Numerology: what if we looked at the team differently?
Numerology doesn't decide our lives. But it's another way of looking at personalities, strengths and ways of operating. The start of a little series by Lucie.
Numerology is one of those subjects that has fascinated me for a long time. I don't think numbers control our lives. But I deeply believe that, in living things, in encounters, in cycles and in certain energies, there are things we don't fully control. And above all, I don't really believe in chance.
To me, numerology is a different way of looking at personalities, life paths, strengths, challenges — and sometimes the patterns that repeat. Everyone is of course free to believe in it or not. But personally, it has often led me to ask real questions about myself and about others.
So I felt like starting a little series on life paths. And honestly, some of the descriptions are genuinely uncanny. If you recognise yourself a little too much in your number, I take no responsibility.
How do you calculate your life path?
In numerology, your life path is calculated by adding up all the digits of your birth date until you get a number between 1 and 9.
For example, with 14/07/1992: 1 + 4 + 0 + 7 + 1 + 9 + 9 + 2 = 33. 33 is a "master number". Otherwise, you keep going: 3 + 3 = 6. So this person is a 33/6 life path.
The master numbers are 11, 22 and 33. They are considered numbers with a stronger, more intense energy.
Why talk about numerology?
Because beyond the spiritual or personal side, I find numerology can also be an interesting tool at work and in our relationships. Not to put people in boxes, and even less to sum someone up with a single number. Rather as a different way of thinking about:
- the way we operate,
- our needs,
- our strengths,
- our sensitivities,
- and the way we interact with others.
Some people need freedom. Others need recognition. Some love to structure, organise and build. Others need to create, communicate or feel.
And I find that genuinely interesting, on a human level, because it sometimes helps us to:
- understand our colleagues better,
- take a step back,
- be more tolerant,
- work with more kindness,
- accept that not everyone operates the same way.
Obviously, it's not an exact science, nor something you apply to every single decision in your day. But sometimes it offers surprisingly accurate keys to understanding… and often quite uncanny ones. So at TOOGO, we felt like doing this little series simply for the pleasure of getting to know one another better.
Worth remembering
Numerology doesn't define the person. It simply points to the tendency, or the energy, that naturally predominates in them.
Every profile holds every ability: a 3 can be very organised, a 5 very rigorous, a 1 a very good listener, and so on. The idea isn't to put people in boxes, but to better understand:
- their natural strengths,
- the way they operate,
- their needs,
- and their spontaneous role within a team.
And in the end, it's precisely the balance between all these different energies that makes the collective strong.