Olivia: Most leadership books tell you to be collaborative, to be a servant leader. But what if the first thing a new leader needs to do is win a raw power struggle in the first five minutes on the job? Jackson: That sounds… aggressive. And definitely not what you hear in most HR seminars. Olivia: Exactly. And what if the tool for winning that power struggle isn't an MBA, but a 2,500-year-old personality system? Jackson: Wait, a personality test for a power struggle? I thought the Enneagram was for, like, finding out if you're a 'Helper' or a 'Peacemaker' at a weekend retreat. Olivia: That’s the common misconception we’re going to shatter today. We're talking about The Enneagram at Work by Jim McPartlin. And what's fascinating is that McPartlin isn't some academic in an ivory tower; he's a veteran of the high-stakes, high-drama world of luxury hospitality. We're talking managing A-list celebrities, massive hotel openings, and all the chaos that comes with it. He lived this stuff before he ever taught it. Jackson: Okay, that adds some street cred. A hotelier who’s seen it all is a lot more interesting than a theorist. So where does he start? Olivia: He starts with a story that perfectly illustrates this. It's day one at his new job as General Manager of the W San Francisco, a very high-profile hotel. He walks into his new office, ready to meet his senior team for the first time.

Jackson: I can feel the tension already. First impressions are everything. Olivia: And his team decided to test him immediately. His office has a big desk with two visitor chairs in front of it, and then a separate, large conference table off to the side. Two of his senior guys, Marcus and Michael, walk in for their scheduled meeting. Jackson: Let me guess. They didn't sit in the visitor chairs. Olivia: Not a chance. They walk right past the desk and sit at the conference table, effectively making themselves his equals. It was a silent, deliberate power play. A non-verbal challenge to his authority on his very first day. Jackson: Oh, that's brutal. It's so subtle, but it's everything. I feel like most new managers would just ignore it to avoid conflict right off the bat. Maybe pretend they didn't notice and just roll with it. Olivia: That’s the default for many people. But McPartlin, using his own self-awareness, knew this was a critical moment. He understood that if he let this go, he’d lose the room before he even started. So he looks at them, pauses, and says, "Gentlemen, this is a fine example of positional power that you’re demonstrating. However, I’m not playing. Get over here and sit down." Jackson: Whoa! That is ice cold. And incredibly direct. What happened? Did they walk out? Olivia: They were stunned. But they got up, moved to the visitor chairs in front of his desk, and the dynamic of the entire relationship was set in that moment. He established his leadership not through a memo or a title, but through a direct, self-aware action. He even ended up becoming great friends with them later on. Jackson: That's incredible. But what gave him the insight and the guts to call it out so directly? That’s the part that feels like a superpower. Olivia: This is where the Enneagram becomes a strategic tool, not just a label. McPartlin identifies as an Enneagram Type 6, the "Loyal Skeptic." A core fear for Type 6s is a lack of support or security. Their minds are constantly scanning for potential threats and problems. In a lower expression, this can lead to crippling anxiety. But in a higher, self-aware expression, it becomes a finely tuned radar for social dynamics. Jackson: So his own anxiety-prone personality type, when he understood it, actually helped him see the threat clearly instead of being paralyzed by it? Olivia: Precisely. He recognized the feeling in his gut—that knot of anxiety—as data. The Enneagram framework talks about three centers of intelligence: the Head for logic, the Heart for emotion, and the Gut for action and instinct. Instead of getting stuck in his Head, overthinking the situation, or getting overwhelmed by his Heart, feeling insulted, he dropped into his Gut center. He saw the power play, understood his own internal reaction, and took immediate, decisive action. Jackson: That completely reframes the idea of "soft skills." We're told emotional intelligence is about empathy and being nice. This story makes it sound like a tactical weapon for navigating corporate politics. Olivia: It’s both. It’s about understanding others, but it starts with understanding yourself. You can't control what you don't understand. His self-awareness allowed him to manage his own internal state and respond effectively, rather than just reacting emotionally. He wasn't being a jerk; he was being a clear, direct leader. He was setting the terms for a healthy, functional team. Jackson: Okay, so he's a master of the power play. He knows how to win the room. But what happens when you're the one who loses? What happens when you're the one on the other side of the desk, getting fired? That feels like a situation no amount of self-awareness can fix. Olivia: Ah, but that’s where McPartlin argues the Enneagram is even more crucial. He shares another deeply personal story, this time about what he calls a "triumphant failure."

Jackson: "Triumphant failure" sounds like a great marketing term. But in the moment, failure just feels like… failure. Especially getting fired. Olivia: It does. And he doesn't sugarcoat it. Years after the W Hotel story, he was a successful General Manager at another high-profile hotel in New York. He felt secure, he was doing well. Then, one day, he was called into the COO's office and was completely blindsided. He was fired. Jackson: Ouch. That’s the nightmare scenario for so many people. The walk of shame out of the office with your box of stuff. Olivia: He describes that exact feeling. The shock, the humiliation. He said it triggered a lifelong fear of failure. But here’s where his practice with the Enneagram kicked in. After the initial shock, he walked out onto the streets of New York, put on his headphones, and played the song "Go the Distance" from the Disney movie Hercules. Jackson: That’s a very specific and slightly cheesy choice, but I get it. Olivia: It is, but it was his anchor. As he was walking, he started processing the event through the lens of his Enneagram type. He knew his Type 6 pattern was to spiral into worst-case scenarios, to feel insecure and look for someone to blame. But because he was aware of that pattern, he could observe it instead of being consumed by it. Jackson: So it’s like watching a movie of your own brain freaking out, instead of being the main character who’s freaking out? Olivia: That's a perfect way to put it. He realized the job, as much as he liked it, was holding him back from what he truly wanted to do, which was to teach and consult on the Enneagram full-time. He’d been too afraid to make the leap. Getting fired wasn't just a failure; it was the universe, as he puts it, giving him a hard shove in the right direction. Jackson: That's a powerful reframe. But how do you practically do that? It's one thing to say "I'll learn from this," but it's another to actually do it when your rent is due and your ego is shattered. Olivia: He introduces a framework from his teacher, Dr. David Daniels, called the "Five A's of Transformation." It’s a practical path. First is Awareness: just notice what's happening. "I feel scared, I feel angry." Second is Acceptance: don't judge the feeling. "It's okay that I feel this way." Third is Appreciation: what can this feeling teach me? "This fear is telling me that security is important to me." Fourth is Action: what's one small step I can take? For him, it was calling his partner and then deciding to start his own consulting business. And fifth is Adherence: keep practicing. Jackson: Okay, that makes it feel less like magic and more like a process. Awareness, Acceptance, Appreciation, Action, Adherence. It turns an emotional crisis into a series of manageable steps. Olivia: Exactly. He turned what could have been a career-ending moment into the launch of his dream career. He eventually became a Vice President at Forbes Travel Guide, teaching the Enneagram globally. The failure was the catalyst for his greatest success. It proves that resilience isn't just about being tough; it's about being self-aware. Jackson: This is getting into some really advanced territory. First, you're using the Enneagram to win power struggles, then to rebound from failure. It feels like you're not just identifying your type, but actively using it. Olivia: And that ability to reframe and act leads to the most advanced—and I think coolest—idea in the book: you're not just stuck with your type. You can actually borrow the strengths of other types.

Jackson: Hold on. You can just… borrow another personality type? Like downloading an upgrade for your brain? That sounds a little too good to be true. Olivia: It’s not about becoming a different person, but about accessing different parts of yourself that are already there. The Enneagram model is a circle for a reason. Your core type has two "wings"—the numbers on either side—that you can lean into. More importantly, every type is connected to two other types through lines of "stretch" and "release." When you're under stress, you might unconsciously take on the negative traits of your 'stretch' point. But when you're feeling secure, you can access the positive, higher-expression traits of your 'release' point. Jackson: Okay, that’s a bit abstract. Give me a real-world example. Olivia: He gives a fantastic one. It's the summer of 2011, and he's managing the W Hollywood during the ESPY Awards. The hotel is pure chaos. He's dealing with Floyd Mayweather's entourage trying to crash a private party, and Kanye West is scheduled for a surprise performance but is running incredibly late, causing massive crowd control issues and fire marshal anxiety. Jackson: That sounds like my personal vision of hell. The stress must have been off the charts. Olivia: It was. And McPartlin, as a Type 6, felt his anxiety pattern kicking in hard. He was starting to spiral, imagining every possible disaster. He was in his 'stress' point. But he had a Director of Operations named Joe, who was a classic Type 9, the "Adaptive Peacemaker." Nines are naturally calm, reassuring, and steady. Jackson: The eye of the hurricane. Olivia: Exactly. And Type 9 happens to be the 'release' or security point for a Type 6. McPartlin recognized his own spiral and consciously decided to tap into Joe's energy. He went to Joe, who just calmly said, "Everything is going to be all right. We'll handle it." By leaning on Joe and consciously adopting that calm, reassuring mindset, McPartlin was able to manage his own anxiety, deal with Kanye's team, and navigate the crisis successfully. Jackson: So it's like your personality is a home base, but you can take strategic day trips to other 'types' when you need their skills? You saw your own system crashing, so you rebooted using the 'Calm Peacemaker' operating system. Olivia: That is a perfect analogy. You're not faking it or being inauthentic. You're expanding your behavioral toolkit. You're recognizing, "My default approach isn't working right now. I need to access a different part of myself." It’s the difference between being driven by your patterns and learning how to drive your patterns. Jackson: I like that. It makes the Enneagram feel less like a static label you get from a quiz and more like a dynamic dashboard with different settings you can choose. Olivia: That’s the whole point of the book. It’s not about boxing you in. It’s about showing you the box you’ve put yourself in, and then handing you the keys to get out and explore.

Jackson: So when you boil it all down, the Enneagram isn't a label you're stuck with. It's more like a user manual for your own operating system. It shows you your default settings, your common error messages, your stress responses, and even the hidden 'features' and 'apps' you can activate when you need them. Olivia: Exactly. And McPartlin's core message, which is so powerful, is that leadership isn't about being perfect or having all the answers. It's about being profoundly self-aware. It’s about knowing your own programming so you can lead yourself first, which is the only way you can effectively lead others. Jackson: It’s a shift from trying to change who you are to understanding and mastering who you are. Olivia: And the most powerful thing anyone can do after listening to this is to simply start noticing their own patterns. You don't even need to know your Enneagram number. Just for the rest of today, when you get stressed or face a conflict, what's your go-to reaction? Do you get angry and push back? Do you withdraw and shut down? Do you try to please everyone? Jackson: Or do you start planning for every worst-case scenario? Olivia: Right. Just noticing that pattern, without judgment, is the first and most important step. That simple act of observation is where all the growth begins. What is your personal pattern, and how is it serving you? Olivia: This is Aibrary, signing off.