Description

Goal setting often starts with what we think we need to fix.

But what if a better approach was to first understand where your attention naturally goes, where you tend to experience friction, and what you may be overlooking altogether?

In this episode, we use the Instinctual Biases from the Awareness to Action framework to look at goal setting from a different angle.  

We explore the three Instinctual Biases:

• Preserving: attention to resources, comfort, maintenance, health, risk, and sustainability
• Navigating: attention to relationships, social dynamics, roles, hierarchy, and how people work together
• Transmitting: attention to impact, influence, visibility, meaningful work, and leaving a lasting impression 

Then we look at the three zones connected to each instinctual pattern:

• Zone of Enthusiasm: where your attention naturally goes and where you may already have strengths to leverage
• Zone of Inner Conflict: where you may experience more friction, effort, or push-pull tension
• Zone of Indifference: where you may be less likely to focus your attention and where a blind spot may exist 

Instead of trying to completely reinvent yourself, consider setting three kinds of goals:

One goal to leverage.
What strength can you use more intentionally?

One goal to stretch.
What small behavior could help you grow in an area that feels less natural?

One goal to notice.
What might you be overlooking simply because it doesn’t naturally capture your attention? 

The episode also walks through what this can look like for Preservers, Navigators, and Transmitters in the workplace - from risk assessment and process awareness, to organizational savvy and consensus building, to influence, visibility, and communicating a compelling vision.  

We can use our Instinctual Bias to better understand what already comes naturally, where you may need a small stretch, and where increased awareness could strengthen the way you work, lead, and relate to others.

Want to explore your Instinctual Bias?

Enneagram MBA also incorporates the Instinctual Biases into full-day workshops, team-development programs, and follow-up experiences for teams that have already learned the nine Enneagram types.  

And if you’re planning an Enneagram experience internally, check out the free Enneagram Workshop Planning Kit for sample agendas, room setup ideas, pre-workshop checklists, and tools for making the case to your leadership team.

Resources Mentioned in the Episode:

Article: Awareness to Action: Instinctual Bias Overview

Free Quiz: Instinctual Bias + Type 

Video: Instinctual Biases within an Organization

Video: The Preserving Teammate

Video: The Navigating Teammate

Video: The Transmitting Teammate

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