Except for two days, I've been at home in Santa Monica for an entire month, the longest I can remember in a very long time. Not that there's been much rest, as office work needs attention, but it has been delightful to not be moving to and from airports and hotels. There has also been a little time to see old friends from high school, have lunch with an Enneagram friend (Judith Searle), and eat healthy food.

Primarily, I've been working on the participant materials for my brand new program, "T-Groups with the Enneagram," a program I've been wanting to offer for 3 years. NTL (National Training Labs) has endorsed this program, which is why it took some time, but I very much wanted a partnership because NTL created the T-Group technology 5 decades ago, and as an NTL member, I really wanted to maintain this relationship. This program will be held in March 2012 in San Francisco, and I am thrilled to have three colleagues from NTL - Pat Bidol-Padva, Kathleen Brown, and Beth Applegate - join me as part of the training staff. T-Groups are an amazing experience, and coupled with the Enneagram, even more so in terms of self-awareness and development, as well as enhanced interactions, compassion, and a very deep dive into the underlying dynamics of teams.

In addition, one of the most rewarding things I did this month was to conduct (facilitate) a teleconference on the topic of the 2011 Benchmark study for those who were interviewed for the study as well as for Enneagram in Business Network (EIBN) members, some of whom were interviewed and others were not. Being somewhat but not totally new to leading teleconferences, I knew much better what would not work than what would. And being a highly visual and relational person, facilitating without seeing people was a challenge.

However, the teleconference went really well (25 people attended) and those who could not attend have been able to download the recoding. We had people from Finland, China, Mexico, Switzerland, Mexico, the US, and more, so the tone was quite international. There was also discussion (which was amazing), as well as content presentation. The purpose was to share data and ideas, but it was also a "thank-you" for people's participation in study, which has been very well received. Even beyond those who were directly involved in the Benchmark study, the Benchmark PDFs are being widely shared, many are carrying the Benchmark Report on websites, and even better, are using the information from it to work with their clients better or to show prospective clients the results they can achieve, how to do this, and what is required from them.

The key next-step from this call was based on the clear need to do more to further the Enneagram's integration into institutions - for example, business schools and other academic institutions; professional organizations such as leadership organizations and coaching institutes, and more. We're going to figure out how to do this!

Next month is major travel again so I am getting prepared: up to San Francisco for work with a new client system, up to Oakland for Peter O'Hanrahan's birthday (he's going to be 60). Happy birthday, Peter, and thank you for everything you've already done for the Enneagram and as my friend. I can't wait to see what you do in the next decade. Then, I'm off to Mexico City for the IEA: Mexico conference where I am doing a robust session on decision-making, and then I go to Milan for a "Coaching with the Enneagram" certificate program.

Enneagram in Business "training tools" are flying out of the office, which is keeping us on continuous reprint to supply the requests. This is great, because it means many people are doing lots of work with clients.

Enneagram in Business: Best Practices Benchmark Report | Lessons learned from 72 companies

The Benchmark Report, conducted by the Enneagram in Business Network, is now available in four languages.

English: Contact ebr@theenneagraminbusiness.com

Spanish: Contact Gema de la Rosa for your PDF.

French: Contact Pierre Debeine for your PDF.

Portuguese: Contact Nicolai Cursino for your PDF.

Know Your Type: New Enneagram iPhone App Update

Enneagram Theory: Fixations (Habits of Mind) - Indolence

Indolence sounds so negative, but we all do it. Indolence is not paying attention to yourself, others, and your environment. In other words, indolence is not being in full reality. Find out how each of us, by Enneagram type, engages in incomplete awareness. Click here to read this blog.

 

Why We Need Claudio Naranjo (Helen Palmer, Don Riso, and Others) More than Ever (part 2)

I wrote this blog based on my experience traveling around the world and sensing the strengths and needs of Enneagram foundations as we move forward. There have been a number of comments about this blog on Facebook, so it seems provocative. Click here to read this blog. 

 

Ode to Claudio Naranjo (part 1)

To me, Claudio represents so many qualities that I admire that I wanted to write this blog. Like the rest of us, he is not perfect, but that's also what I like so much. He doesn't pretend to be! Click here to read this blog. 

 

Enneagram Styles and Perspective

Gayle Hardie, Senior Member of the Enneagram in Business Network, has written about Perspective, followed by my blog discussing how each of us, based on Enneagram style, can open up our perspectives on the world. Click here to read this blog.

 

Tip of the Month: Development through Ganesh

When speaking to one of my clients, he mentioned that his organization asks leaders to identify "obstacles" to the achievement of their vision, mission (business purpose), and values. This surprised me because most organizations in the last 15 years have switched from calling impediments "obstacles" to calling them "challenges." When I heard this, I remarked that there was something pure about naming impediments as "obstacles," and I then shared this story:

When I went to India in 2000, I was intrigued by a concept related to one of the Hindu deities, Ganesh. There is a long story about how Ganesh - sometimes referred to as the elephant god due to his elephant nose - got his nose and even more about what he represents. However, one aspect of humanity Ganesh represents is that he is perceived as the "remover of obstacles." But what is particularly compelling is that he represents removing two kinds of obstacles: the obstacles outside of ourselves, but equally or more important, the obstacles within us.

I suggest to all of you, as I suggested to my client, to consider the obstacles to what we want to accomplish from both perspectives. Think of something you are trying to achieve. Then consider the obstacles, external and internal. Of the external obstacles, which ones can you influence? How can you do this? Then consider the internal obstacles. Which of these do you have control over? How are you going to overcome or change these?

VIEW UPCOMING PROGRAM SCHEDULE

 

Enneagram iPhone App  
Created by Ginger Lapid-Bogda, this animated, interactive App for home and work includes typing and how to prevent conflict; reduce stress; interact with others; and engage in development activities specific to your type. There are type videos, a way to test your Enneagram knowledge in real-world situations, theory, and more.     

Only $2.99 on the iTunes App Store. Go to EnneagramApp.com