About Mike Hauser
I’m an executive coach, team trainer, and iEQ9 Enneagram practitioner.
I help leaders and teams understand what’s actually driving communication breakdowns, tension, and decision-making under pressure, so they can move forward with clarity.
Why I do this work
Across 20+ years in leadership, I kept seeing the same pattern:
Talented people stuck in the same tension and misunderstandings.
Not because they lack skill, but because they do not understand what’s driving their reactions or each other’s.
What changed everything
In 2018, I was introduced to the Enneagram, and it changed how I understand people, including myself.
Up to that point, I had worked with tools like DiSC and Myers-Briggs. They were helpful, but they mostly described behaviour.
They did not explain why capable people still misread each other, especially under pressure.
The Enneagram did.
It helped me see the drivers beneath my behaviour, the patterns in how I think, feel, and respond when it matters most.
For the first time, I could clearly understand why certain situations triggered me more than they should, why my intentions did not always match my impact, and why some working relationships consistently felt harder than they needed to be.
What surprised me most was not what I saw in others.
It was what I had not seen in myself.
I realized I had been operating from an idealized version of who I thought I should be, applying good principles in ways that were often overextended or misapplied.
That gap between intention and impact was costing more than I realized in energy, clarity, and relationships.
And then another realization hit.
This was not just about me.
Every leader operates with their own blind spots, their own idealized image, and their own set of distorted principles.
The specifics differ, but the pattern is the same. It shows up in how leaders communicate, respond, and make decisions under pressure.
As that awareness grew, something shifted.
I was not just reacting less. I was understanding more.
Conversations that used to feel tense became clearer.
People who once felt difficult started to make sense.
And the time I used to lose to overthinking, miscommunication, or taking things personally started going back into work that actually moved things forward.
The impact was not limited to work.
My wife and I went through this process together, and it reshaped how we understand each other.
Instead of reacting to each other’s blind spots, we could see them, laugh about them, and respond with more clarity and less defensiveness.
It made a real difference in our marriage.
That experience is what led me deeper into this work.
Over time, people began asking for help applying these insights to their own teams and relationships.
What started as personal growth turned into something much more practical.
In 2025, I became a Certified iEQ9 Enneagram Practitioner and completed my team training certification in Cape Town, South Africa.
A bit more personal
My wife and I have been best friends since 10th grade. We dated, broke up a few times, eventually figured out we were better together, and have now been married for nearly 27 years.
Our 25th anniversary vow renewal in Hawaii, 25 years in and still learning.
Today, she’s my partner in everything, and still my favourite person to learn alongside.
We have four incredible kids, aged 18–26, and we’re grateful they still choose to spend time with us.
Either we’re fun… or they’re great actors.
Outside of work, most of my time is spent with Tanya, usually doing things like:
• Following the Toronto Blue Jays
• At the gym (CrossFit has become a bit of a habit)
• Watching Survivor (yes, still)
• Planning our next trip
• Playing the occasional pub gig (usually with my Taylor guitar)
I also grew up around aviation, my dad was a pilot with Air Canada, which sparked a lifelong interest in how things work behind the scenes.
If you’re not ready for a conversation yet, but you know there is something underneath the patterns you keep running into, I share more through my podcast, Encouragement Minus the Sermon.
That is where I unpack what is really driving how we think, relate, and respond.
Let’s get clear on what’s driving the tension
If you’re leading a team that feels capable but stuck, and you want to understand what is driving the tension beneath the surface, let’s get clear on what is actually happening.
No pressure. Just a focused conversation to help you see what is going on and what your next step could be.