The Enneagram

I have used the Enneagram framework for more than a decade and have never had a client who does not discover its value for his or her growth and development.  The Enneagram is a leadership assessment framework used in a variety of fields for a broad range of purposes.  The framework is especially valuable for establishing a person’s core tendencies and dispositions when under stress or operating from fear.  There are 9 core styles that describe how we seek freedom, value and security.  I utilize a test developed by David Daniels, a psychiatrist at Stanford University, to identity someone’s core style.  I also pull from Roxanne Murphy-Howe’s resources for more background on each style, both their gifts and blindspots.  

To learn more about its history and use in the fields of psychology, psychiatry, leadership and organizational development, link here and discover a broad new landscape of learning.

The Enneagram in Corporate Settings

Many of my clients are unsure at first about focusing on their own leadership vulnerabilities.  They are used to pointing out the vulnerabilities they observe in others and within a company’s organizational processes.  To help executives understand just how relevant their own growth and development is to the success of their organization, I often share this article– it includes several examples of leaders who incline towards a few of the more assertive Enneagram types and how their fears can undermine healthy culture and effective leadership. Learn more about how the Enneagram framework has been applied within the corporate setting and its results for its senior executives in ‘Giving Fear a Seat at the Table’ by principals at FMG Leading.

Immunity to Change

Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey at Harvard’s Graduate School for Education have developed potent learning tools to help leaders shift from old behaviors and step into new ones.  Most of my work with leaders incorporates at least a few of these tools, in particular their Immunity to Change Map.  This map is designed to articulate a primary ‘learning edge’ for an individual as well as the undermining patterns, fears and beliefs—their immunity to change--that hold them back from growth and evolution.  

Kegan and Lahey share their extensive organizational development research in several publications including An Everyone Culture: Becoming A Deliberately Developmental Organization and Immunity to Change: How to Overcome It and Unlock the Potential in Yourself and Your Organization.  

For a good summary of their approach and its impacts, see this overview about their work from Harvard’s website.  

The Gene Keys

Another primary tool I use in my work with individuals is the Gene Keys Hologenic Profile.  The Gene Keys ‘framework’ — a transmission brought into the world through Richard Rudd of the UK representing an evolution of the ancient I Ching — is designed to illuminate the core aspects of consciousness you are here to embody and serves a map for self-knowing and self-discovery. I bring 15 years of learning and fluency with the Gene Keys, allowing clients access to the system’s extensive lexicon as well as the higher intuitive wisdom that lies within your unique profile. For a deep dive into the Gene Keys, visit the website.

The Conscious Leadership Group

Another resource that has had a strong influence on my work includes books and tools coming from a cadre of researchers at the Conscious Leadership Group.  Their self-published book, The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership: A new paradigm for sustainable success, is essential to any library on leadership development.  These 15 Commitments are one of the most concise sets of principles related to ‘right conduct’ generally and for people in positional authority specifically.  Written in a very accessible style, this list never fails to include at least one commitment that perfectly describes a healthier behavioral pattern a client is working to step into.  

King County Transit

King County Transit engaged me for several years on a variety of projects.

Rob Gannon hired me to support his first year as General Manager with King County Metro-Transit.  He was taking over from a GM who had been in place for many years and was seeking to establish a strong foundation for his executive team and a different leadership culture.  I coached all members of his team, facilitated several team retreats and supported them to identify the practices and agreements they would commit to over time to sustain trust, and engage in collective sense- and decision-making.   

“As a leadership coach, Lisa has shown me how to wrestle with competing forces–even the ones I had labeled irreconcilable.  With her support and guidance, I have found ways to energize inside of conflict, whether it be actual “on the ground” issues, or the sparring of my own internal demons and better angels.  I am finding ways to cast off the archetypes of traditional leadership in favor of expressing myself genuinely.  And my team, my whole organization, for that matter, is refreshingly responsive.  Lisa is interwoven grace and tenacity; equal parts gunnery sergeant and zen master.”

–Rob Gannon, King County Transit General Manager

The Creative Ground team was also hired by King County Transit’s Design & Construction Division to help remedy an incoherent leadership team and a disjointed culture amongst its engineers and project managers.  The culture that its new Manager Pete Melin stepped into was dominated by petty politics, blame lack of accountability, all too common within deep bureaucracies.  We interviewed a select group of staff, developed an organizational culture assessment and suggested a slate of recommendations to rebuild the senior team and develop better practices of communication across the Division. 

“We worked with Lisa over several productive months when I took over a section of Metro Transit that was struggling with trust and communication issues.  Lisa is an insightful, compassionate truth teller who will provide you valuable feedback and tools.  She truly cares yet she’ll tell you what she sees, not necessarily what you want to hear.  If you are willing to acknowledge the true state of affairs, and buy into a collaborative plan, you’ll not be disappointed. From organizational development, to executive coaching, or anywhere in between, Lisa provides a positive view of leadership, staff, or organizational challenges and an achievable path to improvement.”

–Peter Melin, previous Manager, King County Transit Design & Construction

Regional & Rural Services

King County’s Director of Regional & Rural Services, Joan Lee, hired me to bring her leadership team back together in 2023, the first time they had come together in person following the pandemic.  Since then, I have continued to support them to create more reflective time together to face some uncomfortable realities as many of them start to consider retirement and how to grow the next generation of leadership.  Specifically, I have helped Joan challenge older assumptions she carried about herself and her own leadership, which has been food and inspiration for her team.

“Lisa Fitzhugh came with outstanding recommendations from a colleague at the County.  Over the last few years, she has supported our leadership team into a more generative, integrated and productive collaboration.  She has also coached challenged me to think differently about my approach. We collaborated on a learning map process to incisively pinpoint the most profitable area for me to grow around related to my own leadership development.  The whole team stronger, and I have moved to a place of more authentic transparency.  I am so grateful for Lisa’s clarity and conviction in the leadership she has drawn out of me and our leadership team members.”

-Joan Lee, Director of Regional & Rural Services, King County DNRP

Immunity to Change

Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey at Harvard’s Graduate School for Education have developed potent learning tools to help leaders shift from old behaviors and step into new ones.  Most of my work with leaders incorporates at least a few of these tools, in particular their Immunity to Change Map.  This map is designed to articulate a primary ‘learning edge’ for an individual as well as the undermining patterns, fears and beliefs—their immunity to change--that hold them back from growth and evolution.  

Kegan and Lahey share their extensive organizational development research in several publications including An Everyone Culture: Becoming A Deliberately Developmental Organization and Immunity to Change: How to Overcome It and Unlock the Potential in Yourself and Your Organization.  

For a good summary of their approach and its impacts, see this overview about their work from Harvard’s website.  

https://www.gse.harvard.edu/hgse100/story/changing-better

Margaret Wheatley

Margaret Wheatley is a titan in the organizational development field. Whenever I initiate a leadership coaching program with someone, they will often ask me for a few primary sources to consider as they head into their learning journey.  My goal is to share the articles, approaches or wisdom keepers that best align with how they see the world in this moment. 

Margaret’s books are a foundational resource and her influence has been global.  Her book Who Do We Choose to Be: Facing Reality, Claiming Leadership, Restoring Sanity has been an especially valuable resource in my learning library.