CUT/PASTE from the National Newspaper----17/10/06
http://www.thenational.com.pg/101706/index.htm
TALKING POINT by Dr MICHAEL UNAGE
Know your leader’s personality type
CORRUPTION by persons in authority perhaps has made it imperative for us to understand a leader’s personality. We are therefore grateful that Sir Arnold Amet has systematically dealt with the leadership issue in his column, Leadership Challenge.
The Governor-General also led a workshop for leaders recently to help them better understand their roles and responsibilities. In the invitation letter to the workshop, Rev Samson Lowa indicated there were two types of leaders. First are servant leaders who are prepared to risk their positions for their people, and second, selfish leaders who protect their position at the expense of their people.
The alarming rate of corruption among leaders holding public office indicates that most of the leaders are of the second category. To understand why leaders are so corrupt, we resorted to a 2,000-year-old Afghanistan enneagram regarding personality types that demonstrates what type of personality a leader possesses.
Briefly, the enneagram has nine personality types grouped into three areas: the gut, the heart and the head. The gut stands for instincts, the head for the intellect and the heart for emotion. Each personality type in one group has a complementary affinity with one of the other two groups. For instance in the instinct group, you will find personality numbers 8, 9 and 1. In the heart group, you will find personality numbers 2, 3, and 4, while the heart has the numbers 5, 6, and 7.
In the gut group, you would have these personality types: leader (8), mediator (9) and perfectionist (1).
In the heart group you would have helper (2), achiever (3) and artist (4).
In the head group we have observer (5), supporter (6) and optimist (7).
The leader type personality (8) is found in the gut group, however its complementary personality type in the heart group is the helper (2) personality, and in the head group is the observer (5) personality.
Thus for a leader personality to be integrated, it needs the coordination of 8, 2, and 5. A leader personality substitutes its deficiency by incorporating the value of the helper personality and the observer personality to be effective as leader. In the enneagram of personality types, the leader has the gut as it centre. What a leader wants is control, but has to balance that with tenderness. The impulse for control without tenderness can lead to oppression and manipulation.
The enneagram also shows the predominant vice of a leader personality is lust and without the cultivation of chastity will lead to abuse of persons and even positions. Thus a leader has a compulsion for control, and has lust for passion, and releases negative energy through vengeance and fears weakness and rejects it.
A leader type personality has denial as a psychological defence. The leader focuses on power and justice, and takes an aggressive stance. They are self-assertive, attention-seekers and can bulldoze their way through others if given half a chance.
Anger is their way of getting at the truth. They provoke people to find out what makes them dependent. It is important they are in control of people and events. They like to get things out in the open and are highly confrontational. They do not like pretense, deception or underhanded methods and constantly seek to expose and unmask these in others.
According to this enneagram, the personality of leaders is not that good at all. And, if the above leader personality type is true of our leaders, we can expect problems in our institutions of governance and the abuse of citizens.
However in the enneagram, the leader personality needs the other two centres; the heart and the head. And this is the transforming shift of the leader personality.
A leader type personality needs the values and qualities of the helper personality, who has the heart at its centre.
What does a leader need from the helper type personality? The leader needs to learn to be sensitive, warm, helpful and with the feeling for others. They have to acknowledge that others have rights too. They must not be ignored, bullied, taken advantage of or dominated.
Leaders have to own the tender side of their nature. Growth happens when they accept their gentler feelings and reveal their wounds and weaknesses, which is a real demonstration of strength. They have to accept that no one can be self-sufficient. Dependence on others is part of being human, and acknowledging that means letting others take control and appreciating their help.
They have to learn to use their power for people rather than against people. This involves standing up for others, fighting their battles and inspiring them to be independent. They have to develop their generosity. Self-interest is not the goal of life and money is not the only power tool. The gut centre of the leader has to mingle with the heart of the helper.
A leader type personality needs an observer as the head of its centre. Observers have a great gift for getting to the heart of the matter and seeing the overall picture. Leaders must become involved and committed and need to recognise that emotions, too, gives insight. They have to trust others and cooperate more and avoid jumping to conclusions.
The employment of the enneagram may be very simple and does not involve all the qualities of leadership. However, it deals with the personality types and not necessarily an ideal type leadership that people promote in leadership courses.
For a transformational leadership, and integration of leader, helper and observer personality is necessary.
Remember, not everyone in positions possesses the leader type personality. According to the enneagram, leadership personality is one among eight other personalities. This means that people in authority have to learn and acquire many qualities and skills in leadership.
WOW, now this is an eye opener. I never knew that such qualities existed...
Hmmm....I am impressed with the content of this article..
Rishika
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