Page 263 - Using the Enneagram System to Identify and Grow Your Leadership Strengths and Achieve Maximum Success

238 What Type of Leader Are You?

tions to the various choices) and the Body Center (for example,
through the Six’s imagining the activities that people would be
engaged in doing in each scenario).
Like the other two Head Center styles—Enneagram styles Five
and Seven—Sixes pay attention to the organization’s decision-mak-
ing authority structure and culture. This does not mean that Sixes
always comply with the organization’s explicit and implicit rules;
it means that when Sixes do not make a decision according to the
rules, they are usually aware that they are not doing things exactly
as expected, but they feel compelled to do so anyway.
In the following story, Sharon, a Six leader, had to decide
whether to take a high-risk assignment:
Known as a turnaround specialist, Sharon was asked to take a
new position as the senior leader of a poorly functioning 200-
person division whose previous leader had been fired for poor
performance. Sharon was told that she would have three
months to transform the division. The challenge excited Sharon,
but it also caused her anxiety. Although she understood the kind
of work these employees did, she had no familiarity with their
customer base, nor did she know the managers who would be
reporting to her. While many people would agonize over such a
high-risk decision, Sharon decided to take the position within
three days of its being offered to her. In those three days,
Sharon learned as much as she could about the new group, met
with its key managers to assess their attitudes and competence,
and utilized the expertise of several colleagues who were
familiar with the group’s customer base. Having gained this
information, Sharon also looked inside herself to determine
whether she truly wanted to accept this challenge.

When Sixes doubt their own judgment, do not feel that they
have the support of their organization or its leaders, or cannot
imagine positive outcomes from a decision that they must make,
Six leaders can exhibit a great degree of uncertainty and ambiva-
lence. They may waver between alternatives for a long period of