I'm an Enneagram Type 3

Maybe this isn't a surprise to anyone who knows me, but I finally broke down and took the Free Enneagram Test today to see what personality type the test scored me as. The result was an Enneagram Type 3. This is what that means...

Enneagram Type 3

Healthy: Self-assured, energetic, and competent with high self-esteem: they believe in themselves and their own value. Adaptable, desirable, charming, and gracious. / Ambitious to improve themselves, to be "the best they can be" — often become outstanding, a human ideal, embodying widely admired cultural qualities. Highly effective: others are motivated to be like them in some positive way. At Their Best: Self-accepting, inner-directed, and authentic, everything they seem to be. Modest and charitable, self-deprecatory humor and a fullness of heart emerge. Gentle and benevolent.

Average: Highly concerned with their performance, doing their job well, constantly driving self to achieve goals as if self-worth depends on it. Terrified of failure. Compare self with others in search for status and success. Become careerists, social climbers, invested in exclusivity and being the "best." / Become image-conscious, highly concerned with how they are perceived. Begin to package themselves according to the expectations of others and what they need to do to be successful. Pragmatic and efficient, but also premeditated, losing touch with their own feelings beneath a smooth facade. Problems with intimacy, credibility, and "phoniness" emerge. / Want to impress others with their superiority: constantly promoting themselves, making themselves sound better than they really are. Narcissistic, with grandiose, inflated notions about themselves and their talents. Exhibitionistic and seductive, as if saying "Look at me!" Arrogance and contempt for others is a defense against feeling jealous of others and their success.

Unhealthy: Fearing failure and humiliation, they can be exploitative and opportunistic, covetous of the success of others, and willing to do "whatever it takes" to preserve the illusion of their superiority. / Devious and deceptive so that their mistakes and wrongdoings will not be exposed. Untrustworthy, maliciously betraying or sabotaging people to triumph over them. Delusionally jealous of others / Become vindictive, attempting to ruin others' happiness. Relentless, obsessive about destroying whatever reminds them of their own shortcomings and failures. Psychopathic, murder. Generally corresponds to the Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Key Motivations: Want to be affirmed, to distinguish themselves from others, to have attention, to be admired, and to impress others.

Do you think that it's accurate?

Happy Birthday Michelle!

Michelle Fuller's 30th Birthday Party

Tonight was a great time as we celebrated Michelle Fuller's 29th birthday at Buca's! We had good food, conversation, and company. Talk about variety... The guest list included singles, married folks, babies, and mature adults. And the food-- it just oozed calories...

Now that's the way to celebrate a birthday. Congrats Mrs. Fuller. Hope that we helped make your day special!

Back to the Grindstone

Today was my first day in my new job at International Decision Systems in the IDS Tower in downtown Minneapolis. It was quite a day...

Coincidentally, as I was matriculating through HR's New Member Orientation, there was a RIF or Reduction In Force (corporate speak for layoffs) occurring. There is a particular (and unsettling) irony when you are selecting health care plans, getting business cards printed, and scheduling "welcome aboard luncheons" as others are picking up their severance packages.

The company's explanation for the RIF was a global missed forecast of earnings, even though the Minneapolis office basically met expectations. Unfortunately, all IDS locations were impacted by the RIF from a headcount perspective.

The next question that I asked (which I'm sure you are asking by now also) is how secure my new job was given this news? I was assured that the reductions were "surgical" and "based upon performance" so (for now) my employment was solid.

On the bright side, I have a great office space, get along well with my boss and staff, and have some very interesting challenges that will grow me professionally and personally.

However, having been in the corporate world for 20 years, I think I need to hold off on the "you've got a job so you can go shopping impulse". This new arrangement is still on the honeymoon. Let's hope that it's a marriage made in heaven...