Page 192 - Using the Enneagram System to Identify and Grow Your Leadership Strengths and Achieve Maximum Success

Become an Excellent Communicator 167

morale survey. Sheldon sent the second e-mail within an hour of
having sent the first, although the human resource staff member
had not yet responded to the first query.

E-MAIL 1

I am slightly confused. Our group has only four employees
in Chicago. One has been there only a year. How can we
have a 64.7 percent response rate?
Sheldon

E-MAIL 2

I certainly don’t believe new employees’ responses have any
meaning. My recollection, though, was that we were not
going to survey them.
Sheldon

ANALYSIS While Sheldon raises legitimate concerns, a contextual
issue may help clarify why these e-mails reflect Six language pat-
terns. The survey to which Sheldon refers was sent to several thou-
sand employees. Of the 70 attorneys in management positions
comparable to Sheldon’s, he is the only person to scrutinize the
preliminary response rates from the survey and send an e-mail
requesting clarification.
The words that Sheldon chooses in these e-mails, combined
with his action of sending two consecutive e-mails before even see-
ing the results, reflect his worry.
If Sheldon wants to use his e-mails to practice new language pat-
terns, he can do the following:

• Use the recipient’s name at the start of the e-mail, thus
communicating more warmth.
• Collect his thoughts and send only one e-mail, thus conveying
less anxiety.