Webinar Key Takeaways: Rediscover Yourself and Rejuvenate Relationships

In our recent webinar with Anjali Desai and Sanjay Devudu, the duo discussed the significance of understanding personality and its impact on relationships both at a personal and professional level. 

Together, they established that it is crucial to rediscover oneself and ideate an approach to ‘Transactional Conversations’ that take place in personal relationships or at work. Sanjay added that to attain a win-win situation between individuals, it requires one to adapt to understanding the other person better and drive a transactional conversation. More key takeaways from the session are below. 

Understanding Enneagram

It’s a tool that depicts the personality or dominant personality traits of an individual from an open systems perspective. Its purpose is to give an insight into the individual’s behavior, actions, responses, and other aspects. 

Containing 3 triadic styles and 9 categorized personality types, it reveals not just what holds an individual back but also offers insights into the journey towards strength and liberation. It’s a merge of Ancient Wisdom and Modern Psychology that helps connect us to our strengths and higher selves. Anjali quoted that it’s not only for understanding ourselves but is also a tool for understanding others. 

Introducing the Enneagram tool, Anjali said that the framework helps identify oneself with the traits and uncover uniqueness. One may also find all the personality types within themselves. Hence the tool may not be considered the ultimate decision-maker. In short, it’s a pathway for self-discovery and greater personal awareness.  

For an in-depth understanding of each personality and its traits, please continue the learning with the video in the end.  

The Three Intelligence Centers – Heart, Head, and Gut

The Enneagram can be further divided into triads or groups of three basing on three primary intelligence centers – Head, Heart, and Gut. These are the primary units for perceiving the world and reacting to it. All the triads are involved when making a decision. 

However, which particular center dominates when making a decision depends on the individual’s unique approach. While it does not mean that the usage of the other two centers is undermined, it only indicates a certain inclination towards one, followed by the rest. Understanding what you operate by (head, heart, or gut) can help determine your Enneagram type. 

The 9 Personalities

These 9 types represent the style and human psyche which resonate with the individual’s way of thinking, perceiving, responding, behavior, etc. in relation to the external world. Enneagram is just an orientation towards a much deeper understanding of defense mechanisms, core motivations, and fears that lie within.  

The nine personalities are, 

Want to know which type you are? Take a test. 

Benefits of Enneagram

Enneagram has proved itself to be a powerful tool for individual development. The insights on behavior analysis and meta-awareness have extended their significance in managing teams and organizations as well.

Advantages For Teams: 

• Helps in cultivating a culture of understanding and tolerance 
• Builds trust and reduces toxicity in relationships 
• Improves productivity of the team and speeds up the processes 
• Enables teams to think beyond the blame game and take ownership 
• Helps in designating a structure to address team conflicts and hurdles 
• Enhances communication and ascertains approach towards team dynamics 

Advantages For Organizations: 

• Has a significant role in developing a culture 
• Encourages creativity and increases employee engagement 
• Improves cross-team communication and collaboration 
• Enhances productivity and performance 
• Emboldens leadership and initiative-taking capability 
• Opens new doors for mentoring and talent development 

The essence of the Enneagram can be found in almost every facet of life. Simply put, the whole concept breaks down to self-assessment and becoming conscious of underlying behavioral patterns and motivations. This cognizance further motivates the march towards self-development and other traits found within our relationships.

We suggest you watch the video for more interesting aspects revolving around Enneagram.