Page 75 - Using the Enneagram System to Identify and Grow Your Leadership Strengths and Achieve Maximum Success

54 What Type of Leader Are You?

fending off new work that was not in their line of business,
or dealing with any intrastaff conflict).

Development Stretches for Sixes

EACH TIME YOU THINK OF A WORST-CASE SCENARIO, THINK OF A BEST-
CASE SCENARIO AS WELL It will be almost impossible for you to
not anticipate problems, but, at the same time, you should also
use your scenario-planning skills to create positive scenarios. Dis-
cipline yourself to create a viable positive scenario in addition to
(not instead of) a negative scenario. When you do this as a regu-
lar part of the planning process, eventually both positive and neg-
ative alternatives will come easily to you.

USE BEST-CASE SCENARIO PLANNING WITH YOUR TEAM BEFORE INTRO-
DUCING WORST-CASE SCENARIOS It is best to begin planning with
best-case scenarios rather than worst-case ones, as the former moti-
vate people to move forward, while the latter can deplete their
energy and focus. After the positive possibilities have been dis-
cussed, consideration of the worst-case scenarios will be very help-
ful for grounding the decisions and plans in reality.

STAY CALM IN A CRISIS When things go awry, and they will, peo-
ple will look to you for ideas, plans, alternatives, and calmness.
There is nothing wrong with conveying a sense of urgency about
resolving problems. However, it is best to do so in a calm and
deliberate manner. Sometimes it helps to take a walk before
responding or to say some calming words to yourself—e.g., “It’s
worked out before, and so it will this time,” or “I know that I’m
going into my Six worrying, and I can choose either to continue
to do that or to stop it if I want to.”