Page 158 - Using the Enneagram System to Identify and Grow Your Leadership Strengths and Achieve Maximum Success

Know the Business: Think and Act Strategically 133

absorb, and act on the most crucial organizational elements as they
rise to higher leadership positions.
Earlier in Liz’s career, she was described by one of her employ-
ees this way:

“Liz gives us assignments, but it’s hard to work independ-
ently of her. She likes to see everything we do, and then
work piles up on her desk. If I could give Liz one piece of
advice, it would be to let go of needing to know the details
and to focus more on the bigger picture. If she could do that
and explain it to us, then we would understand what our
priorities should be.”

Development Stretches for Nines

BE STRATEGIC Although you may be comfortable with the details,
you have to force yourself to let others handle them. As soon as
you are engaged in anything more than a high-level overview of
other people’s work, say to yourself: I’m getting too involved in
minutiae. I’m being too tactical when I should be strategic. What
should I really be paying attention to?

MAKE YOUR VISION, MISSION, AND STRATEGY EXPLICIT Write down
your vision, mission, and strategy on one page. Practice describing
them to at least three other people, and ask them: Was my expla-
nation viable, compelling, evocative, and brief? From the feed-
back you receive, make revisions and then communicate the
revised vision, mission, and strategy to three other people. Ask
them for feedback. Repeat this process until you receive only pos-
itive feedback. Finally, communicate the vision, mission, and strat-
egy, together with the goals and tactics, to the people who work
for you.

SET ORGANIZATIONAL PRIORITIES AND KEEP THEM Make a list of the
three to five areas that will be the most important to address in the