Vol. 36, 12/15/05
Andrea E. Sullivan and
Deanne Bryce, editors
LeaderStrength Systems, Inc. 2005

From Awareness to Action: The Enneagram, Emotional Intelligence, and Change: A Guide to Improving Performance
by Robert Tallon and Mario Sikora (2004) The University of Scranton Press $24.95 Softcover

ReaderStrength Rating:
Focus 3
Build 4
Adapt 4
Overall Rating as a leadership resource 3.6
(Please see "How Do We Evaluate Resources?" in right column)

Marsha, a project manager at a software company, feels that she is under great pressure to do more with less. She feels additionally pressured to demand that her staff get more done with less time and resources.

Studies suggest that the key to improving productivity and results is not technical skills alone. What we used to call “soft-skills” is now well-documented and categorized into 16 behaviors called “emotional intelligence competencies.” Studies since the early 1980’s have concluded that emotional competence, or the ability to deal with your own and others’ emotions, accounts for 67% of the abilities needed for effective performance. (Rosier, 1994)

In the book, From Awareness to Action, Robert Tallon and Mario Sikora look at building emotional intelligence from the perspective of personality type. This strategy works because each personality type already has its own strengths and blind spots. For example, in Marsha’s case, her strength is providing direct, no-nonsense communication. This strength can be a liability when interacting with a personality type that prefers non-direct communication. As Marsha expands her own emotional intelligence, she becomes able to distinguish what emotional tone is needed for each particular person and situation, and learns how to create that right tone.

Authors Tallon and Sikora utilize a personality system called the Enneagram. This model for looking at personality type has been around since the 1970’s when Gestalt psychologist Claudio Naranjo, M.D. began using the nine-type classification system. Tallon and Sikora have used the Enneagram in their organizational work with family owned businesses, government agencies, and Fortune 500 companies.

The book is set up as a guidebook for improving performance. It begins with three chapters dedicated to understanding the Enneagram and specifically the motivation for each of the nine types. Chapters four through twelve are each dedicated to one of the nine types and set up to include an explanation of how each type approaches the 16 emotional intelligence competencies. The 16 emotional intelligence competencies are:

Self-Awareness is the ability to recognize one’s own thought processes, emotions and skills.
Self-Confidence is having trust in one’s own powers and abilities.
Self-Management is having restraint over one’s impulses, emotions or desires.
Adaptability is flexibility in handling change.
Trustworthiness is maintaining standards of integrity and honesty.
Optimism is the ability to anticipate and expect the best possible outcomes.
Initiative is readiness to act on opportunities.
Achievement Drive is striving to meet or improve a standard of excellence.
Resiliency is the capacity to endure in the face of obstacles.
Empathy is the awareness of and participation in others’ ideas and feelings.
Political Awareness is being able to read a group’s emotional currents and power relationships.
Communication is listening openly and sending convincing messages.
Cooperation is working with others toward shared goals.
Leadership is inspiring and leading individuals and groups.
Influence involves persuading others.
Conflict Management is negotiating and resolving disputes.

Each personality type has a characteristic pattern of emotional competencies. By using this guidebook you can find out what areas you need to work on for your own development. In Marsha’s situation, she reviewed the competencies of empathy and communication to see what the book said about her style’s strengths and shortcomings in these areas. She discovered that her style tends to send convincing messages but often fails to listen to others. In the area of empathy, Marsha learned that because her style is less in touch with their own emotions, she is not using the emotional cues others are sending out to improve the communication process.

Recommendation
From Awareness to Action is a book that we recommend to both learning and performance professionals and managers as they work one-on-one with people to develop their emotional intelligence for improved workplace performance.

Copyright 2005, LeaderStrength Systems, Inc. 630 Freedom Business Center , Suite 300 * King of Prussia , PA 19406

dbryce@leaderstrength.com • LeaderStrength Systems Inc.

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