The most powerful leadership tool you have is your own example. ~ John Wooden

John Wooden, an American basketball player and exemplary coach, led the UCLA basketball team to 10 NCAA championships in 12 yeas. But more than, that, he was revered by all his players for showing them the connection between their own development as human beings and their success on the court.

Enneagram Ones | Replace being right with being effective
Every time you feel deeply critical of someone else (or yourself), have a strongly held opinion, or believe in the righteousness of a particular course of action, challenge yourself with this question: Would you rather be right or effective?

Enneagram Twos | Empower others in the organization to be less dependent on you.
Empower others to do their jobs, make their own decisions, and think through difficult issues without having to come to you for advice.

Enneagram Threes | Consciously tell the truth about yourself.
When you start trying to impress someone or create an impression that does not fully align with your true inner experience, make a conscious commitment to stop doing this. Become more familiar with the whole truth about yourself that is behind your façade or image.

Enneagram Fours | Learn to forgive and let go.
When you have thoughts, feelings and experiences that are distressing or painful, experience them, and then move on, rather than dwelling on difficulties or holding something against another person for a long period of time. Followers need this kind of balance in their leaders.

Enneagram Fives | Pay more attention to relationships at work.
Instead of thinking about most interactions at work as politics, think about as these as relationships that need to be developed and nurtured. This will help you avoid excessive strategizing about and dismissing or ignoring work-based relationships. It will also increase your ability to influence others.

Enneagram Sixes | Deal with your authority issues.
Take a serious look at your historical relationships with your past bosses and authority figures, particularly in those cases where your reactivity to authority may have caused you undo stress and/or hurt your career. Doing so will help you step more into your own authority and make you more predictable to others you lead.

Enneagram Sevens | Complete your tasks.
Follow through and complete every task you start, being wary of generating more ideas than even you can do. When you sustain this kind of focus, the number of projects you initiate will decrease in quantity but not in quality, and those who work for you will feel less overwhelmed.

Enneagram Eights | Give serious consideration to opposing points of view.
Remember that your truth may not be the whole truth and that listening to ideas that differ from your own may have value, even when they come from others who are not part of your trusted, inner circle. Ask yourself every day: Who and what am I not listening to?

Enneagram Nines | Express your thoughts directly.
Instead of first finding out what others are thinking before you share your ideas, express your own thoughts and feelings early on, and then let others react to you. Those who work for you will benefit from knowing where you stand.

Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, the author of six best-selling Enneagram-business books, is a speaker, consultant, trainer, and coach. She provides certification programs for professionals around the world who want to bring the Enneagram into organizations with high-impact business applications, and is past-president of the International Enneagram Association. Visit her website: TheEnneagramInBusiness.com. ginger@theenneagraminbusiness.com