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.

"Debunking" the Myers-Briggs: Enneagram Implications

Joseph Stromberg, writing for Vox earlier this week, argues that the Myers-Briggs Personality "test" is "totally meaningless."  Since we do a considerable amount of work with the Enneagram personality system, which is sometimes compared to Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), Stromberg's article was of interest.  Stromberg raises some legitimate points that help illustrate key differences between the MBTI and the Enneagram, but ultimately his article fails even as an effective critique of the Myers-Briggs itself.

In a nutshell, Stromberg argues that MBTI isn't well-founded in psychological research.  The binary constructs that make up the Myers-Briggs (introversion-extroversion, perceiving-judging, etc.) are far too simple to accurately characterize a single individual's personality.  Context matters immensely in how we behave, and no one ever represents a perfect archetype of extroversion or introversion, for example. 

Fair enough.  But most of Stromberg's article focuses not on the MBTI as a conceptual framework, but rather the "test" that is administered in businesses large and small throughout the world to introduce the Myers-Briggs as a tool for helping people identify their type and for promoting teamwork and professional effectiveness.  Stromberg notes (correctly as far as I can tell) that no research has ever demonstrated an empirical correlation with one's MBTI type and his/her job effectiveness or happiness.

 OK, but so what?  I'm not aware of anyone who asserts that people of a certain type are more "effective" in a particular role than others, or that an ESTJ is a happier person than an INFP.  If these personality tendencies are largely fixed, what good would that information do you anyway?  Rather, my experiences with the MBTI is as a tool for increasing self-awareness and helping us understanding others, which are good and noble purposes, and I believe that's primarily how it is intended to be used in the workplace (not as some mechanism for hiring people or judging their performance; if that's happening, I believe it must be a total misuse of the MBTI and its intentions).

Stromberg may be correct about inadequacies in the conceptual underpinning of the Myers-Briggs.  In our work at CLS, we greatly prefer the Enneagram personality typing system to MBTI for several reasons.

First, the Enneagram seems to greatly exceed the accuracy of MBTI and other frameworks.  Once you have accurately typed yourself, there is usually little doubt as to whether you've done so correctly.  But correct typing occurs best when a person engages in serious self-study of the Enneagram system with an open heart and a lot of self-honesty, enhanced with the support of an experienced Enneagram teacher. 

There are several online Enneagram self assessments out there that we have found helpful starting points, but they are just that: starting points.  No one asserts that they are "tests" that can scientifically discern the differences between various personality types.  The human personality is simply too dynamic to lend itself to being validly measured with some sort of quantitative instrument like a survey. 

We do not assert that the Enneagram is research based.  Its construct validity comes from the experience of people who study the system and discover that it does, indeed, accurately describe their behavior tendencies over the course of their lifetime.

But the Enneagram does more, and this illustrates yet another way it is superior to MBTI.  The Enneagram does not simply describe the behaviors of different types, it helps illuminate the underlying psychological motivations that drive each type.  And it does so with brutal, unflattering accuracy.  If the MBTI makes people feel good, as Stromberg suggests, the Enneagram - at least initially - does quite the opposite.  It exposes our greatest weaknesses, our regrettable habits of mind that seem to perpetually weigh us down and interfere with our well-being and personal effectiveness.

And this finally illustrates the Enneagram's greatest strength: by describing the behavioral tendencies of different personality types at varying levels of psychological health, it points us toward greater wholeness and happiness.  There is no risk of the Enneagram being misunderstood (as I think Stromberg misunderstands the MBTI) as suggesting some types are more effective or happier than others.  Rather, the Enneagram's beauty lies in its capacity to show how every type has its own patterns of ineffectiveness, as well as its patterns of strength that point us toward the possibility of greater happiness in our personal and professional lives.

So yes, conceptually I prefer the Enneagram to the MBTI.  But Stromberg seems to mistakenly equate the Myers-Briggs test with the system itself, suggesting that it is flawed because it doesn't do things Myers and Briggs Myers (or Carl Jung, the 20th century psychologist who first articulated the archetypes upon which the MBTI is based) likely never intended. 

In doing so, Stromberg may be revealing a host of his own biases and areas of ignorance, especially the materialist view that only things that can be measured really exist or matter.

Stromberg dismisses Jung (he refers to him as a "psychologist named Carl Jung," making one wonder what audience he is writing for if he so naturally assumes his readers have never heard of Carl Jung) as "outdated," noting Jung's interest in "ESP" and "collective unconscious."  Certainly Jung's theories are subject to debate, but few serious students of psychology would argue that Jung has nothing to offer contemporary discussions of the human personality.

Yes, more empirical research is needed in the field of personality and how various typologies can best be understood and utilized.  But serious students of systems like the Enneagram know that there is a limit to how much value can be derived from this kind of inquiry.  What matters is how you use such systems.  Ultimately, they are tools.  And the effectiveness of a tool lies in the skills, practice, and dedication of the person who uses it.

Let it Go: "Frozen" and the Enneagram Type One

Semi-spoiler alert: While I won’t give away the conclusion of the movie, I will discuss key plot details, so if you haven’t seen the film and don’t want to know, stop reading now.

Disney’s latest animated blockbuster, Frozen, occupies a major role in my house right now.  I took my four-year-old daughter to see this film just before Christmas, and it has become a bit of an obsession for her.  We have near-nightly reenactments of the movie, and since purchasing the soundtrack, she regularly engages in passionate, heart-felt performances of Frozen’s Oscar-winning signature song, “Let it Go.”

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But my daughter isn’t the only one who loves this movie.  When she is acting it out, and especially when we are listening to “Let it Go,” I often have a strong emotional reaction.  At first I thought it was just the sweet memory of sharing the experience of watching it together, our first father-daughter big screen movie, or the preciousness of her exuberant, uninhibited joy in the story and its music.  But the truth is, I find myself choking up over the song itself, whether my girl is singing along or not.  And now I think I know why.

I have determined that Elsa, one of Frozen’s two main protagonists, is a Type One on the Enneagram personality system – the same as me, and “Let it Go” is an explosive look into the tortured heart of the Ennea-type One.  Elsa’s character, and especially the place of this song in her story, provides great into insight into common themes for the One, and signals how Ones can experience greater integration and healing of their deepest fears.

Elsa, princess of Arandelle, has a terrible secret.  Since childhood she has had the power to unleash ice and snow from her very fingertips.  Frightened that she might hurt the people she loves, and on the command of her worried parents the king and queen, Elsa hides herself away in the castle, cutting herself off from all human contact for their protection.  This requires an especially painful separation from her younger sister Anna, who does not know Elsa’s secret or understand her self-imposed isolation.

But Elsa’s secret is revealed when her parents are lost at sea and she must be crowned queen.  In a disagreement with Anna following the coronation, Elsa loses her carefully-maintained composure and her powers are unleashed, terrifying the castle guests and plunging the kingdom into perpetual winter.  Elsa flees to the mountains, where she intends to abdicate the throne and live in complete solitude – but also where she can throw off her lifelong fear of making a mistake.

It is in this scene that Elsa sings “Let it Go,” revealing first the burden of her life lived in fear, and then the relief she feels now that she doesn’t have to control herself anymore:

The snow glows white on the mountain tonight
Not a footprint to be seen
A kingdom of isolation,
And it looks like I’m the Queen.

The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside
Couldn’t keep it in, heaven knows I tried

Don’t let them in, don’t let them see
Be the good girl you always have to be
Conceal, don’t feel, don’t let them know
Well, now they know

Let it go, let it go
Can’t hold it back anymore
Let it go, let it go
Turn away and slam the door

I don’t care
What they’re going to say
Let the storm rage on,
The cold never bothered me anyway

These are themes that resonate for an Enneagram Type One, a personality most characterized by a powerful drive toward perfection, and its corresponding fear of making a mistake.  Ones operate with an innate sense that if they don’t personally do the right thing – however they define it –the world will somehow suffer, that other people will be hurt, and that above all they will be revealed as the flawed, broken, imperfect people they secretly know themselves to be.

Ones know the burden of being “the good girl [or boy] you always have to be.”  As part of the “instinctive” or “gut” triad, Ones struggle with their instincts.  They fear and distrust their own intuition and their powerful emotions, and create detailed, complex structures of rules they must follow in order tame and control their unruly inner world.  Thus, Ones abide with a secret fear that if they really let themselves go, terrible things would happen.

Elsa experiences the immense liberation of casting off her self-control and letting her inner world rush forth, manifest in both her physical transformation (her hair comes down and her carefully-tailored royal garments become a shimmering gown) and in her creation of a magnificent ice castle, a beautiful, creative expression of her deep, artistic heart:

It’s funny how some distance
Makes everything seem small
And the fears that once controlled me
Can’t get to me at all

It’s time to see what I can do
To test the limits and break through
No right, no wrong, no rules for me
I’m free

Let it go, let it go
I am one with the wind and sky
Let it go, let it go
You’ll never see me cry…

My power flurries through the air into the ground
My soul is spiraling in frozen fractals all around
And one thought crystallizes like an icy blast
I’m never going back,
The past is in the past

Let it go, let it go
And I'll rise like the break of dawn
Let it go, let it go
That perfect girl is gone

Here I stand
In the light of day
Let the storm rage on,
The cold never bothered me anyway

And yet, there is a terrible irony here.  Elsa’s liberation is, in fact, another form of self-imprisonment.  In her ice castle she is utterly alone, having abandoned both her duty to her kingdom and her deep longing for connection with her sister, the only family she has left.  She has exchanged one form of self-control for another.

Elsa must eventually leave her ice castle to save both her kingdom and her sister, and while she doesn’t initially go willingly, it is actually the One’s deep sense of duty and her longing to love and – above all – to receive love in return, that brings her to a place of genuine healing.  (I also suspect that Elsa may be a One-to-One instinctual variant, though I may just be projecting since that is also my sub-type).

“Let it Go” is, in fact, a kind of pseudo-healing, not the real thing.  It is perhaps a necessary catharsis for the Type One to allow herself to let go and unleash her messy, inner world.  But in the end, like an integrated One, Elsa learns that real healing comes from neither perfectionism nor unrestrained expressions of self that abandon a sense of relationship and responsibility to others.

Rather, Ones are healed when they accept that they are loved, whole, and good exactly as they are, with all their flaws and fears and scary feelings.  From this place of loving trust they are able to view their powers as gifts rather than be enslaved by them. 

"Let it Go" and the movie Frozen resonate for me as a Type One because, of course, I see myself in Elsa.  While I don't have power over snow and ice, I have another set of gifts that are mysterious, powerful, and sometimes feel like a curse.  I struggle with the burden of perfectionism and the secret fear that I am flawed and broken.  I frequently don't know what to do with my inner world, my desires and fears, and I struggle to trust my instincts, all the while longing for the freedom to "Let it Go."

And like Elsa, I find that the storm subsides when I rest in the awareness that all of this is thoroughly unnecessary.  That in fact, I am loved and adored, just as I am, with no need to protect others from myself or to perfect or accomplish a thing.  Then I am truly free to be me, and to practice and receive genuine compassion and love.

Because as we learn from Elsa and Anna, “Only love can melt a frozen heart.”

 

What energizes you? Distinguishing the Enneagram personality types

In our work with the Enneagram personality typing system, we emphasize that what makes the real difference between various types is not behavior, but motivation.  Many types may engage in the same behavior, sometimes quite intensely, but for different reasons.

Take "hard work," for example.  Many of the types may be observed as being hard working and task oriented.  But the Enneatype One works hard because it's the right thing to do, and he's trying to bring order and improvement to the world through his work.  The Enneatype Three, on the other hand, tends to engage in hard work because of her competitiveness and drive to succeed.  These differences are subtle, but help distinguish each type.

We have found, though, that some clients and students resist this approach to typing themselves.  We think this happens for various reasons.  Sometimes the individual is unwilling to acknowledge his own personal motivational patterns, perhaps for embarassment or fear of vulnerability.  In other cases, the person can't distinguish which of their many different motivations is actually strongest.

Both of these are fairly normal and understandable responses.  The truth is, we are all at least somewhat motivated by the core desires of every type.  We all want to do the right thing (Type One), for example, and we also all want to be successful (Three), we all want to give and receive love (Two), etc.

At a recent training event, one of the participants suggested that we think of the core desire that motivates each type as motivating energy.  Asking people, "What energizes you?" is perhaps a bit less threatening, and easier to identify, than asking them to ponder the question, "What motivates you?" 

This seems like an excellent idea.  We all get our “energy” from different sources.  Our motivating energies help can shape how we understand our life’s purpose, and can provide both a source of strength – and a hindrance – to the work we do “on the job.”  When we tap into our motivating energies, we feel more relaxed, experience a little bit (or a lot) of euphoria, and work activities tend to feel like they require less effort.  When we feel deprived of our motivating energies, we feel more frustration and stress, and less fulfillment in our activities.

In response to the question, "What gives you energy?," here are some examples that might correspond to each of the nine Enneagram types

• Being organized?  Perfecting and improving things? (Type One)
• Helping others?  Giving love and feeling loved? (Type Two)
• Getting things done?  Feeling successful?  Being recognized as an achiever? (Type Three)
• Feeling different and unique?  Making a deep and lasting contribution? (Type Four)
• Having the answers? Looking for and finding the answers? (Type Five)
• Looking out for others?  Being proactive and prepared? (Type Six)
• Having fun?  Engaging in lots of different activities? (Type Seven)
• Feeling strong and free?  Being in charge? (Type Eight)
• Relaxing and being at peace?  Having harmony with others and in your environment? (Type Nine)

We welcome input from readers on other questions, or revisions to these questions, that might help bring further clarity to the motivating energy for each Enneagram type.

Note: See our series of type profiles specific to the role of school leader here.

 

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:

 

Requiescat in pace

Remembering a friend today.  Dr. Jeannine Hirtle was an ardent supporter of CLS’s kind of work, and was my friend and colleague at APSU.  I will never forget our first real conversation during which we were increasingly astounded to discover mutual interests in the Enneagram, Rome, Catholicism, monastic spirituality, meditation, contemplative living, and Thomas Merton.  Our spiritual bond made us fast friends.

Jeannine taught at the University of Hawaii at Hilo on the Big Island before coming to APSU.  Last summer, we both had opportunities to travel to Hawaii to present at a conference (I blogged about her research here).  I stayed in Honolulu.  Jeannine, though, returned to her mystical center – the Kona side of the Big Island – and stayed with one of her daughter’s family (which includes four grandsons who she adored, and who felt the same way about her) who still live there. 

Early Sunday morning, the day after I arrived in Honolulu, I jumped an interisland flight to spend the day with her.  She picked me up in her little blue car, windows down to catch the breeze, and we sped around Kona all day, stopping for Mass, hiking Pololu Valley, and finally tracking down the Painted Church (after a U-turn or two).   I snapped this picture to text to Gary, trying to catch the amazing beauty of the hills in the background.  Instead, I captured Jeannine in full joy.

When I last saw her on this plane, five days ago, the cancer that had been in remission for years had ravaged her body.  But I’ll always remember her like this; smiling big and laughing that infectious laugh.

Mahalo, Jeannine.  Until we meet again.

 -Tom

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.