Bringing Out the Best in Yourself at Work:
How to Use the Enneagram System for Success
Foreword by Helen Palmer
Helen Palmer is the author of five books on human consciousness,
including two international best sellers - The Enneagram and
The Enneagram in Love & Work. Together with David Daniels, M.D.,
she conducts public workshops and professional trainings through The Trifold
School for Enneagram Studies.
 The Enneagram is arguably the oldest human development
system on the planet, and like all authentic maps of consciousness, it
finds new life in the conceptual worldview of each succeeding generation.
Because of its enduring value, the Enneagram map has moved through time
like seed that blossoms in the cracks of human history when it is needed.
Then it goes dormant again, lying unnoticed in plain sight, often for
protracted periods of time, as public attention turns elsewhere.
I'm especially delighted that Dr. Lapid-Bogda's book positions the Enneagram
in the language and framework of contemporary organizations. In doing
so, she creates a context in which terms like "professional development,
conflict management, and high performance teamwork" seem comfortably at
home within a map of human evolution.
Drawing from an impressive background of OD and consultancy experience,
she writes for those of us who work in today's pressure cooker of rapid
change and quick decisions weighted with lasting consequences. Her skill
lies in quietly directing attention to the inner patterns that impede
our working well with each other. And rather than focus on outer behaviors,
she skillfully shows the reader how each type is inwardly organized to
participate in key areas of business activity.
Most of us wouldn't think of going to work every day as a professional
development program, yet our patterns are constantly triggered by the
job and the people around us. You'll find that knowing your type will
help you to recognize when automatic patterns start to engage. Sixes for
instance, can tell when their thinking becomes doubtful, and Sevens will
recognize a flood of interesting plans. Nines may find themselves suddenly
waking up to discover their attention has wandered off, and so on for
all nine profiles.
All of this is encouraging, because you can recognize your two selves.
The self that acts on automatic, and a secondary aspect of yourself that
can watch the mechanics of your own mind. In our time, there is practically
no education for the observing self, yet you will be using witnessing
consciousness (self-observation) to discover your type, and later on -
to recognize and relax the patterns that do not bring out your best in
the key areas of work described in this book.
The Enneagram originally came about as a map to assist self-observation.
Its power still lies in "educating" the observing self that is already
free of automatic conditioning. At a time when corporate survival depends
on working cooperatively with each other, history's oldest professional
development tool is being renewed because we need to understand each other's
point of view.
One commonly asked question about the system is "which type is most suitable
for a specific job?" or "How can we build an ideal team?" And the answer
is "Find mature human beings." People aren't hired for their type. They
are hired for their skills, their creativity, past experience, and whether
they act like grown ups. This book is an excellent guide for understanding
how different types of people can learn to communicate effectively, perform
well on teams, manage conflict and lead with compassion. The way to use
the Enneagram system for success in these key areas, is by way of knowing
yourself and others as they actually are, which as the title suggests,
brings out the best in ourselves at work.
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