How incorporating the Enneagram into your next team retreat might be just what you need to build better relationships (and better results!)

With many teams completely virtual, it’s a rare and special treat to get together with your team mates for an in-person retreat. If lucky, teams are gathering once a quarter, but more common is an annual team retreat.

This means we have one opportunity a year to get to know each other beyond the daily to-do list, project management or trouble-shooting zoom calls that are supposed to bond us as a team. We might know that Eric doesn’t take lunch-time calls as he picks up his kids from school at that time, or that Sarah generally starts late because she’s training for another ultra-marathon. But beyond that, we don’t really know much about the people we work with.

Some might find this a relief. Others might find it isolating. And for those experienced in the importance of healthy relationships in creating high-performing teams, you’ll know we’re missing out.

And this opportunity comes once a year.

So the pressure on to get it right: to create the right balance of productive, collaborative, strategic, informative, fun… just to name a few. Do we spend time talking productively about our 3-year vision? How much time do we allocate to team building? Do we rather let everyone relax and bond over a couple of cocktails? And how can we design an agenda that doesn’t include plenty of cringey activities that leave us more likely to leave than to laugh?

Enter the Enneagram, a powerful tool that offers deep insight and practical application into our diverse personality types.  By understanding ourselves and each other through the lens of our motivations, patterns, and worldviews, we get a deep dive into team dynamics. 

When time at a team retreat is precious, the Enneagram serves multiple functions.  It helps us get to know each other in a meaningful and engaging way, but also provides rich and transformative tools that far out-live the lifespan of the retreat.

Here’s why the Enneagram packs a powerful punch:

1. Better Self-Awareness: By identifying their own Enneagram type, team members gain profound insights into their own strengths, challenges, and blind spots. This increased self-awareness lays the foundation for personal growth and empowers individuals to leverage their unique strength for the collective benefit of the team.

2. Improved Communication: Effective communication is the lifeblood of successful, collaborative teams. The Enneagram equips team members with insight into the strengths and derailers or their own communication style as well as insight and application to better relate to those different to us.  

3. Better Conflict Resolution: Conflict is inevitable within any team, but it is how conflicts are managed that distinguishes teams that perform, from those that don’t. By recognising the underlying motivations driving different Enneagram types, teams can navigate conflicts with greater compassion and understanding. The Enneagram encourages a shift from judgment to curiosity, paving the way for constructive dialogue and resolution.

4. Building Trust and Empathy: Trust forms the bedrock of cohesive teams. Through the lens of the Enneagram, team members gain a deeper appreciation for the diverse perspectives and experiences of their colleagues and what each style needs to build trust. This fosters empathy, cultivates a culture of inclusivity, and strengthens interpersonal bonds.

5. Strategic Alignment: A shared understanding of individual strengths and motivations facilitates a strategic approach to how best to work together.  By leveraging the diverse talents and perspectives represented by each Enneagram type, teams can optimise their approach to problem-solving, innovation, and goal attainment.

That’s a lot of benefit, right?

The Enneagram is a powerful roadmap for building strong, cohesive teams.  By building self and relational awareness, teams can improve the way they see, support and stretch each other, laying the foundations for a sustainably strong dynamic. Instead of an isolated team-building activity or (more) awkward drinks around the hotel pool, working with the Enneagram means you get to know each other in a way that really counts, and with benefits that continue to grow long after you’re back in the zoom room.