Arizona home visiting supervisors recently had the opportunity to reunite for in-person development training for the first time in three years! Together, the Arizona Department of Health Services’ Strong Families AZ, the Arizona Department of Child Safety, First Things First, and Prevent Child Abuse Arizona curated content for the sixth annual Home Visiting Supervisors Institute in Phoenix. Every year, this one-day conference equips home visitors with supervisory skills by deepening their self-discovery, a critical aspect of building their personal capacity for leadership.
This year, home visitors explored the nine Enneagram personality and behavior types and how their type influences communication, including giving and receiving feedback. Returning home visitors built on last year’s virtual Dare to LeadTM curriculum by refreshing and furthering discussions on having hard conversations with colleagues. Together, the Enneagram and Dare to Lead frameworks provided insight into how best to build the potential of the staff they supervise through honest feedback, authentic conversations, and meaningful work. “Both topics were extremely meaningful and extremely needed as we have all been through so much. The stress of the pandemic has made space for self-reflection difficult,” one attendee shared. Another participant expressed that “Diving into the Enneagram and my style showed me how I lead and communicate with others” and how to make that communication more effective. “Everything was related and relevant to my role. I really enjoyed learning about myself and the feedback styles I can improve on to be more supportive to my team.”
Self-discovery often involves learning hard truths, including how our very strengths can also be our weaknesses. One supervisor’s takeaway was that “I am always learning something new. And that will always be the case as long as I continue to better myself and support those around me.”