"WOW—I finally make so much sense to myself."
That’s exactly how I felt a few years ago during a year-long conscious leadership program with The Conscious Leadership Group. One tool in particular shifted how I saw myself and others: the Enneagram.
The Ironic Trap
Here’s the irony: the parts of ourselves we resist often create the exact opposite of what we’re trying to avoid. Patterns I once called “flaws”, or even saw as strengths became powerful clues for growth:
- My relentless need for more (nothing ever feels enough)
- Compulsion to keep energy “good and up”
- Wearing rose-colored glasses to protect others from discomfort
- Sidestepping my own painful emotions
As Beatrice Chestnut says:
"One of our deepest unconscious patterns is the false belief that we already know ourselves well enough to understand why we think, feel, and act the way we do."
"One of our deepest unconscious patterns is the false belief that we already know ourselves well enough to understand why we think, feel, and act the way we do."
Staying curious and open rather than defensive is the doorway to a deeper relationship with ourselves and others.
Patterns Are Clues, Not Flaws
Almost every type creates the very problem it fears:
- Type Seven: Fears limitation → gets trapped in distraction chasing endless possibilities
- Type Eight: Fears being controlled → becomes controlling in resisting control
- Type Three: Fears being worthless → overworks, risking burnout and disconnection
Recognizing our patterns is a huge win! It’s the pathway to greater freedom and wellbeing, and the first step toward authentic leadership.
The Enneagram as a Map
The Enneagram isn’t a box.
It’s a map of human dynamics, showing how unconscious patterns shape our lives and leadership. I love this framing: "Rather than putting in a box, the Enneagram shows us how small or limited we have made our own box - and invites us to be our free authentic self."
Each type carries a core fear:
- Type 1: Fear of being wrong or imperfect
- Type 2: Fear of being unloved
- Type 3: Fear of being worthless
- Type 4: Fear of insignificance
- Type 5: Fear of dependence or looking foolish
- Type 6: Fear of being without guidance
- Type 7: Fear of being trapped or deprived
- Type 8: Fear of being controlled
- Type 9: Fear of loss of connection or conflict
This awareness is gold. It allows us to turn automatic reactions into conscious choices.
Why This Matters for Leaders & Teams (and Any Human System)
Teams, families, communities, and other human groups are like natural, living ecosystems, not machines. Unlike machines, which follow predictable, fixed patterns, living systems are dynamic, interconnected, and constantly adapting. By understanding human dynamics, and taking responsibility for our part, we can reduce friction, prevent drama, and create a greater level of influence as we lead from presence and awareness rather than quick, adrenaline-driven reactivity.
The Enneagram provides a roadmap to:
- Recognize unconscious patterns in yourself and others
- Reduce reactive behaviors in high-stakes situations
- Foster authentic, aligned communication
- Build stronger, more resilient groups
Quick Reflection for the Week
Use these lenses as you move through your week. Don’t worry if you’re not sure what your type is. Pick one and try it on; there’s no right or wrong approach:
- Type 1: Channel high standards into inspiration, not criticism
- Type 2: Include yourself in your care
- Type 3: Authenticity amplifies success more than achievement alone
- Type 4: Depth and creativity are leadership superpowers
- Type 5: Generosity with wisdom creates impact
- Type 6: Anticipating challenges is a gift
- Type 7: Energy inspires vision—don’t outrun presence
- Type 8: True power is revealed through vulnerability
- Type 9: Step forward fully; your presence creates harmony
Explore Further
If this sparks your curiosity, there are two ways to go deeper:
Grab and Go – a personalized IEQ9 Enneagram Leadership Assessment with a 1:1 debrief. (Don’t let the name fool you—it’s packed with powerful tools!) Walk away with a clear leadership map for your growth edge.
Team Enneagram Workshops – reveal hidden group dynamics, foster collaboration, and unite your team around a shared purpose.
Our patterns are gateways to growth and authentic leadership, not enemies.
I would love to connect with you! Email me or book a call, I’d be thrilled to explore how you (or your team) can turn patterns into your most powerful leadership asset.
If this blog resonated with you, please share it, and consider subscribing to The Disruptive Lens for more insights on conscious leadership and personal transformation.
With passion,
Isabelle Labbé
Isabelle Labbé
What Does It Mean to Lead From the Inside Out?
Why the leaders who will thrive in the next decade are the ones brave enough to heal first.
The leadership playbook that got us here is starting to work against us.
We optimize systems, yet our relationships with ourselves and others feel strained.
We push for results while our inner worlds fray.
We manage teams and families, yet neglect ourselves.
We optimize systems, yet our relationships with ourselves and others feel strained.
We push for results while our inner worlds fray.
We manage teams and families, yet neglect ourselves.
This disconnect shows up everywhere:
- tension at work and at home
- strain in our bodies
- erosion of trust, energy, clarity, and fulfillment
Here’s what most leadership training misses:
Leadership isn’t just a role or a skill set, it’s how we show up in relationship with ourselves, others, and life.
Leadership isn’t just a role or a skill set, it’s how we show up in relationship with ourselves, others, and life.
Why Traditional Leadership Training Falls Short
We’ve taken the courses, read the books, learned the frameworks.
They sharpen our minds but leave deeper wounds untouched.
They teach us to communicate, but not how to stay present under stress.
They give us strategies, but not the tools to heal the patterns driving our reactions.
They teach us to communicate, but not how to stay present under stress.
They give us strategies, but not the tools to heal the patterns driving our reactions.
How we lead at work is inseparable from how we show up at home, or in our quietest moments alone.
A CEO who snaps at their team often carries the same reactive pattern into their marriage.
A manager who micromanages staff is usually driven by the same need for control that exhausts them personally.
A parent who clamps down on a teenager from fear is often fueled by the same pattern that burns them out at work, fixing instead of empowering.
A manager who micromanages staff is usually driven by the same need for control that exhausts them personally.
A parent who clamps down on a teenager from fear is often fueled by the same pattern that burns them out at work, fixing instead of empowering.
When we meet these patterns with compassion, we see them for what they are: protective parts of us that once served us, but no longer do.
Our outer leadership will only ever be as integrated as our inner landscape.
This isn’t failure—it’s a turning point.
Our outer leadership will only ever be as integrated as our inner landscape.
This isn’t failure—it’s a turning point.
The Power of Context Over Content
We focus on where we are leading from, not just what we are talking about.
- Content = the topic: budgets, deadlines, decisions
- Context = our internal state: defensive, open, righteous, trusting, curious, blaming
Two leaders can have the same conversation about budget cuts.
One comes from curiosity and trust, unlocking creative solutions.
The other comes from fear and control, shutting down possibilities and damaging trust.
One comes from curiosity and trust, unlocking creative solutions.
The other comes from fear and control, shutting down possibilities and damaging trust.
Same content. Completely different outcomes.
When we get curious about context, we shift dynamics, break repeating dramas, and take responsibility for our impact.
Easier said than done—that’s why this is a playground.
Easier said than done—that’s why this is a playground.
Pro Tip: And in a playground, we don’t take ourselves too seriously.
The Choice Point
From I am at the effect → to I am the creator.
We’re not broken—we’re evolving.
The work is shifting focus from what we do to how we are being.
Two paths lie ahead:
The Reactive Path: Driven by fear, control, and protection. We suppress feelings, manage perceptions, avoid discomfort, and stay in cycles of conflict. It works, until it doesn’t.
The Integration Path: Rooted in self-trust, openness, and presence. We feel our feelings instead of bypassing them, respond rather than react, and stay grounded under pressure. This cultivates resilience, strengthens trust, and fuels authentic connection.
Both paths are part of growth. The real choice is whether we wake up to our patterns—or let them run the show.
This isn’t a one-time fix. It’s a way of living and leading: taking ownership for our wellbeing and our influence.
The Inside-Out Revolution
This work isn’t about managing behavior.
It’s about transforming the internal operating system that drives external results.
It’s about transforming the internal operating system that drives external results.
Imagine a leader who notices their trigger points and pauses before reacting defensively.
They feel the contraction in their chest, take a breath, and choose curiosity over protection.
They feel the contraction in their chest, take a breath, and choose curiosity over protection.
That single shift changes everything—the relationship, the outcome, and their own sense of agency.
The same awareness transforms parenting.
Instead of lecturing a child after a mistake, they notice the impulse to control, pause, and ask genuine questions.
The child feels heard, rather than managed. Connection deepens, and learning expands.
Instead of lecturing a child after a mistake, they notice the impulse to control, pause, and ask genuine questions.
The child feels heard, rather than managed. Connection deepens, and learning expands.
This is leading from the inside out. Where self-awareness becomes your greatest leadership tool.
At Integrated Leadership Academy, our approach lives at the intersection of:
Whole-Person Integration – Imagine your mind, heart, and gut all holding hands and working together (yes, like a synchronized dance troupe!). We tap into your body’s wisdom, sprinkle in a bit of neuroscience, and practice mindfulness so you can stay grounded—even when chaos knocks at the door. The result? You respond from your full intelligence, not from old habits or autopilot.
Expanded Awareness – Picture having a little backstage pass to your own inner world. You get to peek at the unconscious patterns running the show, notice them, and playfully choose new responses that actually serve you. This isn’t about being perfect—it’s about curiosity, experimentation, and having fun while stepping fully into your leadership superpowers.
Everything here is sprinkled with playfulness—because growth is a beautiful thing, and meeting ourselves where we are with acceptance makes the journey even more effective (and fun, of course!).
Ready to Go Deeper?
Transformation happens in community. Healing deepens through practice. Real change requires both insight and integration over time.
This is the work inside Integrated Path: Leadership From the Inside Out—a 4-week experience in reclaiming the leader you were always meant to be: beneath the masks, beyond the roles, fully alive.
👉 [Click here to read about the program!]
The leaders who will shape the next decade aren’t waiting for permission.
They are choosing courage over comfort, integration over perfection, and authentic influence over hollow authority.
They are choosing courage over comfort, integration over perfection, and authentic influence over hollow authority.
If this resonates, share it with a leader ready to do the inner work that creates outer transformation. And join our Disruptive Lens newsletter for more insights on leading from the inside out.
Fun fact: I painted the image above. Creative expression is another way we awaken new parts of ourselves. And yes, I had a little help from someone who’s pretty good at this 😉
