In our last post, we explored the Comfort Zone versus the Opportunity Zone—how the familiar, though soothing, can become a prison of predictability, and how the Enneagram’s Three Centers of Intelligence can help us expand into new freedom.

But to move forward with courage, we must first understand what holds us back.

Each Enneagram type lives within a comfort zone shaped not just by habits, but by deeply embedded emotional patterns—often unconscious. These patterns protect us, but they also limit us.

But beneath the strategies of control, identity, and fear, each of us holds the seed of something sacred: a Holy Idea—a core truth that reconnects us to the flow of reality and purpose.

When we take the risk to move from the comfort zone to the Opportunity Zone, we don’t just grow—we remember who we truly are.

Here’s how each type can make that shift—and what they may discover on the other side.

Type 1 – Anger Turned Inward → Holy Perfection / Holy Order

Comfort Zone: Rigid self-control, striving for “rightness.”
To Release: The belief that love depends on being correct or good.
To Add:
Allow yourself to enjoy something “unproductive.”
Laugh at your own mistakes with kindness.
Break one small rule—and see what happens.

What This Unlocks:
Leaving the comfort zone of constant self-correction for the opportunity zone of self-acceptance, Ones begin to glimpse Holy Perfection—a spacious inner order where everything, including themselves, belongs as it is.

Type 2 – Identity through Being Needed → Holy Freedom / Holy Will

Comfort Zone: Pleasing others to feel loved.
To Release: The need to earn love through helpfulness.
To Add:
Say “no” without an explanation.
Share a personal need or desire—even if it feels selfish.
Schedule alone time with no agenda but self-nourishment.

What This Unlocks:
As Twos exit the comfort zone of constant giving and step into the opportunity zone of self-ownership, they begin to access Holy Will—the sense that their true value doesn’t come from being needed, but from simply being themselves within a divine flow.

Type 3 – Identity through Image → Holy Hope / Holy Harmony

Comfort Zone: Achieving for approval, adapting image to succeed.
To Release: The belief that you must perform to be valued.
To Add:
Share a failure or struggle publicly—or with someone close.
Engage in something for pure joy, not for results.
Spend a day unplugged from all metrics of success.

What This Unlocks:
Leaving the comfort zone of performance and stepping into the opportunity zone of authenticity allows Threes to experience Holy Harmony—a profound realization that they are loved and valuable not for what they do, but for who they are.

Type 4 – Identity through Feeling Different → Holy Origin

Comfort Zone: Emotional intensity, longing, self-distinction.
To Release: The belief that suffering makes you special.
To Add:
Name what’s going well—especially when you feel something’s missing.
Spend time with simple, joyful routines—even when they feel emotionally neutral.
Celebrate someone’s success—then notice what it brings up in you.

What This Unlocks:
By moving out of the comfort zone of longing and into the opportunity zone of presence and gratitude, Fours reconnect with Holy Origin—the felt truth that they are whole, included, and perfectly placed in the fabric of life.

Type 5 – Fear of Depletion → Holy Omniscience

Comfort Zone: Withholding energy, isolating in the mind.
To Release: The belief that you must conserve or protect your inner resources.
To Add:
Say “yes” to a group experience without overthinking it.
Speak your thoughts before they feel perfectly researched.
Ask for help or connection—even when it feels exposing.

What This Unlocks:
Leaving the comfort zone of detachment and scarcity-thinking allows Fives to enter the opportunity zone of deep participation. Here, they begin to experience Holy Omniscience—not as information hoarding, but as trust in being part of a larger, intelligent field of life.

Type 6 – Fear of Chaos → Holy Faith

Comfort Zone: Vigilance, second-guessing, loyalty to systems or people for security.
To Release: The belief that certainty is required before action.
To Add:
Act from courage, not certainty—choose based on values, even with doubt.
Build self-trust by honoring small commitments to yourself.
Take relational risks by revealing vulnerability without testing loyalty.

What This Unlocks:
Moving beyond the comfort zone of hyper-vigilance into the opportunity zone of grounded self-trust, Sixes begin to relax into Holy Faith—a deep knowing that they are supported by life, and that their inner guidance is trustworthy.

Type 7 – Fear of Pain → Holy Work, Holy Plan

Comfort Zone: Avoidance of discomfort, escape into planning and pleasure.
To Release: The belief that freedom means avoiding limits or pain.
To Add:
Stay present with an emotion instead of moving on.
Complete a task or commitment before starting a new one.
Practice silence for five minutes a day—no input, no distraction.

What This Unlocks:
Stepping out of the comfort zone of distraction and into the opportunity zone of grounded presence, Sevens begin to discover Holy Work and the Holy Plan—the joy of aligning with what is, rather than chasing what could be.

Type 8 – Anger as Protection → Holy Truth

Comfort Zone: Control, intensity, dominance to avoid vulnerability.
To Release: The belief that power keeps you safe.
To Add:
Admit when you feel hurt instead of defaulting to anger.
Let someone else lead, even if you disagree.
Explore tenderness—especially toward yourself.

What This Unlocks:
As Eights move beyond the comfort zone of armor and enter the opportunity zone of openness, they begin to live in alignment with Holy Truth—not personal dominance, but the deeper truth that includes strength and tenderness.

Type 9 – Anger Dissolved into Numbness → Holy Love / Holy Participation

Comfort Zone: Numbing out, avoiding conflict, merging.
To Release: The belief that your purpose is to prevent disruption.
To Add:
State your opinion before agreeing with others.
Say “no” to something that drains you.
Choose a personal goal and take daily action—even in small steps.

What This Unlocks:
Exiting the comfort zone of passivity and stepping into the opportunity zone of engaged presence allows Nines to embody Holy Participation—the knowing that their energy, voice, and presence are integral to the unfolding of life.

In summary

The comfort zone is where your personality works hard to keep you safe.
The opportunity zone is where your true self starts to show up.

Every time you move beyond an old habit or pattern, you take a step toward something more whole, more honest, and more free. That’s where the deeper wisdom of your type—the Holy Idea—begins to come alive.

So consider:
What am I ready to let go of, even if it feels uncomfortable?
What would it be like to trust that I’m already enough, already part of something bigger?

Change doesn’t have to be dramatic.
One small, intentional step can open a whole new way forward.

About Ginger

Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, author of nine Enneagram books, is a speaker, consultant, trainer, and coach. She provides certification programs and training tools for business professionals around the world who want to bring the Enneagram into organizations with high-impact business applications. TheEnneagramInBusiness.com | ginger@theenneagraminbusiness.com

The post Moving from the Comfort Zone to the Opportunity Zone for each Enneagram Type appeared first on The Enneagram in Business.

We all have a comfort zone—a psychological space where things feel safe, predictable, and under control. It’s the familiar routine, the emotional autopilot, the well-worn mental tracks we’ve been traveling for years. Inside this zone, risk is low, reassurance is high, and the status quo is quietly maintained.

But there’s a cost to staying too long in this safe place. Growth slows. Dreams stall. Life starts to shrink.

That’s where the Opportunity Zone beckons. It’s not about abandoning safety altogether—it’s about expanding your edges. The Opportunity Zone is where creativity flourishes, new possibilities arise, and you begin to fulfill aspirations that once felt just out of reach. It’s uncertain, yes—but it’s also vibrant, expansive, and deeply alive.

So how do we move from the comfort zone into the opportunity zone without getting overwhelmed?

The Enneagram offers a map. At its core are the Three Centers of Intelligence: the Head, the Heart, and the Body. Each of these centers gives us a unique way to both understand ourselves and stretch beyond what feels familiar.

The Head Center: Loosening the Grip of Certainty

The Head Center is the domain of thinking, planning, and imagining. When we’re stuck in our comfort zone here, we tend to overthink, worry, and cling to mental control.

Experiment:

• Ask yourself “What if…” questions. Let your imagination wander into new possibilities without needing certainty.
• Instead of planning every detail, try improvising your next decision—big or small.
• Explore unfamiliar ideas, books, or perspectives that challenge your usual way of thinking.

This mental stretching invites insight and opens you to new options you might have dismissed before.

The Heart Center: Expanding Emotional Range

The Heart Center is about feelings, connection, and identity. In our comfort zones, we often suppress or avoid emotions that feel vulnerable or unfamiliar.

Experiment:

• Reach out to someone you care about but rarely speak to. Surprise them—and yourself.
• Keep an emotional honesty journal: write about how you actually feel, not just what you think you should feel.
• Notice and shift one habitual emotional response (e.g., irritation, withdrawal, guilt).
• Gently challenge a projection: Ask yourself, “Am I sure they feel that way—or is that my story?”

Emotional growth often begins with small, courageous acts of honesty—with others and ourselves.

The Body Center: Trusting Instinct and Embodiment

The Body Center governs instinct, presence, and action. Stuck in the comfort zone here, we avoid risk, resist change, and cling to control through routine.

Experiment:

• Change one part of your daily routine—your route, your morning ritual, even your seat at the table.
• Wear something you never wear (yes, even that hat you’re unsure about).
• Try a new food or activity. Challenge your physical habits gently.
• Pay attention to something you usually ignore—your posture, your breath, your pace.

Small shifts in the body can unlock big shifts in awareness and energy.

Stepping In, One Small Risk at a Time

You don’t have to leap from your comfort zone into total chaos. In fact, lasting change often comes from small, intentional risks taken with care. The Opportunity Zone isn’t a single destination—it’s a practice of reaching toward what’s possible.

The Enneagram doesn’t just show us where we are—it shows us how we move. By engaging all three centers—head, heart, and body—you create a fuller, more integrated path for growth.

So today, ask yourself:
What small stretch can I take?
Where might my next opportunity lie, just beyond the edge of the familiar?

The edge is where the magic happens.

About Ginger

Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, author of nine Enneagram books, is a speaker, consultant, trainer, and coach. She provides certification programs and training tools for business professionals around the world who want to bring the Enneagram into organizations with high-impact business applications. TheEnneagramInBusiness.com | ginger@theenneagraminbusiness.com

The post Moving Beyond Your Comfort Zone with the 3 Centers of Intelligence appeared first on The Enneagram in Business.

This blog may be provocative, although my intention is to make it thought-provoking. The issue is what I am seeing as the frequent use of the “hypnotic voice” by Enneagram professionals in their videos on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.

As a young PhD student in the late 1970s, it was drilled into us to NOT use a hypnotic voice when teaching, leading guided imagery, meditations, centering activities, or in any other context. The exception would be if  (a) we were trained and licensed hypnotherapists and (b) our clients had come to us knowingly and explicitly for a hypnotherapy session. But the reason for not using the hypnotic voice wasn’t because of these two factors. It was because using the hypnotic voice is manipulative, generating an unconscious positive reaction to a particular message. It can be used to “sell” a product, to sell a training program, or even to sell a positive message. Still, the person using the “hypnotic voice” is making the decision for the person receiving the message. And thus, manipulation is involved.

What is the hypnotic voice?

This voice has a number of characteristics:

Calm, soothing voice tone
Even voice tone with minimal inflection
Much slower than normal speech
Uses few questions
Rarely using upticks at the end of a sentence
Softer voice than normal
Deeper or higher voice than normal
Use of repeating words at regular intervals

Why are so many Enneagram people starting to use the hypnotic voice?

Here are some guesses, but since I do not use it, these are speculations. Before suggesting possible reasons, the bigger ask is for you to self-reflect if you use the hypnotic voice yourself. Why?

Some of the whys include the following:

Mimicking someone you’ve heard using it so you think this is the ways it is done.
Wanting to sell something – yourself, an idea, an offering – and thinking this is the best way to do it.
You want to be perceived as wise – a guru, a holy person, a mystic, a spiritually advanced human – and think this is how they talk.
You’ve been coached to speak this way.

More reasons to NOT use the “hypnotic voice”

Besides the manipulative aspects of using the “hypnotic voice,”  most “hypnotic voices” sound fake, so the person using it also feels fake. As an Enneagram teacher, sounding fake or inauthentic is never a winning position. We are, I hope, trying to help people become more real, not more fake. Even if you are adept at the “hypnotic voice”, and few people are, it is also a form of “spiritual  bypass.” You can convince yourself, even self-hypnotize, that you are more developed or evolved than you actually are. And you can hypnotize others into thinking they are somehow more transformed than they are. In addition, the Enneagram can be perceived as “Woo-Woo” or “New Age.” The “hypnotic voice” only reinforces this perception.

How to not use the “hypnotic voice”

Tempting as the hypnotic voice may be, here are two very simple ways to not use it. The first is to be aware of this voice and to choose not to use it. And if you do, stop!

The second way, which I learned in my PhD program so credit to my instructors, is to do the activity yourself while you are asking others to follow your directions. For example, if you ask them to imagine a beautiful blue horizon with a destination at the end of it, imagine this blue horizon yourself and follow your next directions just as they would follow theirs. Doing this keeps you in your own body and experience, and the “hypnotic voice” is no longer there. It really is that simple!

About Ginger

Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, author of nine Enneagram books, is a speaker, consultant, trainer, and coach. She provides certification programs and training tools for business professionals around the world who want to bring the Enneagram into organizations with high-impact business applications. TheEnneagramInBusiness.com | ginger@theenneagraminbusiness.com

The post Beware of the “hypnotic voice” appeared first on The Enneagram in Business.

Picture this: a world where your dreams and aspirations come to life, where positive change is not just a distant fantasy but a tangible reality. That’s what visioning is all about – helping our clients paint vivid mental images of their desired future. By harnessing the power of imagination, we can maintain optimism, build strength, and inspire our clients to make their dreams a beautiful truth.

Coaching Through Visioning: Key Questions to Unlock the Path Ahead

When guiding our clients through visioning activities, it’s essential to ask the right questions. Start by encouraging them to imagine themselves living the changes they wish to make. What do they see? What sounds surround them? What actions do they take? By probing their thoughts, feelings, and intentions, we can foster a profound connection between their vision and desired change.

What to Listen for, Ask or Say, and Helpful Approaches:

Type One: Embracing Flexibility in Visioning

Listen For: A rigid view of what constitutes a “right” future and an overly critical inner voice.
Ask or Say: Can you explore alternative perspectives for your vision? How can you be more flexible in your approach to change?
Helpful Approaches: Encourage them to embrace open-mindedness and challenge their inner critic.

Type Two: Validating the Vision from Within

Listen For: A reliance on external feedback for validation and approval.
Ask or Say: Your vision matters just as much as anyone else’s. How can you validate and trust your own desires for change?
Helpful Approaches: Guide them towards self-validation and acknowledging their intrinsic worth.

Type Three: Defining Success on Their Terms

Listen For: A vision based on external measures of success and recognition.
Ask or Say: What does success truly mean to you? How can your vision align with your authentic self?
Helpful Approaches: Encourage them to explore their inner values and redefine success on their own terms.

Type Four: Embracing Growth without Envy or Shadow of the Past

Listen For: Comparisons with others and referencing of past goals that didn’t match their ideal of success.
Ask or Say: How can past “failures” be stepping stones to growth? How can other’s successes inspire you on your own path toward change?
Helpful Approaches: Help them recognize what they have learned from the past and focus on their own personal growth.

Type Five: Balancing Intellect and Emotion in Visioning

Listen For: A preference for intellectual analysis over emotional intuition.
Ask or Say: How can you tap into your emotions while envisioning change? Embrace the full spectrum of possibilities in your vision.
Helpful Approaches: Guide them towards a harmonious balance between intellect and emotions.

Type Six: Cultivating Positivity Amidst Uncertainty

Listen For: Worries and doubts clouding the visioning process.
Ask or Say: Focus on positive possibilities and trust in your resilience. How can you overcome the “what ifs” and embrace hope in your vision?
Helpful Approaches: Encourage optimism and provide reassurance.

Type Seven: Choosing Focus Amidst Abundance

Listen For: Difficulty in selecting one vision from a multitude of possibilities.
Ask or Say: Out of all your exciting visions, which one resonates the most? How can you prioritize and focus your energies towards it?
Helpful Approaches: Guide them towards clarity and decisiveness.

Type Eight: Embracing Vulnerability and Authenticity

Listen For: Hesitancy to embrace vulnerability or perceived weaknesses in the vision.
Ask or Say: Vulnerability is a display of strength. How can you envision a future that honors your authentic self without fear?
Helpful Approaches: Encourage them to step into vulnerability as a pathway to true empowerment.

Type Nine: Empowering Action and Risk in Visioning

Listen For: Reluctance to imagine taking action and embracing risks.
Ask or Say: Envision the rewards of positive change. How can you find the courage to pursue your vision with determination?
Helpful Approaches: Encourage them to overcome passivity and embrace action.

Visioning, combined with the wisdom of the Enneagram, becomes a potent catalyst for personal transformation and self-awareness. As coaches, understanding the unique challenges each Enneagram Type faces during this process allows us to provide tailored support and guidance, empowering our clients to paint their canvas of dreams with bold strokes of change.

Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, author of nine Enneagram books, is a speaker, consultant, trainer, and coach. She provides certification programs and training tools for business professionals around the world who want to bring the Enneagram into organizations with high-impact business applications. TheEnneagramInBusiness.com | ginger@theenneagraminbusiness.com

The post Change Through Visioning and the Enneagram: A Coach’s Guide appeared first on The Enneagram in Business.

In the world of teaching, training, and coaching, the Enneagram has emerged as a powerful tool for personal growth and self-awareness. Its ability to uncover our deepest motivations, behaviors, and thought patterns has made it an invaluable resource for personal and professional development. However, harnessing the full potential of the Enneagram requires an artful approach, and this is where the power of metaphor comes into play.

Metaphors hold a special place in the Enneagram work, enabling practitioners to unlock new dimensions of understanding and connection with their clients. In this blog post, we will explore how metaphors can be utilized to enhance the teaching, training, and coaching experience with the Enneagram, as supported by neuroscience and real-world success stories.

1. Simplification: making complexity understandable

The Enneagram can be a labyrinth of interconnected personalities and motivations, which might be overwhelming to learners and clients. Metaphors provide a simple, yet profound way to clarify complex concepts, making them more accessible and relatable. By presenting the intricacies of the Enneagram through relatable imagery, practitioners can help their clients embrace their unique traits and tendencies without feeling daunted.

2. Igniting the imagination: enriching the learning experience

When learning about the Enneagram, imagination plays a key role in understanding various personality types. Metaphors, with their ability to create sensory-rich images, kindle the imagination of learners and clients. This, in turn, enables them to delve deeper into the Enneagram, fostering a more profound connection with their personal growth journey.

3. Stimulating creative problem solving: thinking beyond boundaries

In coaching sessions, clients often seek guidance in overcoming challenges and breaking free from unproductive patterns. Metaphors activate the right side of the brain, unlocking creative pathways and encouraging clients to explore innovative solutions. As metaphors encourage lateral thinking, clients can perceive new ways of responding to their life situations, effectively empowering them to embrace change and growth.

4. Generating emotion: connecting with authenticity

Metaphors are not only intellectual tools but also powerful emotional connectors. By tapping into our sensory systems, they invoke emotions and feelings, creating a profound impact on how clients process information. When clients connect emotionally with the metaphors presented or discovered, they become more engaged and invested in their personal development, leading to more profound and lasting transformations.

5. Fostering insight and introspection: self-discovery at its best

Self-awareness is at the core of the Enneagram, and metaphors serve as mirrors, reflecting clients’ thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. As clients engage with metaphors that resonate with them, they gain valuable insights into their inner world. The process of relating to metaphors can be a gateway to understanding complex dynamics and embracing introspection without feeling overwhelmed or judged.

Metaphors have proven to be invaluable allies in teaching, training, and coaching with the Enneagram. Their power lies in their ability to simplify complex ideas, ignite the imagination, generate emotions, stimulate creativity, aid retention, and encourage holistic thinking. By embracing metaphors in our Enneagram work, we can create an enriching and transformative experience for our learners and clients.

As coaches and practitioners, let us continue to harness the power of metaphors to unlock the full potential of the Enneagram, empowering individuals to embark on a journey of self-discovery, growth, and meaningful transformation. Remember, a single metaphor can ignite a fire of understanding and compassion, leading to profound change in the lives of those we touch.

Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, author of nine Enneagram books, is a speaker, consultant, trainer, and coach. She provides certification programs and training tools for business professionals around the world who want to bring the Enneagram into organizations with high-impact business applications. TheEnneagramInBusiness.com | ginger@theenneagraminbusiness.com

The post Unleashing the Power of Metaphor appeared first on The Enneagram in Business.

Words and  phrases I never use (or imply) when I teach the Enneagram

When we explain the Enneagram to others, our choice of words or phrases can make a big difference so I am both selective and careful about the words I use. Over my multiple decades of teaching the Enneagram, here are my top three (not to use) and why.

Healthy – Unhealthy

Of course, it is important to teach that individuals of the same Enneagram type may be different in many respects based on culture, use of arrows and wings, subtype and the amount of effective self-development work they have done. It is this latter issue, the level of self-development, which some get taught to use the words healthy, unhealthy, and something in between. I’ve sometimes heard the term “moderate health” as in between, but… when people learn the types as movement along a “healthy-unhealthy”  continuum, they rarely refer to people who lie in-between. In fact, what I’ve heard most is that when people use this language, it is usually a person who thinks they are “healthy” talking about someone else who is, in their view, “unhealthy.”

Is this judging attitude one we want to foster when we teach the Enneagram? I think not! So what can we use instead? Here are some choices, all of which imply some assessment, but the judgment is not as harsh.

high-functioning – moderate functioning – low-functioning

high self-mastery – moderate self-mastery – low self-mastery

high-development – moderate development – low development

What words do you use? What are the implications of your word choice for those who learn from you?

Tool (when referring to the Enneagram)

I never refer to the Enneagram using the word tool. Instead, I use words like map, path, and/or system. Why not the word tool? The origins of the word tool come from Old English based on the Old Germanic word towlo, which means to make or prepare. In Old English, it means an instrument or implement. Common tools include hammers, screwdrivers, saws, all of which are based on a mechanical paradigm.

However, the Enneagram is not an instrument nor is it mechanical. It doesn’t do something to us; we work with the Enneagram and through it. In addition, the Enneagram is anything but mechanical. It and we are not machines nor do I want to treat myself, others or the Enneagram map as an unconscious, non-human system.

Enneagram type is bad (or good)

Are the Enneagram types good, bad, are both good and bad, or something else? Here I am not referring to the types in terms of their strengths (gifts) and development areas. I am referring to type in and of itself. Good, bad, mixed or something else? If you think a type is good, you may not be teaching or encouraging the development aspects for each type. If you think a type is bad, this will come across in your communication. You may hark on development so much that people feel there is something deeply wrong about themselves and others. You may use terms like robots or robotic, flaws or flawed to describe each type. These words reflect our thinking, and our thinking gets communicated to those we teach. Absent from them is the deeper experience of being human, compassion for ourselves and others and non-judgment.

I view each type as neither good nor bad, flawed or flawless, deficient or resourced. I simply view the types as human ego structures and, since we all have one, there must be a purpose for them! Maybe it’s about how we meet the challenges in our lives and how we then grow and transform.

Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, author of nine Enneagram books, is a speaker, consultant, trainer, and coach. She provides certification programs and training tools for business professionals around the world who want to bring the Enneagram into organizations with high-impact business applications. TheEnneagramInBusiness.com | ginger@theenneagraminbusiness.com

The post Words matter appeared first on The Enneagram in Business.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve had multiple opportunities to learn and relearn very important things from clients. This blog gives me the opportunity to describe and share these, in hopes that some of what you’ll read may be useful to you in your own personal and professional work.

Learning/re-learning # 1

Accurate type identification is essential with coaching clients

One of my coaching clients, a senior manager, thought she was an Enneagram Eight, with the specific coaching issue being that her “boss” had told her she “did not read a room well” and needed to work on her interpersonal skills. After our conversation, and it didn’t take long, it became clear she was not an Eight, but a Six. In her Sixness, as she would describe it, she’s also a combination 1-1 and social subtype. Here’s why this matters so much.

What her “boss” identified as her having interpersonal problems and not being able to “read a room” was not true. It was his overgeneralized response to their interactions. In fact, her interpersonal skills were quite good and her ability to read a room was even better. The core issue was she did not get along with her “boss” because she perceived him as deceptive and abusive. Although this might bother anyone, it was especially triggering to her as a Six. She would react aggressively without a pause, speak on behalf of the team (even when not asked to do so) in team meetings, and all of this got her in trouble with her boss. These issues and reactions are type Six, not type Eight, and were much easier to deal with once she understood her type Six triggers and subsequent responses. It was also a relief for her to recognize that her interpersonal skills were actually quite good, as this is also how she perceived herself. It’s hard to work on issues in terms of type when there isn’t really an issue or when the issues are not accurately identified and understood.

Learning/re-learning # 2

Teaching subtypes accurately is not that difficult

We can make teaching subtypes hard by explaining too much all at once, our not understanding the subtypes accurately, and making them more complex than they really are. But the big issue I’ve seen over and over was brought to light once again during my recent Singapore Team Transformations program. In this group of nearly 40 people, about 80% thought they knew their subtypes and for 50% of these participants, their subtype identification turned out to be wrong. The remaining participants did not know much about subtypes, and they were easier to teach. In about one hour, everyone understood their subtype(s) accurately except for one person who was really quite new to self-awareness. I taught the subtypes using our training tool, the 27 Enneagram Subtypes, which has graphical icons and short descriptions of each subtype.

During this process, I relearned that one of the biggest obstacles to understanding and identifying subtypes accurately is this: the conflation of instincts with subtypes. Instincts and subtypes are not the same, yet many people get taught or think that they are identical. The three instincts – self-preservation, social and one-to-one (aka sexual or intimacy) – are the three basic human instincts that we all have. Ideally, we get our real needs met in each of those areas.

The 9 passions, one that goes with each type, are the emotional habits or engines of each type, but they are also not the subtype. However, when one or more instincts that are active (agitated) in a person combine or intersect with the passion of that type, the three different subtypes emerge. Understood this way, the passion-instinct intersection distorts the instinct so that the person is no longer in touch with their real needs in that instinctual area.

It is so important to clearly delineate instincts from subtypes and to also not refer to the subtypes as instincts, which some people do as a form of shorthand – equating subtypes with instincts. However, doing so obscures the ability of people to truly understand the meaning of subtypes.

Learning/re-learning # 3

We can use just about anything for our growth

Whether it is cleaning (or not cleaning) the house, deciding what and where to eat, or responding to something that occurs in our environment that feels like a big deal to us, type always emerges. But do we notice this and do we use it for our own development?

Here is an example from a colleague who was four days from launching her first book. A type Three, she was even more focused on planning than most and just as excited as anyone would be. Four days before the book launch, Facebook took down all of her accounts, including Instagram, with no warning, no explanation, and no information about when these would be reinstated. Plans were thwarted indefinitely, a seeming disaster for any new book author, but especially for a Three with goals and plans.

Of course, she tried to problem-solve the situation, but to no avail. What did she do instead? Instead of focusing on her thwarted plans, she used the experience to explore her strong attachment to them and what she could learn about herself to relax them more. What were the messages about her ego structure? What in her response did not serve her in this situation? How could she use the time she had allocated to her book launch for other purposes: her own development, other creative projects she was eager to start, and more? As she said, “I learned not to get ahead of my skis, but to sit on top of them, centered and balanced.”  Hurray!

Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, author of nine Enneagram books, is a speaker, consultant, trainer, and coach. She provides certification programs and training tools for business professionals around the world who want to bring the Enneagram into organizations with high-impact business applications. TheEnneagramInBusiness.com | ginger@theenneagraminbusiness.com

The post What I’ve learned and re-learned from my recent clients appeared first on The Enneagram in Business.

Enneagram team mapping is powerful because it allows you to do the following:

Accurately predict the strengths and the areas of tension within a team quickly

Allows teams to view themselves objectively, recognizing strengths and areas for growth

Depersonalize the conversation in a highly constructive way

Ignite powerful yet dispassionate dialogue to improve performance

How do you create a team Enneagram map? You need an Enneagram symbol –one that is not overly complicated in a visual sense – and place a sticky dot, circle (if being done virtually), or a check mark near the types of each team member. After that, you explain the orientation of the three trios and the types within each trio: Optimistic trio (types 7, 9 and 2), Competency trio (types 1, 3 and 5) and Intensity trio (types 4, 6 and 8).

Optimistic trio

Seven, Nine and Two

The three types in the Optimistic trio have a positive overlay on reality so that the world looks better than it actually is. I sometimes say that these three types take a “happy pill” each morning. Sevens take a whole pill, Nines take a half-pill and Twos take a quarter pill. Sevens are the most optimistic, taking a positive view of just about everything. Nines are moderately positive, perceiving people and events as generally pleasant and congenial. Finally, Twos want and try to see the best in other people – that is, until they don’t! The optimism of these three types impacts their communication style and their approach to problem-solving.

Competency trio

One, Three and Five

The three types in the Competency trio want to both experience themselves as highly competent and want to be treated by others as if they are highly competent. Competency has a different meaning to each of these types. For Ones, competency means being right, knowing how to organize in the best way, and having the most correct opinion. For Threes, competency means knowing how and being able to move things forward, being able to get great results, and understanding something that they think they should know. For Fives, competency means being capable in terms of their depth and breadth of knowledge and understanding how things fit together. The competency orientation of Ones, Threes and Fives impacts their communication style and their approach to problem-solving.

Intensity trio

Four, Six and Eight

Types Four, Six and Eight are the most intense of the nine Enneagram types. Their intensity, however, comes from different sources. The Fours’ intensity is emotional, a result of many feelings ruminating and replaying inside them. They have a deep appreciation for intense, authentic interactions. The Sixes’ intensity is more mental, the result of their ever-active minds playing and replaying various possible scenarios. The Eights’ intensity is more somatic and comes from the body. It is often observed that people can feel the intense presence of Eights, even when Eights are saying absolutely nothing. Intensity, whether emotional, mental or somatic, is a very strong energy that impacts their communication style and their approach to problem-solving.

Once the map is done and the trios are explained, the team can analyze how it functions and the team dynamics based on this trio map. From the above analysis, the team is equipped to make decisions about what they want to continue in the way their team communicates and problem solves and what they want to change. As a trainer or consultant to the team, you don’t need to know everything about the team and that would be very difficult. All you need is accurate Enneagram typing, a team that wants to examine itself, and an Enneagram symbol to use as a map. The trainer or consultant simply follows the above process and lets the team do the analysis and draw its own conclusions. Of course, they might need a little help from you as an objective outside person.

If you are curious about the trio mapping process and want more details about the three trios, plus concrete examples, you can find this and more in the Team Maps chapter in Ginger’s newest book, Transform your Team with the Enneagram: Build Trust, Decrease Stress, and Increase Productivity. Now available on Amazon!

Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, author of nine Enneagram books, is a speaker, consultant, trainer, and coach. She provides certification programs and training tools for business professionals around the world who want to bring the Enneagram into organizations with high-impact business applications. TheEnneagramInBusiness.com | ginger@theenneagraminbusiness.com

The post Creating Team-Based Enneagram Maps: The Three Trios appeared first on The Enneagram in Business.

Enneagram team mapping is powerful because it allows you to do the following:

Accurately predict the strengths and the areas of tension within a team quickly

Allows teams to view themselves objectively, recognizing strengths and areas for growth

Depersonalize the conversation in a highly constructive way

Ignite powerful yet dispassionate dialogue to improve performance

How do you create a team Enneagram map? All you have to do is have a clear Enneagram symbol – one that is not overly complicated visually – and place a sticky dot, circle (if being done virtually), or check mark near the types of each team member. Then, you do a visual assessment of the team and its types, starting first with the Centers of Intelligence – Head, Heart and Body – finding which is most represented within the team and which is less represented.

Next, you explain the orientation of each Center of Intelligence using the words below.

Body Center: action, control, fairness
Heart Center: relationships, image, feelings
Head Center: ideas, mental processing, planning

Once this is done, the team can analyze how it functions and the team dynamics based on this Center of Intelligence type map. From here, the team can explore the most relevant type-to-type interactions.

From the above analyses and discussion, the team is equipped to make decisions about what they want to continue about the way their team functions and what they want to change. Essentially, if you are a trainer or consultant to the team, you don’t need to know everything about the team and that would be impossible anyway. All you need is accurate Enneagram typing, a team that wants to examine itself, and an Enneagram symbol to use as a map. As a trainer or consultant, you simply follow the above process and let the team do the analysis and draw its own conclusions. Of course, they might need a little help from you as an objective outside person.

If you are curious about the team mapping process and want more details, plus concrete examples, you can find this and more in the Team Maps chapter in Ginger’s newest book, Transform your Team with the Enneagram: Build Trust, Decrease Stress, and Increase Productivity. Now available on Amazon!

Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, author of nine Enneagram books, is a speaker, consultant, trainer, and coach. She provides certification programs and training tools for business professionals around the world who want to bring the Enneagram into organizations with high-impact business applications. TheEnneagramInBusiness.com | ginger@theenneagraminbusiness.com

The post Creating Team-Based Enneagram Maps: Centers of Intelligence appeared first on The Enneagram in Business.

The word parable has several meanings, but all definitions of a parable share this in common. A parable: a story or illustration that coveys an important principle. These two parables, one a Swahili proverb and the other a quote from Lao Tzu, communicate important lessons about high-performing teams. That is why my newest book, Transform Your Team with the Enneagram: Build Trust, Decrease Stress, and Increase Productivity, begins with the Swahili proverb and has the Lao Tzu proverb near the end.

Swahili proverb

If team members are each rowing in their own unique direction, forward movement for the team is nearly impossible. That is why the first order of business for teams is to define their common goal or goals and their optimal level of interdependence for achieving these goals.

Enneagram insights about team goals

People of each Enneagram type have highly specific ways they define goals. Understanding these varied views of ideal goals can help teams formulate their goals in such a way that all team members become aligned with all team members rowing in the same direction.

Enneagram Ones | clear, realistic, and purposeful goals

Enneagram Twos | common and meaningful goals, utilizing the talents of others

Enneagram Threes | specific and measurable goals, aligned to individual and organizational success

Enneagram Fours | significant and challenging goals, broad in scope, with specific benchmarks

Enneagram Fives | precise, concrete, useful, and manageable

Enneagram Sixes | substantial and meaningful for both the team and individuals

Enneagram Sevens | stimulating, energizing, visionary, and action-oriented

Enneagram Eights | reflect the big picture and move the organization forward

Enneagram Nines | concrete and meaningful, developed by consensus

Lao Tzu proverb

This proverb is near the book’s end, where the most important roles and behaviors of team leaders are described, along with supportive, practical, and clear development activities for leaders of each Enneagram type. Why is leadership described at the end of the book rather than the beginning? The Lao Tzu proverb explains this so well. A highly effective leader of any Enneagram type leads in such a way that the team truly experiences having created the success themselves. At the same time, the team truly understands how the leader contributed to this.

Enneagram insights

Team leaders of certain types need to loosen their control as a team develops and team members become increasingly empowered. This includes type Ones, Threes, and Eights. Other leaders need to exert more direction at the beginning of the team so that the team as a whole has enough clarity and clear boundaries to flourish. These include types Two, Seven, and Nine. So what about team leaders who are Fours, Fives, and Sixes? Team leaders of these types can better manage and modulate their intensity levels, allowing more space for team members to engage more fully. Fours and Sixes need to tone down their intensity and engagement, while Fives need to amplify their level of engagement and intensity so their teams feel their presence.

This blog series is based on Ginger’s book, Transform Your Team with the Enneagram: Build Trust, Decrease Stress, and Increase Productivity. Now available on Amazon!

Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, author of nine Enneagram books, is a speaker, consultant, trainer, and coach. She provides certification programs and training tools for business professionals around the world who want to bring the Enneagram into organizations with high-impact business applications. TheEnneagramInBusiness.com | ginger@theenneagraminbusiness.com

The post Parables, teams and the Enneagram appeared first on The Enneagram in Business.