Page 143 - Using the Enneagram System to Identify and Grow Your Leadership Strengths and Achieve Maximum Success

118 What Type of Leader Are You?

activities that are required to implement the vision. In addition,
Four leaders may believe that others feel and operate as they do
and want the freedom to set goals and take action on their own,
not recognizing that some people are not as compelled by vision
and prefer to be assigned concrete goals and tasks.
While Four leaders have vivid and compelling visions, they can
sometimes have difficulty putting these pictures, feelings, and
experiences into words. They may measure their words or
rephrase things multiple times in order to be completely clear, but
in so doing, they may actually confuse the people whom they most
want to inspire.
When Dave was a less experienced manager, one of his employ-
ees had described him this way:

“We think we know what Dave wants, but when we act on
this, we sometimes find that we have missed the point. I
think things would go better if Dave focused less on the
complexities and intricacies of the marketplace and the
vision, and more on the strategies we need in order to set
goals and take action.”

Development Stretches for Fours

BE VERY CLEAR ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT TO COMMUNICATE Rather
than being overly complex, challenge yourself to be as clear and
straightforward as you possibly can, especially when you speak in
front of groups. In that situation, write down in advance exactly
what you want to say, and practice your speech in front of others
who will give you honest feedback. Ask them these questions: Can
you repeat my main point in two sentences? Did my words inspire
you to move forward? Do you have a clear sense of what action
to take as a result of what I said? If the answer to any of these
questions is no, keep revising your speech until you get an affir-
mative response to all three questions.