The Enneagram in Business: Real-World Use Demonstrate its Transformational Power

Jim McPartlin is the Senior Vice President of Operations and Administration at Andre Balazs Properties, the boutique hotelier, with luxury properties in New York, Miami, and Los Angeles. McPartlin, a 20 year veteran of the hotel and hospitality industry, and a Certified Enneagram Teacher since 2000, knows the benefits of Enneagram use in the workplace. For 15 years, he has instructed and utilized the Enneagram to build successful sales and management teams for high profile hotel corporations across the U.S.

McPartlin's introduction to the Enneagram In 1993, I was hired as the General Manager of the Hotel Vintage Court in San Francisco, a Kimpton Hotel. The CEO, Bill Kimpton, had enjoyed personal and professional success in his discovery of the Enneagram and intro duced all of his property managers to it. Helen Palmer led the seminar. The Enneagram's many truths resonated with me. As a Style 6, I learned how to look at myself differently, how to stop overthinking things, and ultimately spare myself much needless anxiety - both at work and at home. The Enneagram doesn't define you in the way that other profiling systems do and allows you room to grow. Because the Kimpton Group brought the Enneagram into the organization in a dedicated way, it became a cultural cornerstone. This immersion allowed me to further my own knowledge of the Enneagram in the years that would follow. In 2000, after increasing revenue growth as General Manager at two Kimpton properties, and a successful two year stint as City Manager, overseeing all of Kimpton's five San Francisco hotels, McPartlin was named Vice President of Human Resources and Organizational Development. During this time he endeavored to transform HR from a functional department to a "business partner," integral to the financial success of what had become a 35 hotel, 34 restaurant, 6,000-employee organization. McPartlin called on the Enneagram to accomplish this. As part of my HR functions, I started teaching management teams an Enneagram course using materials created by Helen Palmer and David Daniels. It's uncanny, but a lot of the Palmer scenarios are right on. I found that the Enneagram was a great way to create a safe environment, and to get managers on the same page with one another. By explaining the motivations of each style and the "go to places" in times of stress and security, the staff grew more comfortable and communicative with one another. Ultimately, this helped result in increasing levels of employee satisfaction. In 2003, McPartlin was named General Manager of W San Francisco where he held full accountability for the 423-room hotel with a 45-member management team and 296 employees. He was later named Director of Brand Operations for W West Coast. In my 10 years at Kimpton, I became a functional expert in Enneagram instruction and introduced it to my management team with the intention of improving service and management while creating a leaner operating structure. So powerful were its results on that I had David Daniels teach and coach it to the executive management team. In less than a year, revenues increased by $1.44MM. While there was some initial resistance, participants soon embraced it. All have gone onto bigger and better engagements. In 2006, McPartlin joined Andre Balazs Properties where he is second in command and in charge of overseeing the company's eight hotels. McPartlin believes that over the past 15 years he has introduced the Enneagram to more than 250 hotel management and staff. I still talk to people I introduced the Enneagram to 3-5 years ago, many of whom are still using it or have gone onto become Certified Enneagram Teachers. It's so rewarding to work with groups and see people's eyes light up in recognition of their own style. Through this entire process I've realized that I am a teacher. David Daniels gave me some good advice recently when I was questioning whether my chosen profession was the right path. In essence, he told me that maybe my life path was teaching those in business the elements of heart-principled leadership via the Enneagram. That has stuck with me - I realize now that I am indeed a teacher, and my path to soul management and peace is through the Enneagram. It is a profound gift that I want to share with others. In Closing... On the Enneagram's workplace benefits It establishes more humanity in a business setting. The Enneagram provides a basis for self disclosure on a personal level - and gives the larger group an insight as to how you internalize stress and security. It has provided a valuable tool in communication and understanding how we sometimes judge others - solely because we do not understand their internal process. Learn how the Enneagram can radically improve your business world by joining Jim McPartlin and other business professionals this September at Every Leader's Challenge: The Art of Greatness NOW.

Business Leaders talk about how using the Enneagram in Business has increased leadership and organizational effectiveness

Listen to what business leaders say about using the Enneagram for leadership development and organizational effectiveness.