Contemplative Learning Solutions

COVID-19 and the contemplative dimension

The last two months have presented extraordinarily unexpected challenges for people all over the world as we have dealt with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Chief among these challenges, we have found ourselves at home, unable to go to our workplaces, our places of worship, or even to visit friends.

Such a scenario is stress inducing, and the risks of loneliness, depression, substance abuse, and other social ills have probably never been higher as a result. But happily, many people have found a silver lining in this COVID cloud. The time at home has also presented an opportunity for more quiet, rest, prayer, and meaningful family activities. Relationships have been renewed, if facilitated by digital media, as we have rediscovered the importance of our social connectedness.

The quarantine can, if we choose to allow it, reconnect us to the "contemplative" dimension of life. Thomas Merton (1915-1968), the Trappist (Cistercian) monk who serves as the unofficial patron saint for this venture, Contemplative Learning Solutions, defined contemplation this way:

Contemplation is the highest expression of our intellectual and spiritual life. It is that life itself, fully awake, fully active, fully aware that it is alive. It is spiritual wonder. It is spontaneous awe at the sacredness of life, of being. It is gratitude for life, for awareness and for being. It is a vivid realization of the fact that life and being in us proceed from an invisible, transcendent and infinitely abundant source.

Contemplative Learning Solutions is a consulting team, but we've always aspired to be more than that, to be the medium by which a larger community of contemplative spirits might come together and share the journey toward more authentic workplaces, faith communities, and personal relationships. We are inspired by the Trappist tradition of which Thomas Merton was a member and the "conversion of manners" to which its monks and nuns are called, and which we think defines the elements of a contemplative life: silence, solitude, simplicity, stability, and service.

The COVID-19 crisis offers a chance to rediscover each of these elements in an immediate sort of way. Writing for America magazine, Gregory Hillis declares that, "We're all monks now." That may be a bit overstated, but the article offers some rich wisdom from some of the brother monks at Merton's Abbey of Gethsemani monastery near Bardstown, Kentucky. Likewise, Fr. Joseph Kerrigan, Cistercian of Mepkin Abbey, provides guidance on how life in quarantine can renew our commitment to all the contemplative dimensions, including and especially the element of service.

Can we look at our reduced social circle as nevertheless being that center of Christian charity that we have been called to now serve, whether in direct human needs or in encouraging wellness? And through the far-flung effects of intercessory prayer or the internet, can we continue to lift up or materially support those beyond our immediate reach? We might find that in the very midst of caring for others in this way, a mindfulness and poise may sprout within us that we previously associated only with times of solitude.

Mindful magazine has offered a helpful set of articles for navigating these times, including five ways to reimagine life in quaratine, how to be gentle with ourselves during lockdown, and, especially as we navigate extra time with immediate family, how the power of forgiveness can be so valuable during shelter in place.

Of course, at CLS we believe the Enneagram personality typing system is one of the most powerful tools for personal growth and development we've encountered. Everyone is likely responding to the challenges of this time with type-specific strengths and weaknesses. We have found a new Twitter account, Just My EnneaType, run by a couple named Josh and Liz, and recommend the posts they've offered over the last several months as they've curated a lot of helpful insights about how different personalities can effectively manage the current crisis.

Speaking of, we recently offered our first virtual Enneagram workshop, a follow up for faculty and staff of Richardsville Elementary School in Warren County on how to use the system to improve our personal and professional communication and feedback. Of course the discussions often turned toward how we manage our emotions and reactions to the pandemic  more effectively using the self-awareness the Enneagram provides. Besides the value we hope the workshop brought its participants, it has opened up a new avenue for CLS to offer our services, and so we're happy to announce that our full array of coaching, consulting, and workshop opportunities can now be adapted into fully online formats. 

Read more about us and what we offer and reach out if you'd like to know more. You can email Gary at [email protected]. We offer fully customizable workshops on all topics related to education, reflective practice, and contemplative leadership.

Regardless, we pray that you are happy and well during lockdown, and especially that as we begin to grope toward our new "normal," that we might all do so with authenticity, boldness, and compassion.

Centenary

All this attention.

Is it good? Pure? Authentic?

Or does that matter?

Thomas Merton icon by Br. Robert Lentz OFM and available for purchase here: http://bit.ly/1CC2Rnt

 

Standing on the Edge of Grace with Flannery O’Connor

On the fiftieth anniversary of Flannery O’Connor’s death, I am reflecting on her body of work, but mostly on my own sustained, and maybe even strengthened, interest in her life.  She has been on my shortlist of favorite writers since I was aware that I had favorite writers, and I appreciated her personal theology long before I converted to Catholicism.

I get that others do not necessarily share my level of interest, and I think this primarily stems from her writing’s polarizing effects.  Scenes that elicit laugh-out-loud moments from me tend to have an opposite effect on some other readers … but I knew these characters.  I grew up with them in small-town, rural America. 

I liked that O’Connor wrote honestly, but treated these people with compassion, too.  Navigating the morbidly humorous landscape of her South, her characters – and her readers – ultimately arrived at redemption.  This redemption was always personally difficult, though, and came at a great price.

Misfits on the edge populated O’Connor’s work:  the edge of society, the edge of madness, but also, importantly, the edge of grace.  And in that way, to paraphrase the doomed but redeemed grandmother in “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” we’re all included among O’Connor’s “children.”

Flannery O’Connor wrote, “All human nature vigorously resists grace because grace changes us and the change is painful.”  Her characters resisted this grace mostly because they had been able to convince themselves that others needed it instead.  Their forced self-awareness, though, proved them wrong every time.  And their own self-awareness acts as a mirror, and therefore of a grace-conduit, for the reader

Is this the heart of O’Connor’s appeal and/or repulsion?  I’m not sure.  But I do know that when I read her work, I am encouraged to keep walking (and occasionally stumbling) toward grace myself.  And I can occasionally have a good laugh along the journey.

(Image: www.slate.com)

Commemorate Flannery O’Connor today with any of these – or other – works:

Short Stories

• Everything that Rises Must Converge
• A Good Man is Hard to Find
• Greenleaf
• Revelation

Essays and Non-fiction

• The Habit of Being: Letters
• Mystery and Manners
• A Prayer Journal
• The Province of Joy: Praying with Flannery O’Connor (by Angela Alaimo O’Donnell) 

On Searching, Anxiety, and Abandonment

One of Thomas Merton's most well-known (and beloved) pieces of writing is a prayer of abandonment and humble honesty. We keep framed copies of it in our homes and offices, and strive to allow it to inform our work and our lives (sometimes with success, other times with great struggle). I am moved nearly each time I read it.

To honor the ninety-ninth anniversary of Merton's birth (January 31, 1915), we share it with you today:

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going.  I do not see the road ahead of me.  I cannot know for certain where it will end.  Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.  But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

--Thomas Merton, “Thoughts in Solitude”

The Ennea-type Nine School Leader: The Peace Seeker

Our series of profiles exploring how each Enneagram personality type typically functions in the role of school leader comes to an end with a look at the Type Nine.  We think of this affable, easy-going, and generally positive personality as the Peace Seeker.  Driven by a deep need for harmony and inner and outer peace, the healthy Type Nine school leader has the capacity to build powerful, united coalitions of parents, teachers, and students around meaningful, long-term improvement goals.

Like some other personality types, the Peace Seeker is a relative rarity among school administrators.  Perhaps because the Type Nine prefers to stay out of the spotlight, often defers to others, and is generally avoidant of conflict, the Peace Seeker may desire other, lower-profile educator roles such as classroom teacher, media specialist, or guidance counselor.  The healthy Nine’s skill at bringing people together and mediating conflict, however, makes the Peace Seeker a potentially strong candidate for leadership roles.

 The core motivation behind the Enneatype Nine personality is a desire to achieve a large measure of inner harmony.  The Nine tries hard to create an internal equilibrium that feels safe and comfortable, and will arrange her external world to facilitate this peaceful state of mind.  On the other hand, the average Nine will tend to flee from situations that threaten this sense of inner peace.  This drive for harmony and fear of conflict or disequilibrium can be a powerful dynamic for the Enneatype Nine school administrator, leading to highly-effective behaviors of personal self-management and organizational improvement, or to damaging tendencies like avoiding conflict or disappearing from view.

When Peace Seeking Leads to “Checking Out”

This dynamic is one reason leadership roles like school principal can pose challenges for the Enneatype Nine.  Schools are rife with difficult-to-solve curricular and instructional problems and managing those issues often sparks deep interpersonal conflicts.  Without good strategies of personal management, the average Nine can find such problems overwhelming , and will often sidestep addressing the conflicts altogether.  Like unhealthy Sixes, the Nine will experience such challenges as dangerous threats to his well-being and safety, and will often react in self-protective ways.

Every Nine has a unique strategy for “checking out.”  A checked out Nine school leader might immerse himself in busy work, attending to low-risk tasks that consume inordinate amounts of time (such tasks abound in the life of school administration) rather than confront the real challenges facing the school.  Or she may hide out in her office, avoiding work tasks altogether and surfing the internet or playing computer games, convincing herself that she deserves a break.  The effect is the same, regardless of the Nine’s coping strategy: the average or unhealthy Peace-Seeker school leader avoids the root problems and is often out of sight, leaving the school adrift and teachers and staff members alone to deal with pressing issues.

Calm Within the Storm

But healthy Nines find ways to create inner balance and harmony in the midst of challenging external situations.  These Peace Seekers utilize their gifts to discern the sources of conflicts and school-wide problems.  Their easy-going nature frequently makes them a supportive, unthreatening source of feedback, guidance, and direction, even when they are in overt positions of authority.  For example, healthy Nine school principals have a gift for helping teachers identify weaknesses in their instructional practices in ways that make the teacher feel safe and confident, rather than criticized and threatened. 

Enneatype Nines tend to eschew the attention of others, and healthy Nine school leaders use this to their advantage, using sincere humility to allow others a chance to shine and lead, and to unite differing, sometimes conflicting perspectives around a common mission and purpose.  From their place of inner harmony, healthy Nines can exercise great patience in establishing long-term goals for school improvement, steadfastly “hanging tough” through difficult times and inspiring others to maintain their focus, keeping the end result in mind.  In this way, Nines appear like healthy Threes, becoming simultaneously more action oriented and group focused.

Practices for Wholeness

The most important duty of personal wholeness for a Nine is to be aware when she is feeling a need to check out.  Reflective practices like journaling and mindfulness meditation can build one’s capacity for awareness.  From this place of mindfulness, the Nine can recognize conflict brewing and proactively respond in ways that are personally and organizationally positive.

Sometimes this means actually taking a break, but Nines must learn healthy ways to do this and maintain a positive purpose for doing so.  Rather than to avoid the problem, Nines should seek strategies that help them cultivate real inner calm and prepare them to move outward toward engaging the world.  Prayer, mindfulness meditation, and body-based practices like yoga, running, or even taking a brisk walk can give Nines a chance to temporarily retreat from perceived danger, but to do so in a way that builds their capacity to lead and take action.

The conflict-ridden world of leadership poses significant challenges for the Type Nine, but with self-compassion and discipline, the Peace Seeker can become a powerful personality for leading and improving schools and districts.

For a complete list of Enneagram resources, check the Enneagram links on the left-hand side of this page, and visit our Services page to learn about the wide range of CLS workshops available for leadership and professional development.  For previous type profiles, click here and scroll to the bottom of the post.

The Self-Aware School -- New CLS Training Session

Please join us on Wednesday, November 6 as we present our training session The Self-Aware School: Using the Enneagram System to Enhance Instructional Leadership to the attendees of the Mid-South Educational Research Association’s (MSERA) Annual Meeting.  (MSERA is a regional division of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), which hosts what is arguably the pre-eminent annual educational research conference that attracts national and international presenters and advances important research in our field.)  We are eager to present a synthesis of our past and most recent Enneagram work at MSERA, combining elements of our general introductory training sessions with school leader-specific connections using our original school leader Ennea-type profiles. 

While researching, designing, and facilitating a new ongoing workshop series, we were recently reminded of the strong connection between the kind of self-awareness that an Enneagram study can provide and deep, transformational reflective practice.  We sincerely believe that school leaders can use this training to become even more effective reflective practitioners, and highly-effective instructional leaders.

We hope you can join us on Pensacola Beach next week for further information.  If not, though, contact Tom or Gary to see how your school/district/organization might benefit from similar work.

(Photo:  Tom and Gary presenting at the 2012 Canadian Institute for Enneagram Studies conference.)

Less is More

Time management is an age-old challenge for leaders of all kinds of organizations, but the problem seems particularly acute for school administrators.  While educators have a strong sense of their core mission, constantly-changing policies, mandates, and curricular goals leave many teachers and principals grasping for a unified sense of purpose in their work.  The structure of schools and the school day contribute to a rush, fragmented, and unsustainable pace of activity.

The result is not just stress and burnout, but also a loss of efficiency and effectiveness both for individual educators and for schools as a whole.  There is a surprising dearth of good resources on how to address this issue.  John C. Leonard's Finding the Time for Instructional Leadership is a notable exception, but most authors, including Leonard, focus primarily on better ways to delegate responsibility or manage one's calendar.

There's nothing really wrong with such a technical approach, but it overlooks a more fundamental aspect to the problem of our break-neck, harried, frenetic approach to work and life.  Working and living this way separates us from our deepest selves, cuts us off from our feelings, limits our relationships, and deprives us of opportunities for more fulfilling lives of purpose and joy. 

Marc Lesser's excellent little book, Less: Accomplishing More by Doing Less, addresses the issue of time management from this kind of contemplative perspective.  Lesser, a former business executive who now consults world-wide, draws heavily from his ten years as a full-time student of Zen in offering a rich, thoughtful perspective on our unsustainable work habits and provides a wealth of practical, down-to-earth strategies for slowing down so that we can actually be more productive at the things that really matter.

Lesser (who acknowledges the irony of his name) starts by noting that as societies and individuals we have become addicted to our unrealistic agendas and ubiquitous digital distractions at least in part because we are convinced that our self-worth is tied up in the accumulation of our accomplishments.  In this era of Perpetual Recession we may not rely as much anymore on our wealth as a sign of our worth, but we have perhaps doubled down on the assumption that if our lives are to be useful and meaningful, we must be busy. 

The fallacy of this kind of thinking is nearly self-evident.  Our busyness does not result in a greater happiness or even a sense of accomplishment, but rather frustration and a feeling that, whatever we may have done today, there is twice as much to do tomorrow.

Less offers a way out of this cycle of frustration and fear by first emphasizing the power of sitting still to figure out what we really are seeing, hearing, feeling, fearing, and hoping for in this present moment.  The act of just sitting with ourselves is in itself a radical break with the busyness addiction, and open us up to a vast universe of self-awareness and new possibilities.  The author offers instruction on a variety of simple mindfulness techniques through which we can begin this journey of self-discovery.

The "Less Manifesto" is Marc Lesser's framework for what to do with this self-awareness when we begin to slow down and listen to our own hearts.  The author explores, through a series of straightforward exercises, how we can get in touch with the inner fears that motivate our incessant busyness (a direct link to the Enneagram of personality), and from a new place of openness begin to identify, test, and challenge our own (often unrecognized) assumptions (a strategy that perfectly echoes Argyris and Schon on the concept of theories of practice).

Such self awareness work does not come easily, of course, and Lesser also offers great wisdom on how we can come to recognize our patterns of resistance - the ways in which we flee from our own fears and aspirations, usually through some intentional distraction or through the busyness of work itself. 

By breaking through these layers of resistance and distraction, we can reflect on our work in light of three fundamental questions: 1) What is my purpose for being here on this planet? 2) How am I doing in relation to this purpose? 3) What steps do I need to take to align my purpose and my actions?  In slowing down to ask these questions, we build compacity to change our work habits so that we are investing our time in the things that really give us life and joy.  Lesser emphasizes that in the end we may appear just as active (and certainly more productive) before we began the less-is-more journey, but our activities will be fare more closely aligned with our values and life purpose.

Less is a book that is both philosophical and practical.  The perspectives and strategies offered could enrich the work of teachers and school leaders, especially since schools as workplaces seem to be so resistant to reflection and contemplation.  It isn't a silver bullet, however, even if a reader were to faithfully implement all of Lesser's recommendations (not that any silver bullet really exists).  One key source of our busyness is the relentless demand that others place on us to complete tasks associated with their key priorities.  The author doesn't address this challenge specifically, but it seems the key to meeting this problem is in first being perfectly aware of our own priorities and patterns, so that we might then more effectively work with the (often misplaced) priorities and frustrating patterns of others.

Self aware (contemplative) living is a journey and a lifestyle rather than a technique, and the recommendations of Less are a starting point for the reflective practitioner.  Consider this book for your personal and professional library.

You can get a sense of Marc Lesser's teaching and approach in this 50-minute video that summarizes key points from his book:

 

The Ennea-Type Eight School Leader: The Freedom-Seeker

Our penultimate school leader profile describes a somewhat strong, driven, freedom-seeking personality.  The Eight school leader is like other previously-described types in this series.  He is like the Four because of his independent nature (masquerading to some as an individualist nature).  Like the One, he desires positive, ethical change and reform.  The Eight can also alternately resemble the Five and the Two (his Enneagram stress and growth points, respectively.)  However, the Eight is unique, like all of these and other Ennea-types, because of his primary motivation:  a fear of being manipulated and/or controlled by someone, or something, else.    Unchecked, this fear can cause the Eight principal to figuratively bite the meddling (but often well-meaning) supervising hand that attempts assistance or partnership.

Also called “The Challenger,” “The Leader,” and “The Protector,” Eights can be very successful school-level leaders.  Indeed, like the Type Three school leader (The Achievement-Seeker) who is drawn to high-profile school district or higher education administrative positions, the Eight may tend to gravitate toward lower-profile, but seemingly more autonomous, principal or other school-level leadership roles.  In fact, in our brief tenure together as school district administrators, we knew many of these Freedom-Seeker principals, and we continue to encounter many acting or aspiring Type Eight school leaders in our individual work today. 

These principals, and their fellow healthy Type Eight school leaders, fiercely defended their autonomy, and they just as fiercely defended those whom they supervised when they detected what they viewed as unfounded “bullying” by supervising administrators or other stakeholders.  This was an admirable quality; however, when Eights are under stress they also potentially close their minds to the possibilities of occasional shared leadership.  Additionally, some Eight school leaders also find it difficult to continue to objectively work with a colleague or supervisor who has somehow infringed upon her teachers’, staffs’, students’, or her own freedom.

Bully-Killers

Because the Eight desires autonomy and freedom not just for self but also for others, and will staunchly defend this right, we have taken to calling the Freedom-Seeker principal a “bully-killer.”  We have witnessed Eights courageously champion a teacher or staff member as often as we have seen these principals defend students’ rights to an ethical, engaging curriculum in a safe learning environment.  In this way, the Freedom-Seeker is also a defender of her clear, singular vision of the way school “ought to be.”  Do not stand in her way – she’s got this.

But her desire for freedom and an autonomous way of operating can potentially blind the Eight to certain realities.  Realities of…

• …an ineffective teacher for whom the Freedom-Seeker principal has developed an affection (or an effective teacher for whom the Eight principal has developed an aversion),
• …an alternative and more effective teaching or assessment method offered by one of the Freedom-Seeker’s perceived “enemies,”
• …a stakeholder (e.g., teacher, parent, school board member, supervising administrator) who desires a collegial relationship, but who is shut-out because of a past disagreement (no matter the level of sincere repentance).

Additionally, and related to the Freedom-Seeker’s desire for complete freedom, this principal may also experience difficulty fostering meaningful collegial relationships.  The Eight’s tender emotions are often unknown to all but a small circle of confidants.  As a result, some stakeholders could view Eights, particularly those in elementary school leadership roles, as too “tough” or rigid to create the desired warm and welcoming school atmosphere.

Practices for wholeness:  finding freedom in “critical” affection

Though he may find it difficult at the onset, the Freedom-Seeker school leader should foster collegiality and shared leadership.  He should identify, and appropriately delegate, tasks to other leadership team experts and provide mentoring and guidance without dictating or micromanaging. 

The Eight principal should also capitalize on relationships with one or two confidants and identify a critical friend.  A critical friend – one on whom an individual can unconditionally rely for ethical care and honesty – is important for all Ennea-types, but is perhaps crucial to the personal and professional growth and success of the Freedom-Seeker principal.  In such a partnership, the Eight can explore previously hidden emotional aspects of the school leadership role, and can also learn to accept honest, constructive feedback for improvement.  These relational skills can then transfer to interactions with the school community at large.

Collegiality does not equal subservience

Eights should guard against viewing sincere collaboration efforts as personal attacks on independence since the nature of modern school reform begs real collegiality.  This school leader should always be mindful of tempering power- and control-desires with open and honest, but also compassionate, communication and relationship building.

The healthy Freedom-Seeker’s drive is ideal for school reform efforts.  If an Eight principal possesses a meaningful and effective plan, and is not hindered by obstacles (neither outer nor inner) to necessary collaboration, she can lead a school to success.

Look for our final Enneagram Type school leader profile in coming weeks. For a complete list of Enneagram resources, check the Enneagram links on the left-hand side of this page, and visit our Services page to learn about the wide range of CLS workshops available for leadership and professional development.  For previous type profiles, click here and scroll to the bottom of the post.

We Are Listening

When we are silent, we can hear the wind in the trees, and the water in the brook, and is this not more eloquent than anything that we ourselves might have to say?

– Thomas Merton

 

This week we began working with our new Contemplative Leadership Academy online community.  As frustrating as some of the technical and logistical startup obstacles were, we are excited to engage in this work again with new participants and to test the contemplative possibilities of a virtual platform.

We are also eager to do this work because we are still convinced that it is good and right and necessary.  We still have conversations with others about the difficulty of centering, listening, and finding quiet space at work – not to hide from or shirk duties, mind you, but simply in order to reflect, process, and thoughtfully lead – and of our culture’s reluctance to embrace extended periods of not empty, but reflective silence.

Why is that?  Myriad reasons – reasons that we hope to explore in our Contemplative Leadership Academy and elsewhere with others.  Contact us if you would like to discuss ways to foster contemplative moments in your work environment.  We may have some ideas.  We may even be able to assist.  But we will also be quiet (for longer than may be initially comfortable).  We haven’t checked out, though; we are listening.

The Ennea-Type Seven School Leader: The Fun Seeker

This on-going series has featured profiles of each Enneagram type.  In particular, we've focused on how each type tends to function in the role of school leader.   Education administration and leadership takes place in a unique and complex context, and understanding more about how personality interacts with the function of leadership in P-12 schools can enrich our self-awareness and professional effectiveness.

In this latest installment, we turn to the Ennea-Type Seven, a distinctively exuberant, energetic, and enthusiastic personality style that brings many strengths to a leadership role.  Because of the Seven's drive toward maximizing intensity and joy in their lives, and in the lives of others, we call this type the Fun Seeker.

Maximizing joy; minimizing pain

As a school leader, the Type Seven often fosters a warm, vibrant, and joyful environment for working and learning.  The Seven is a cheerleader, with the innate capacity to make people feel good about their efforts and enthusiastic for the mission of the school.  A seemingly tireless multi-tasker, the Seven is perpetually visible in classrooms, hallways, meetings, and school events, and is initiating new projects and promoting new ideas at a pace that only she seems to be able to manage.  Sevens are especially gifted at the social dimensions of leadership, fostering positive and intense relationships with students, parents, teachers, and community members.  While the Seven sometimes struggles to follow through on ideas, initiatives, and commitments, stakeholders tend to be extremely forgiving of these peccadillos, giving the Seven the benefit of the doubt for his unflagging commitment and dedication to others and to the school or district itself.

Ultimately the Seven's drive to synthesize as many ideas and maximize as much energy as possible is rooted in a deep drive for happiness, and an insecurity about the world.  Every Ennea-type has its own particular fear or insecurity, and the Seven responds to her anxiety by trying to fill up her life with a maximum amount of experiences and activities.  In some ways, the Seven is engaged in a pattern of avoidance, trying to skirt around the uncertainties, pain, and loss that is as essential to life as happiness and pleasure by focusing solely on what is fun, bright, and good.

Ennea-type Seven school leaders can exhibit profound denial about their school's weaknesses and growth areas, about conflicts and problems in the culture, and about their own limitations, losses, and needs.  Sometimes the Seven school leader will barrel ahead with a plan even when it is clearly doomed or deeply flawed, because the discomfort of acknowledging the truth is too great.  Or, perhaps more common, the Seven contributes to the sad tendency in education for schools to pursue a raft of new initiatives every year, never really abandoning old practices but heaping new idea upon the old and leading inevitably to the morale-killing "initiative fatigue" so familiar to many teachers.

Prone to boredom and addicted to stimulation, the Seven school leader can experience terrible burn out and yet be the last to recognize it, or sometimes quit a job - or a series of jobs - in quick succession, always looking for the next big thing professionally or personally.

Practices for wholeness: Being still, being real

The Ennea-Type Seven is constantly in motion, mentally as well as physically, and so learning to take regular "breaks" from activity and intense experience can open the Seven school leader to experience her inner world and see her context from new and broader perspectives.  Reflective practices, mindfulness meditation, and other strategies for slowing down and being still are inherently challenging for the Type Seven, but potentially rewarding and renewing.

Above all, coming to recognize his pattern of avoidance will empower the Type Seven leader to be aware of the ways he might be compensating for insecurity or anxiety by engaging in activity for the sake of activity, or glossing over problems and challenges.  Nurturing a few close, authentic relationships with co-workers who can be a "critical friend" can help the Seven keep a check on these patterns and pitfalls.

There is no inherent contradiction between stability and self-awareness and the Seven's inclination toward exuberance and activity.  By practicing self-awareness and honest, open communication, the Ennea-Type Seven leader can bring her greatest gifts to bear and foster an effective, high-performing school environment.

Look for additional profiles of other Enneagram Types as school leaders in coming weeks. For a complete list of Enneagram resources, check the Enneagram links on the left-hand side of this page, and visit our Services page to learn about the wide range of CLS workshops available for leadership and professional development.  For previous type profiles, click here and scroll to the bottom of the post.