Why You Shouldn’t Be Afraid Of Being Vulnerable At Work

Yes, it may sound counter-intuitive to show vulnerability in the workplace. After all, in order to move forward in our career, we’re supposed to constantly show that we have it all together.

But here’s the thing: being vulnerable isn’t about showing weakness. Instead, it’s about being comfortable and brave enough to be open and honest in a professional setting without the fear of being “punished” in the form of a bad appraisal or reprimand from your boss.

The result: you’ll learn from your mistakes rather than try to hide them. And on the personal front, letting your co-workers know when you’re going through a tough time can be the difference between getting no support at work to getting help in terms of managing your workload and deadlines.

And on top of it all, your team ends up with more creative and innovative solutions because people won’t be afraid of sharing their ideas.

Say your grandmother is in the hospital fighting a serious illness, or you’ve made a huge mistake at work. Would you talk to your colleagues or your boss about it?

If your answer is ‘yes’, then congratulations—you’ve hit the jackpot with a workplace that fosters a culture of vulnerability. According to a 2017 article in the Harvard Business Review, those who trust their co-workers enough to be open with them are reported to be 40 percent more likely to enjoy their work than those who don’t.

Also, the chances of you experiencing burnout are lessened by 60 percent. You’re also likely to be 50 percent more productive.

Vulnerability starts with a boss you can trust

A leader defines the team culture, says Olivia Coléon, cultural specialist and founder of Naked Nights, an event series that celebrates vulnerability. She says leaders must be willing to hear their team members out and ask for help when they need it to set an example for the rest of the team.

Cindy Leong, personality coach and corporate trainer at Relationship Studio, chose to have an open communication policy at her company because she had experienced what it was like to “keep things professional”. “At the previous company I worked, we were told to ‘behave like adults’,” she explains. “This meant a culture where the boss was always right, and there was no room for open discussion.”

Cindy could not share her feedback honestly back then, and this caused her to be miserable. She says as an employee in her position, you either need to have the support of your peers to push for better communication, or leave and find a company that has an existing culture of vulnerability.

Struggle with being vulnerable in the workplace, or allowing your colleagues to be vulnerable around you? Here are four tips from Cindy.

1. Use the right words and tone 

That means that whenever there is a disagreement, refrain from making you team members feel attacked. Instead, remain objective and focus on the problem. “I believe in direct vulnerable, authentic and encouraging language that promotes growth,” Cindy says.

2. Check in regularly

Cindy has weekly team meetings where her staff shares about their victories and struggles at work, as well as in their own personal lives. Through these meetings, her team feels a closer social connection and loyalty to her and to each other. She’s also better able to support their needs.

3. Encourage counselling or coaching for personal growth

Not everything can be solved simply by hashing it out in a meeting room. “Some problems stem from deep-seated personal insecurities, in which case I send my staff for private coaching to work on them,” Cindy says. This is an opportunity for personal and professional development.

4. Know what to share…and not share 

It may be helpful for your boss to know you’re going through a bad breakup, because then she knows why you’re more distracted or tired than usual. but does she really need to know the gory details? Probably not…

Of course, it’s up to each employee to determine what their boundaries are, adds Olivia. But if you’re a manager, letting your staff know they can talk to you about anything is absolutely crucial to building trust.

This article is featured in CLEO. Written by Davelle Lee on 12 November 2019

Enneagram and Politics – What’s in Store for a Type 5 Politician?

Let us continue this exploratory session of how certain Enneagram Types would fare well as politicians. As the clock ticks, we are closer to the fateful agenda of election day in Singapore of 2020.

We often see various leaders being publicised (and criticised) in the past, present, and even future. More often than not, campaigning candidates will already present a perception for the world stage to judge.

Pleasing everyone is near impossible and this is a reminder to all that each of the 9 Enneagram Types has the capability to be the captain of a ship. However, it truly is dependent on the Type’s self-mastery and how each step they take will be for the greater good.

Today, we will shed light on Type 5s and we will investigate and observe how they could behave in the political arena.

Understanding Type 5’s Essence

Type 5s are a curious and insightful bunch. Hoarding knowledge like a camel’s relationship with water, they are able to concentrate and focus on developing complex ideas and hone specific skillsets. With that said, their worldview is: “I need to be in the know, while conserving scarce resources.”

Being self-sufficient and independent comes at a cost of emotional detachment. Their guards remain up to prevent against any form of intrusion of personal space because active participation and interaction with others can be draining. Being curious, Type 5s would rather observe and learn; leaving them rather uncaring for the emotions of others.

All in all, at their best, Type 5s are visionary pioneers and often ahead of their time, which could possibly be what we all need especially in this post-pandemic world.

Type 5 Strengths:

  • The thirst for knowledge is real. They are highly motivated by their desire to accumulate knowledge. Being innovative and inventive can lead them to be preoccupied with their thoughts and have very vivid imaginations. This allows Type 5s to the world in a wholly new way.
  • Social validation is unimportant. They pursue mastery of knowledge they feel is of use and distinguishes them from the rest. The need to master a particular field of expertise leaves them laser-focused and unconcerned on how people feel about their endeavours. In fact, they shy away from being too conventional. They are also great at compartmentalisation and this can easily translate to them not caring about social validation.
  • What crisis? Because 5s view their resources as scarce, they tend to conserve time, energy, resources, and knowledge. This tendency results in the ability to listen and be supportive of others while resisting the potential dramatics of emotions. Hence, they are usually calm and objective in a crisis.
  • You can count on me. They are often reliable and deliver their part provided they are aware of what is expected of them. The requirement to be furnished in full details of the project is crucial to ensure a resounding success on their behalf. One thing about 5s, they never over-promise and they take commitments seriously. Seeing through given tasks naturally gives them high scores on dependability.

Type 5 Weaknesses

  • Can be cynical and argumentative. If Type 5s are not kept in check with doses of reality, they can easily get lost in their imaginary construct. They begin to take an antagonistic stance towards the world and will behave abrasively to those who are not aligned with their views. 5s naturally compartmentalise and this makes it easier for them to disregard the feelings of others around them.
  • High-walls and withholding emotions. A lack of emotional involvement puts 5s in a spot where they behave rather impersonal to those around them. Because of their need to not deep-dive into a well of emotions as it could be taxing, they will appear aloof and find comfort in keeping to themselves. All in all, they may come off as arrogant and easily classified as lacking empathy. Not showing enough care may weaken relationships with 5s especially when this is coupled with regulated facial expressions (understand their need to conserve emotions when and where they can).
  • Slow in taking action. They tend to dwell so much on the information they have gathered. Because it is so important for 5s to get things right, project launches, for example, tend to get delayed because of the low confidence vote they may have and would rather wont for more time then to take the leap and let fate take charge.
  • Stingy with resources. They readily guard their thoughts, feelings and property in the perpetual fight for private survival. Volunteering to offer information is hard for them to accomplish. This can be perceived as lack of care and comes across as being selfish. Also, Type 5s tend to withdraw easily, taking back whatever resources they have put forth before.

What are the gifts a Type 5 politician bring to the table?

Decision-making is important in making policy making and ruling a nation. Type 5s need to investigate and research will allow them access to a host of information which is crucial before making an important choice. Should this be the case after the whole world has experience a pandemic and along with the rise of technology, there are so many ways to tackle an issue. Would a Type 5’s approach of deep observation give a solid solution to many of our existing societal problems today? Pivoting strategies with insightful data is something they are skilled at.

One great thing about them: They know what they’re doing, especially after a long process of analysing, studying and strategising. Now, all they require is a full team to march forward together.

Examples of Type 5 Leaders

Of course these leaders have never done our Enneagram Tests but they’re believed to be Type 5s by many Enneagram teachers based on their beliefs, values, traits, and actions through historical and interview records.

(From left to right: Albert Einstein, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg; all leaders in their own right)

What do these leaders have in common? You can agree it is their way of thinking that has led to revolutionary activities in the field of science, the rapid expansion of personal mobile technology, and the latest addition to our social circles: a community platform that can connect to people as far as the world wide web is able to reach. Their fascination with a focused subject has brought about life-changing concepts to everyone.

Wouldn’t you agree they are also ‘politicians’ in their respective industries?

We will continue to explore another Enneagram Type and what they can bring into the political arena tomorrow.

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Curious about your Enneagram type? Here’s a quick overview of the 9 Types. I know reading through these descriptions can be confusing. So save yourself from second-guessing and figure out your type with the help of our online test.

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Curious about your Enneagram type? Here’s a quick overview of the 9 Types. I know reading through these descriptions can be confusing. So save yourself from second-guessing and figure out your type with the help of our online test.

What If Your Office Only Have Type 1s and Type 9s?

As the saying goes, ‘All good things must come to an end’, we have come to the end of this series!

So far, we have covered ‘what-if’ scenarios of when your office only had Type 3s and Type 8s, Type 2s and Type 9s, Type 5s and 6s and Type 4s and 7s 

To round this series off, let’s explore how the office space would look like if it only had Type 1s and 9s in it.

What Works For Them

Office politicking and drama is a big ‘no-no’ for these two Types. 1s hate it because it is not ‘not the right thing’ to be politicking in that manner and 9s detest it because it causes too many conflict points that they have spent all their lives trying to avoid.

This then helps both Types to create a positive and peaceful office environment that is not only productive but offers predictability in the work processes in the office.

The even-tempered 9s gives the 1s a sense of calm that helps the 1s be more patient with themselves, especially when they make mistakes. The 1s’ ability to see things in black and white results in very clearly demarcated procedures, which then gives the 9s the confidence to do their jobs without worrying about conflicts arising.

What Doesn’t Work For Them

When mistakes become too frequent or when 9s are deemed too relaxed and seems to be normalising the perceived important things, 1s may become too harsh and judgmental. The 9s’ gut instinct would be to withdraw and not engage the 1s at all. This will further frustrate the 1s as they may perceive this behaviour as ‘stubborn’ and continue to micromanage the 9s.

The 9s, in order not to escalate the conflict, would then just say yes to everything the 1s want them to do but as the 9s do so, they will suppress their frustrations in the process. This may then cause the 9s to become passive aggressive and this may leak out in the way they speak to the hypersensitive 1s who may then take offence to the harsh, negative tone the 9s are speaking in.

Eventually, the 1s who do not feel respected would continue to scold the withdrawn 9s and the suppressed frustrations that the 9s feel would eventually erupt and causes a cataclysmic showdown between both Types and ending in an abrupt end of any productive work in the office.

We hope that this series has not only given you the insights as to how different Enneagram Types can work together in an office but what can happen when they do not want to see beyond their worldviews. As we always say, any of the Enneagram Types can work together as long as they are able to communicate to each other what their preferred working styles are and how they would like to be respected in the work environment. So, let’s continue to do that for others and ourselves today.

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Having difficulty in communicating your preferred working style to your colleagues? Come to our Enneagram Level 1 courses today and let us teach you how! Contact us to find out how you can also use your SkillsFuture Credits to offset your course fees. We hope to hear from you soon!

What If Your Office Only Have Type 4s and Type 7s?

In this series so far, we have covered ‘what-if’ scenarios of when your office only had Type 3s and Type 8s. Type 2s and Type 9s and Type 5s and 6s

For this week, let us explore how the office space would look like if it only had Type 4s and 7s in it.

What Works For Them

On the onset, Type 4s and 7s may seem very different from each other but they do find it an interesting work experience with each other. Both Types can be very present ‘in the moment’ of happiness, which elevates both their emotional highs whenever they work together.

The 7s’ creativity stems from their generalist mentality where they are able to call on bits and pieces of each subject they have touched to form a creative ‘big idea’. They quickly learn to rely on the 4s’ ability to find the unspoken depth in the structure of the work project, which impacts others by speaking the truths of their hearts in the and bringing a deep, meaningful experience to all who are involved in the project.

The 4s appreciate the fun and highly positive 7s for their ability to tap into the 4s’ empath nature to also bring them to a natural work high. This helps energise the Type 4s into action and this ‘feel good vibe’ helps the 4s to be very productive with the 7s working alongside them in the office.

What Doesn’t Work For Them

However, for every party, there will be a downside. Their lack of structure and discipline may cause very difficult issues for both these Types when left unchecked.

The lack of discipline for the 7s is when they need to see a project all the way through. The 7s’ focus on ‘all experiences pleasurable’ enables them to be good project starters but as the project drags on for them, they tend to move on quickly to start another project, which then leaves the 4s carrying on the project on their own.

When the 7s project-hop in this manner, it then leaves the 4s feeling abandoned and that the 7s are being too selfish. This in turn triggers the moodiness of the 4s and if left unchecked, may cause the 4s to be very expressive in their discontentment of being left behind. This causes the work environment to be highly negative which then causes the 7s to distance themselves even further from the 4s.

This may then lead to productivity levels dropping drastically and cause the office to come to a complete standstill.

The 7s may not come to work at all because they are uncomfortable in dealing with the intense displeasure from the 4s. The 4s’, even though they may still be physically in the office, may not be able to do any productive work due to the fact that they have not had any closure on their feelings of being abandoned and the selfishness of the 7s. This is where a structure for both Types in resolving issues is sorely lacking. So until the 7s make up their minds to have the painful talk with the 4s about what they are feeling and give them the closure they need, nothing will get done.

So there you have it, here is what we imagine it would be like when only Type 4s and 7s populate the office. Would you be comfortable working in such an office?

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Find out the why behind your actions and get to know yourself better today through our Enneagram Level 1 course! Contact us to find out how you can also use your SkillsFuture Credits to offset your course fees and when our next course dates are!

What If Your Office Only Have Type 5s and Type 6s?

So far in this series, we have covered imagined scenarios of when your office only had Type 3s and Type 8s and Type 2s and Type 9s  in it.

This week, we turn our focus on how the office space would look like if it only had Type 5s and 6s in it.

What Works For Them

The focus of these Types is centered on research, gathering and analysing the information and subsequently using it to solve problems in the workplace.

Both see each other as highly competent problem solvers and respect each other’s privacy and personal boundaries. Type 6s admire the Type 5s’ quiet confidence in their own abilities; and the Type 5s love that the Type 6s’ ability to not only spot gaps in the processes but having the ability to offer solutions to close those gaps.

The 5s’ stoic nature and highly congruent behaviour offers the security and consistency that 6s crave in their teammates. The Type 6s loyal commitment to being the dependable and committed team player helps the 5s in the way that they would not ever be taken by surprise and helps them to conserve energy that would be otherwise expended in anticipation of being put on the spot.

What Doesn’t Work For Them

When 5s keep considering the pros and cons of a project before starting on it and couple that with the 6s’ dwelling in the worst case scenarios, this may cause them to complete their work projects at a slower pace because of their longer decision processing time. This then leads to not only lower productivity levels relative to their competitors, but also may cause them to miss out on work opportunities that may have had a smaller window to act upon.

The 5s may see the 6s need for constant reassurance and bouts of anxiety as irritating and energy sapping. This may then cause the 5s to withdraw into the inner world of their thoughts and engage the ‘unreachable loner’ part of their psyche, which would then trigger the 6s’ fear to think about what they have done wrong in that situation.

This vicious cycle would then lead inaction on both sides: the 5s would have analysis paralysis, while the 6s would immediately go to worst case scenario mode and allow their fears and anxiety to overpower them to a point of not wanting to do anything to ‘further destabilise’ the situation.

The above situation would not be resolved till the 5s are able to come out of their shell to help reassure the 6s that all is well, in order for them to become productive again. However, the likelihood of this happening in a short span of time is highly unlikely. This would then bring the office to a complete standstill.

And so here is what we imagine it would be like when the office is populated by only Type 5s and 6s. Is this somewhere you would be comfortable in working in?

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What If Your Office Only Have Type 2s and Type 9s?

Last week, we imagined what it be like if your office only had Type 3s and Type 8s.

This week, we look at how the office would function when your office only has Type 2s and Type 9s in it.

What Works For Them

The focus for these two Types is on building a positive work environment for them and their team. As both are others-centered and keen ‘relationship builders’, 2s and 9s work together to build a cohesive work culture that emphasises kindness, mutual respect and support for each other.

The calmness that the Type 9s bring to the workplace is much appreciated by the Type 2s, who may get frazzled if they get too stressed out. 9s like working with 2s because of their optimism they have in people and in the way they nurture the best out of everyone that works with them and for them.

What Doesn’t Work For Them

While both Types do not like to engage in conflicts, they may find themselves disagreeing on what needs to be completed first AND the timeliness in which something is completed.

When the 9s stress out over deadlines and procrastinate, this frustrates the 2s when they are unable to help the parties on the receiving end complete the task on time.

This may then cause the 2s to go into stress mode, which in turn makes them more aggressive and controlling. When 2s get into this state, the 9s immediately retreat to avoid having to deal with the conflict.

Type 2s may find the Type 9s inability to be proactive and being stubbornly inactive at work very frustrating. As both the 2s and 9s are not task-oriented, nothing productive may come out of the office run by them. The 9s may be too busy being the office counselor and neglect their work; while the 2s may be running around completing everyone else’s jobs but their own, will ultimately result in nothing to be done.

Add in the fact that both Types do not like to say no means that no one ever takes charge and that is when everything in the office to come to a screeching halt and becomes an overall impediment in achieving anything productive.

So that is the imagined scenario when you only have Type 2s and Type 9s in your office. Does this sound like a place where you would like to work in?

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It takes all Types to make a team work. Do you know yours? Why not contact us to find out more on how you can use your SkillsFuture Credits to offset your course fees in our upcoming Enneagram courses. We are looking forward to hearing from you!

What If Your Office Only Have Type 3s and Type 8s?

It takes many Types to make the world and the same can be said in any workplace.

However, in this series, we are exploring scenarios where an office environment has only 2 Enneagram Core Types.

This week, we look at what if your office only has Type 3s and Type 8s.

What Works For Them

The synergy between their leadership styles lie in the fact that the less image-conscious Type 8 can play the ‘bad cop’ to the Type 3s ‘good cop’ and this helps the goal-oriented and direct Types to push the team under their charge to go beyond their limits in the shortest amount of time. Both Types are able to enjoy the ‘thrill of the hunt’ as they smash through the obstacles in their charge towards whatever objectives they set out to achieve.

The Type 3s may rely on the Type 8s’ natural authority to help them push their teams to achieve their work objectives. Type 8s appreciate the Type 3s’ execution and resource management skills. Together, they can be an unstoppable team.

What Doesn’t Work For Them

Type 3s may seem too ‘slow’ for the Type 8s as Type 3s may be more patient in achieving their objectives (big or small), which directly clashes with the 8s preference to take on the huge challenges to make big changes in the office fast. 3s and 8s may also struggle over who takes control over the various resources in the office, which may turn the workplace into a battlefield.

When no one wants to relinquish control in the office, then nothing gets done. In this battle for control often will result in more casualties (a.k.a high turnover rates) and bring everything to a standstill.

Type 3s and 8s may also have vastly different views on what can be addressed in public versus in private (1 to 1). 8s, in order to move things quickly, may be more prone to take confrontations head-on and very publicly, whereas the image-conscious 3 would care more about how they would look in public and may be less prone in creating a scene in the office.

So in this imagined scenario, these are the advantages and disadvantages of having ONLY Type 3s and Type 8s in your office. Of course, for teams to be effective and well-rounded, it takes all Types to make it work.

Question is – Can you imagine yourself working in an office that only has 3s and 8s?

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Want to know more about the other Types? Join us in our upcoming Enneagram courses. Furthermore, you can use your SkillsFuture credits to offset the course fees. So delay no longer, contact us today!