know thyself

One of the inscriptions you would have found if you were to have entered the Temple of Apollo in Greece, centuries ago. 

This temple was the home of the Pythia - the high temple priestesses who were consulted by “kings and commoners” who brought their questions, and received her symbolic divinations in answer. 

I imagine these answers to be like a Rorschach test, a non-linear, non-objective expression inviting the questioner to bring their own interpretation to it. Which is to say, to bring themselves to it, and in the interpretation - revealing their own nature. 

Did the pythia’s answers provide direction, or was it the seeker's interpretation that provided the direction? Was the answer objectively in the words of the oracle? Or was the oracle simply the mirror and the means by which the seeker came to their own illumination. 

“Know Thyself” threads an ancient and mythological affirmation into what I call “The Inner Game” of leadership. 

As leaders, we are defined by our response to things.  By how we play the hand that has been dealt.  By the attitude and the skill with which we hit the ball back.  By the way we pause to choose our next action consiously - or not. 

It requires intimacy with emotions, impulses and narratives that spring up reliably, involuntarily. And it requires a big basket of tools (and a lot of courage) to sift through which warrant our attention, which truly needed to be acted upon, and which need processing of a different or more personal kind. 

This is, as I am sure you have already guessed, emotional intelligence.  This is the inner game of leadership. 

The outside reality, as objective as it may seem, is always only ever inviting our own interpretation - which is always based on our beliefs, fears, values, desires and goals. 

We learn about ourselves by  reflecting on the actions we chose, the words we said, the responses we made or the reactions we fell into unconsciously.  Knowing we can always choose differently based on the kind of leader we desire to be. 

There is always a choice in how you show up, and the first lesson of leadership is noticing the degree to which you agree or disagree with this statement, which is only inviting a radical amount of self-responsibilty. 

The Ennegram is a fast-track way to understand aspects of your own inner-game, which is often firmly in your blindspot. If you are wanting to lead yourself and your teams with greater influence, credibilty and authenticity - mastering the inner game through the Enneagram is a good doorway. 

Get in touch if this interests you!