interested in how Intelligentics can help develop your leadership team and/or utilize the Enneagram to improve understanding, empathy, and communication in your organization, email us at info@intelligentics.com or call 515-777-8899.
