My recent blog, “What does it mean to be an Enneagram ‘expert’ or ’master’?” has received such high engagement on social media and from all over the world, that I wanted to share many of the comments with everyone, no names or signifiers included. These thoughtful comments made me pause and think each time I read them and hope they do the same for you.

And if you read to the end, one comment plus my insights about this may even take you further. And thanks to everyone who took the time to read the blog and to also comment on it.

Enneagram ‘Masters’ and ‘Experts’ Comments

“It seems to me that the Enneagram world is at a critical point in its development as more and more people set themselves up as instant experts with dollar signs in their eyes instead of hearts full of compassion for the inner struggles and suffering of others.”

“I got Claudio Naranjo’s enneagram directly on the SAT program. He never defined himself as a teacher or an expert. Just their talking and understanding people deeply was a form of transmission by direct contact, by experience. I’ve been working with the enneagram for 15 years to apply it to organizations and companies…and I really consider myself fresh on the porch to the real depth of this millennial and sacred tool.”

“What you highlight has been one of the reasons my gut has not allowed me to apply for accreditation … as of yet. A voice has continued to say at some point yes, but not just yet. Not seeking to be an expert….just authentic.”

“I can think of a well-known Enneagram teacher (not one of the most well-known) whose Enneagram organization once had an email sent out, written by someone else but associated with the organization, extolling him as the world’s leading Enneagram teacher. It was ridiculous and should have been embarrassing, but it was unfortunately in keeping with that teacher’s grand view of himself.”

“Though I’ve lived and breathed Enneagram for at least 35 years, am grateful to have studied with Don and Russ together, and teach inspiring and helpful workshops, I am forever humbled by realizing that knowing the Enneagram doesn’t get you out of being human! You still catch yourself in your stuff. I also have issues with this Master title in the Reiki world.”

“The words ‘Expert’ and ‘Master’ belongs to the business world. Calling oneself ‘Expert’ or ‘Master’ in the Enneagram world shows that the Ego is in charge.”

“Funny feeling when you meet and so-called expert that has only done one course”

“Plato, in his Seventh Letter, listed five stages of knowledge: the name, the definition, the image, the theory (true myth), and “the thing-in-itself.” The last, he said, cannot be taught but comes like a bolt of lightning. There are lots of people who can play around with theorizing but, so far as I know, the only master since Gurdjieff has been Oscar Ichazo.”

“When one is habitually embracing their expertise as an object, and what I mean by ‘object’ here includes the Jungian concept of the Persona or the mask we wear as that ‘expert,’ and we do not do the inquiry work of traversing the whole enneagram beyond a conceptual configuration, beyond merely knowing ABOUT, can we then really inhabit and go into the enneagram in a deeper way, which would be more akin to mastery? It seems that mastery entails inquiry into all aspects of the enneagram as it lives within the inquirer, beyond type. It also seems that one’s own narcissistic shell would need to be inquired into in a consistent and ongoing way. Then humility naturally arises. I would think mastery in the enneagram, since it is a spiritual undertaking at the core, would have such a pattern.”

“’Expert’ is for selling something in this world dominated by New Age. The term ‘Master’ is only appropriate for people like Krishnamurti, Gurdjieff, Steiner, Jung and so on. We must also consider the word ‘Teacher’, a sort of half way.”

“It’s very important in this time where business gurus (who all copy each other) teach that claiming to be an expert is essential for one’s marketing and personal branding—even when someone is still in a (beginner’s) course. In the same trainings, they also teach that copying the work of the successful is a good practice. So, this is far less innocent than it might seem at first glance.”

“I think that if the enneagram teachers truly are experts, then it is not Ego to state as such, it’s simply stating the truth. I would hope those teaching are experts. I have been wondering what strategies the experts use to ensure their Ego is not out of control ? It’s such an opportunistic entity and I could see how the experts in their field could potentially have a great deal of Ego directing the show behind the scenes, if they are not constantly vigilant, simply because of the nature of being in the limelight and being seen as experts in their field.”

“The more I learn about the Enneagram, the more I am aware of how dynamic and vast this framework is.”

“The day I say that I am an Enneagram expert is the day I know my Enneagram knowledge has stopped developing. And that’s not something I want in my life.”

And one more idea to ponder

One comment provided a perspective based on the “Dunning-Kruger Effect” (1999), …”a type of cognitive bias where people with little expertise or ability assume they have superior expertise or ability. This overestimation occurs as a result of the fact that they don’t have enough knowledge to know they don’t have enough knowledge.” In other words, they don’t know what they don’t know. In the Dunning-Kruger model, they are at Stage 1 of their 4 stages: Unconscious Incompetence.

I think the “Dunning-Kruger Effect” adds some insight into why some of this is occurring in the Enneagram community, as well as elsewhere. But what about people who are not particularly new to the Enneagram and still call themselves “Expert” or “Master?”

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 What people said about Enneagram ‘Masters’ and ‘Experts’ appeared first on The Enneagram in Business.

My last blog focused on concerns related to claims of being an Enneagram “master” and “expert.” This blog examines a different kind of claim, that of being “world-recognized,” “world-respected,” “world-renowned,” “globally- known,” “world-famous,” “highly acclaimed,” and multiple variations on these themes could go on and on. I see people using these adjectives more and more frequently in their ads and biographies online.

But what is the basis for such a BIG description of oneself? What does it mean to be acknowledged throughout the globe? Is it where a person has traveled outside their own country to teach or present Enneagram programs? Perhaps they have conducted virtual programs drawing participants from different countries. However, does that actually mean you are world-recognized? Perhaps it is having written books that have been translated into multiple languages. OK, but these would have to have sold a huge number of copies to justify the claim. Possibly, a person has been on some podcasts that have a global listening audience, but the listening base would need to be quite large to justify saying you have worldwide recognition.

As I was writing this blog, I’ve been thinking through my background and how I sometimes describe myself in bios or promotion. Sometimes, I use the term “world-recognized” in brief bios as a sort of shortcode for a longer description of where I’ve taught the Enneagram. Although I don’t count, I just did a calculation of  the number of countries where I’ve done in-person work with the Enneagram: conference keynotes and session presentations, conducting certification programs, doing direct work with organizational clients on site. It comes to more than 20 countries, covering North and South America, Europe and Asia and most often, I’ve been there multiple times. So I think “world-recognized” isn’t inaccurate, but I may need to rethink even using these words.

Highly acclaimed raises the issue of by whom? The Enneagram community doesn’t give awards (or acclaim) for books, teachers, etc., so this isn’t the source. “Well-respected” also raised the question of respected by whom and how do you know you are respected. My conjecture is that words like these reflect how people want to see themselves or how they want others to perceive them.

Other BIG claims have also caught my attention. “Best-selling” author is one of them. In the publishing world, there’s actually no standard for what ‘Best-selling” means. When my first book was published in 2004, Bringing Out the Best in Yourself at Work, I asked my publisher, McGraw-Hill, this question: What qualifies as a best seller? They said that about 20,000-30,000 books met this threshold. That is a very high standard. In the current environment with social media and the internet, marketing-savvy people can up their numbers, although often for a very short time period. They do pre-sales with lots of promotions or even get people to buy their own books in bulk to up their sales, at least initially. This may get a person’s book listed in the top 10% of books on certain platforms, but it is often an artificial elevation.

Did you know that you can buy into awards? I get emails and LinkedIn offers like this all the time. Essentially, you pay them – often several thousand dollars USD – and then they offer you an award with some name that sounds impressive. You also appear on their website as having won this award when, in fact, it has been purchased. Is it really honest to claim having won an award when, in fact, the award has been bought and you were found through a generic online search?

Enneagram teachers who are, in fact, better known outside their countries of origin are generally not the people most likely to use these superlatives to describe themselves or to claim they are “best-selling” authors or have won awards. Generally, people newer to the Enneagram are far more likely to use the words. That tells the story!

I mention no names in this blog, and that is by intention. My hope is that this blog gives people food for reflection and that those wanting to access excellent Enneagram professionals are aware of some of the ways the current marketing environment has given rise to many of these practices.

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 How do you get to be so BIG in the Enneagram world? appeared first on The Enneagram in Business.

After three decades as an Enneagram teacher and author, I consider the current Enneagram environment and am left with gratitude and concern. My gratitude is for Enneagram teachers who came before me and the substantial and often exploratory work they have done. I am also appreciative experiencing how widespread the Enneagram has become in the thirty years of my involvement.

This kind of success, however, comes with concerns which I want to, hopefully, encourage self-reflection and/or dialogue around. What I am seeing, reading and hearing is this: a large number of people presenting or advertising themselves as Enneagram “masters” or Enneagram “experts.” I am concerned.

Context

To provide context, I cannot recall Claudio Naranjo, Don Riso, Helen Palmer, David Daniels or Russ Hudson referring to themselves in this way. This is not to say that they may have been promoted by other people using the words “master” or “expert” to describe them (and we often do not have control over advertisements), but I’ve never heard them use these words to describe themselves.

Why would they not use those words? All of them have high-level Enneagram expertise and mastery, but referring to oneself as an “expert” or “master” is something different altogether. I think there are two reasons. First is humility, and true humility requires a great deal of self-awareness, self-reflection and a perspective on one’s own importance. None of them are, as are none of us, perfect human beings, and they would not claim to be so. But to use “master” and “expert” to describe yourself is the opposite of humility.

The second reason is that most people who work with and use the Enneagram for true psychological and spiritual development, and especially those who teach it, get what I think is this simple truth about the Enneagram: The more you learn through the Enneagram, the more you recognize about yourself, the nine types, the system itself, and more. As a result, it is daunting to claim the title of  “master” or “expert.”

What is a “master?”

Here’s how various dictionaries describe the meaning of  the word “master.”
“Having complete knowledge or skill in a specific area”
“An artist of consummate skills”
“Having chief authority”

What is an “expert?”

Here’s how various dictionaries describe the meaning of  the word “expert.”
“A person with comprehensive knowledge of or skill in a certain area”
“Someone with mastery of a topic”
“Adept, proficient, skilled and skillful”

What is the difference between “master” and “expert?”

According to Google AI, “master” implies a deeper, more profound understanding and ability that goes beyond just being knowledgeable, suggesting a level of mastery that transcends routine practice and incorporates a deeper intuition and creative application of knowledge, whereas an “expert” is someone with extensive knowledge and experience in a specific field, capable of performing tasks proficiently within established practices.”

Example: “A chess expert can analyze complex strategies and make informed moves, but a chess master can anticipate their opponent’s thinking and create innovative tactics.”

Summary

I’ve also noticed that those who now refer to themselves as “master” or “expert” are not Enneagram teachers who have been in this field for the longest time. In fact, the opposite seems to be true. The shorter the time, the bigger the claim!

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 What does it mean to be an Enneagram ‘expert’ or ‘master’? appeared first on The Enneagram in Business.

In recent years, the International Enneagram Association (IEA) has formulated ethical guidelines for Enneagram teachers. Although most of their guidelines refer to Enneagram teacher-student situations, several of them seem, at least it appears to me, to also apply to how Enneagram teachers interact with one another and how Enneagram schools treat one another as well as their staff and faculty.

This second blog focuses on the IEA ethical standard of abuse: IEA Community Standard: “We will not tolerate abuse in the IEA, including behavior that is manipulative, exploitive, demeaning, harassing, retaliatory or cruel.” What do these words really mean?

Abuse: Treating someone in a way that causes them harm, especially cruelly, regularly and/or repeatedly. This can be physical, emotional, or structural, as in the abuse of power.
Manipulative: Exerting unscrupulous control; functioning, consciously or unconsciously, to control another’s behavior or exert harmful influence over them
Exploitive: Taking advantage of another for one’s own benefit
Demeaning: Causing someone to lose their dignity; doing something that lowers another’s reputation
Harassing: Aggressive pressure or intimidating behavior, often in a persistent way
Retaliatory: Behavior motivated by a desire to punish someone or for revenge
Cruel: Causing pain and suffering to others, often with no concern or, even worse, gaining some satisfaction or pleasure from doing so; also inaction when faced with the suffering of another

All seven of these words are highly negative. Could such behavior exist within the Enneagram community, from Enneagram teacher to Enneagram teacher, from Enneagram schools to faculty and staff? How could this be when the Enneagram is supposed to foster acceptance of self and others, understanding, responsibility for our actions, kindness and respect, and more? Well, unfortunately, the Enneagram community, like other social systems, is not immune to abusive behavior.

Most likely, the person(s) doing the abusing does not perceive themself or themselves in this way. They can engage in cognitive dissonance, a way of compartmentalizing in which two opposing pieces of information, often values or self-perception versus actual behavior, directly contradict each other. What to do with this contradiction?

1. Keep them separated (compartmentalized)
2. Rationalize the behavior, justifying it in some way
3. Blame the other person (“I only did this because you did that!”)
4. Project on the other person (my motives and behavior become your motives and behavior, so you are “bad” and I am “good”)
5. “Gaslight” the other person, communicating you did not do what you actually did

Unfortunately, all the above ways of interacting with one another actually occur within the Enneagram community, between Enneagram teachers, and between Enneagram schools and Enneagram teachers.

I am not going to share examples, lest I upset those of us who have or are doing such things or some who have not but think, for some reason I am speaking about you. What I am trying to say is that these sorts of “abusive” behaviors harm the current and forward momentum of the Enneagram in its ability to make a difference in the world. Let’s be honest with ourselves, let’s not do this, and let’s allow the IEA to be an honest broker between teachers and/or schools when this occurs.

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 Core values for the Enneagram community Part 2 appeared first on The Enneagram in Business.

In recent years, the International Enneagram Association (IEA) has formulated ethical guidelines for Enneagram teachers. Although most of their guidelines refer to Enneagram teacher-student situations, several of them seem, at least it appears to me, to also apply to how Enneagram teachers interact with one another and how Enneagram schools treat one another as well as their staff and faculty.

This first blog focuses on the IEA ethical standard of honesty, integrity and respect: IEA Community Standard: “We will be honest and act with integrity and respect in our dealings with each other.” What does this really mean?

First, consider the term honesty and its close cousin, truthfulness. Honesty means not telling lies, while truthfulness refers to making known the full truth. Theoretically and practically, a person can be honest as in telling no lies, yet unknowingly or worse, knowingly, not share certain information and thus be untruthful. In this sense, a person can be honest, yet deceptive.

However, as we know, we can only be honest and truthful when sharing with others to the extent that we are honest and truthful with ourselves. Our Enneagram types can lead us to “lie,” but in nine different ways. For example, when we are distressed, our defense mechanisms often get highly activated. Ones may engage in reaction formation and do and say the opposite of what they really feel, or Twos can go into major repression so they don’t even know what they are feeling in an honest way.

Our types can also trick us into not being honest or truthful when we do something or feel something that contradicts our ego-ideal. For example, when Threes feel their ego ideal of being a successful, competent person is challenged by their own behavior, they may go into increased activity as a way to ignore the discrepancy between their ideal and actual self. Similarly, Sevens may seek more stimulation and excitement to move away from the whole truth.

And then there’s the issue for everyone of being really clear on our true motivations. In other words, why are we really doing what we are doing? To behave toward others out of integrity and respect, we need to be clear and truthful regarding our own motives. How many times do we hear someone explain, “My intentions were good!”? Please think about this: What if our intentions were truly good but the effect was really bad? Also think about this: What if saying our intentions were good is just a story we tell ourselves because our real intentions were not good? Perhaps we don’t want to admit to our real intentions and may be even deceiving ourselves?

Integrity and respect for others are complex ideas, yet important ones. Integrity technically refers to congruence or consistency between our values and behaviors. And technically, a person can be in integrity but with a value system that harms others. Then there are some rules for respectful behavior to consider:

Golden Rule: “Treat others the way you want to be treated.”
Platinum Rule: “Treat others the way they want to be treated.”
Titanium Rule: “Treat others the way they need to be treated.”

All of these rules are good to follow. The Golden Rule is a good starting place: Would I want this done to me?  If the answer is no, think about what you are doing again. Next, the Platinum Rule is really helpful. Not everybody wants to be treated the same way I do. If I don’t know if the other person wants this too, find out by doing some research and even asking them. Finally, the Titanium Rule implies others may know what they want, but what they really need might be something else. Explore this.

Situation: There’s a way of teaching the Enneagram system or types that does not match or align with the way you teach it.

What does treating other teachers with integrity and respect look like…

When, and only when, one of your participants asks you a direct question about the approach with which you disagree, you say something like this: “I don’t use this (or agree with it)” and you can name or not name your reasons in a non-judgmental way. You can also add that different Enneagram teachers can teach things differently.

What does treating other teachers with integrity and respect does NOT look like…

The first issue is bringing up another teacher’s differing approach to something when no one asks you about it, and you choose to bring it up on your own. Why do that? Don’t; it is disrespectful. The second issue is the judgment associated in how you talk about the differing approach. Don’t criticize the other person’s work. Why do that? I really don’t know anyone who would want that done to them.

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 Core values for the Enneagram community Part 1 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.

Enneagram work in organizations is serious work that requires knowledge and skills beyond knowing the Enneagram at a basic level. Here are some thoughts from my three decades of organizational work using the Enneagram.

REQUIRED FOR ALL INDIVIDUALS USING ENNEAGRAM APPLICATIONS IN ORGANIZATIONS

Knows the Enneagram well, including the system, the nine types, and the dynamic aspects of each type

Skilled at helping people accurately identify their Enneagram types without telling them their type; may use test but does not rely on tests for typing

Holds all types as neither good nor bad; avoids judging language and stories

Avoids overly psychological or spiritual language

FOR COACHING (1-1 focus)

Understands that the Enneagram BY ITSELF is not coaching; it is a superb support to coaching

Uses an effective coaching methodology integrated with the Enneagram that produces faster, deeper and more sustainable results

FOR TRAINING (group focus)

Able to design and facilitate training sessions that are interactive, engaging and participant focused, not trainer centric

Uses training processes that stimulate all three Centers of Intelligence: Head, Heart and Body

FOR CONSULTING (team/organizational focus)

Consultant has both consulting skills and experience

Consulting project targets core team/organizational needs

Consultant is an astute diagnostician, helping clients identify sources of issues impeding progress

The Enneagram is becoming increasingly popular in organizations in all industries globally. With that spread comes a responsibility for those of us who use the Enneagram to use it wisely, with higher and higher levels of competence, and with great integrity.

Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, author of eight 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 Enneagram-Based Organization Work: The 3 Pillars appeared first on The Enneagram in Business.

Beware of enneagram “gurus”

The last blog was titled “Be wary of enneagram experts” in which I try to make the case that enneagram “expert” is a misnomer, something not realistically achievable for those who know the Enneagram. The enneagram is a system , a path and a journey that keeps on giving. The “expert “ moniker is also not used by those in the field for multiple decades who, by some standards, might actually qualify to use this label.

This blog is something more potent, a bigger issue and a huge temptation. It is about the challenging issue of Enneagram “gurus.” In Sanskrit, the word guru means a “teacher, guide, expert or master.” In English, the word “guru” usually involves the later: master or spiritual teacher. In other words, someone who is so extremely evolved spiritually that the person deserves our reverence because he or she is an exemplar of all things good and holy.

What are the dangers of gurus in general but also in the enneagram world in particular? Isn’t it a good thing to have people others hold in great reverence?

Putting someone on a pedestal erodes our own person power

By definition, overly admiring another person puts them above you as if they are a superior being and you are a lesser one. Giving our power away to a guru, instead of “owning” it ourselves and increasing our deep sense of personal power, is the antithesis of the power, potency, and potentiating essence of the Enneagram. How can you sense gurus who draw or even suck their power from those they teach? A quick way is to experience how you feel around them. Do you feel better about yourself in their presence and worse when not? Do you speak or think of them in superlative terms but not about yourself in this same way? Do you feel you need them and their energy to feel whole? This does happen with some Enneagram teachers.

Gurus may have engaged in “spiritual bypass”

Spiritual bypass is a term referring to a person who has engaged in a great deal of spiritual work but not the requisite amount of psychological work. When this person gets distressed in real life, they go into a spiritual zone without dealing with their own psychodynamic issues, they blame the other person for being insufficiently well-developed, or both. It is also common for those who are in “spiritual bypass” to cause havoc in their interpersonal relationships and/or to engage in addictive behaviors – addictions to sex, money, power, fame and more – or to engage in unethical behaviors. These might include soliciting money from those who follow them, purporting to use it in spiritual or humanitarian ways, and then using this as personal income. Or, it can include engaging in sexual relationships with those whom they teach and guide. This also happens with some Enneagram teachers, often because they have not done sufficient psychological work.

Want-to-be gurus most likely engage in spiritual bypass

This is becoming increasingly common in some Enneagram teachers. Why? In addition to the issues raised above, the Enneagram is so powerful and those who want to learn it are so hungry for paths for growth and relief from suffering, that simply teaching the Enneagram well can position the teacher to be perceived as a elevated being. People we teach don’t know us in our full humanness and often want to see us as fully evolved. I hope this can be a wake-up call to all Enneagram teachers to understand these positive projections that people we teach may place on us and to recognize that these highly positive feelings are really not about us. They are truly   about the person doing the projecting and their unmet needs and development phase. We need to not have our unmet needs and unworked issues do the tango with those whom we teach.

In this blog, I have given no specific examples from individual teachers, although there are examples of this. This is meant as a call to pay attention to these issues before they become a serious issue in the Enneagram community.

Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, the author of seven Enneagram-business 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, and is past-president of the International Enneagram Association. Visit: TheEnneagramInBusiness.com | ginger@theenneagraminbusiness.com

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Be wary of enneagram “experts”

What is an expert? An expert is a person with comprehensive and authoritative knowledge of or skills in a particular area. Although there can be experts in many areas and endeavors, how does one become an expert in the enneagram? Is this even possible? Learning the enneagram well and then being able to utilize it skillfully and accurately can take years of practice and experience. This would be increasing our expertise, and when ready, we all have to start teaching the enneagram in order to gain more expertise and proficiency. But having increasing expertise does not qualify someone as an expert.

Going to the websites of Claudio Naranjo, Helen Palmer, Russ Hudson and  Jerry Wagner – just to name a few Enneagram teachers as examples and not to be construed as disrespect to any others – the word “expert” does not appear in their descriptions of their work or in the biographies. Their books, experience and their internationally recognized names name speak  for themselves, so perhaps they don’t need to add the moniker “expert.” I would offer that they don’t think of themselves as experts because they know so well that the more they know, the more they learn and the more they learn, they know there is more to learn. With this more humble frame of mind, “expert’ does not apply.

Where I most often see the word “expert” used is on Facebook, particularly by people who describe themselves as Enneagram teachers in the promotion of their programs. When I see this, I do a double take, wondering who this person is, on what basis they use the word “expert” to describe themselves, and sometimes even look into their websites or programs to learn more about them. After a short review of their program or web-based information, I think more and feel more strongly about the cautionary message offered here: Be wary of enneagram “experts.” More specifically, think again if you are tempted to use this label in describing yourself. Certainly, more people may sign up for your programs or buy your books if you use this word, but is it a true and accurate label for anyone?

All this said, others who promote our work might use “expert” to describe us and in these cases, it hasn’t been something we asked for or gave our approval. When this happens in my work – for example, a client who introduces me in this way – I respectfully clarify that no one is really an enneagram expert because it is a deep system with so many layers and facets, but also because it is continuously evolving system. Hence, no experts!

So for those of you looking for grounded, humble, knowledgeable and skilled Enneagram teachers and professionals, be wary of enneagram “experts.” And for those of you who may call yourself an enneagram “expert,” my hope is that you consider the significance of this word in the dynamic complexity that is the Enneagram. Even enneagram teachers with 40+ of knowledge and experience don’t label themselves as such.

Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, the author of seven Enneagram-business 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, and is past-president of the International Enneagram Association. Visit: TheEnneagramInBusiness.com | ginger@theenneagraminbusiness.com

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The value of values | type 9

Values are the guiding principles by which we live or, at least, they are aspirations that help us align our actions with our principles. Without values, we would be living in an immoral or amoral world of interpersonal confusion and existential chaos. At the same time, too strong an adherence to our values can create a counter-effect of personal and interpersonal difficulties. And too strong an identification with these values keeps our type structures in place, thus inhibiting our growth potential.

Enneagram 9s emphasize three important values: consensus, harmony, and respect. They often think or say the following: “We are in this together.” “The absence of tension and conflict allows everyone to get along in a peaceful way.” “Rudeness is no OK; everyone needs to be treated with respect.” Enneagram 9s appear relaxed, easy-going and non-judgmental, experience themselves as not-driven by ego , and are generally humble, sometimes to the extent of being self-effacing.

These three values – consensus, harmony, and respect – support the Enneagram 9 “ego ideal” of being the “peaceful person,” a person who is kind, unpretentious, accepting, tolerant and content with what is. The “ego ideal,” according to Enneagram author and teacher Jerry Wagner, is the idealized self that people use as a positive definition of self, a partial answer to the question “Who am I?”

The issue is that while our type-based values are positive ones, we can hold onto these values so tightly and narrowly – after all, our idealized self depends on our firm belief in these principles – that these values can become impediments to our growth.

Consensus

What makes consensus so important for Enneagram 9s? Isn’t consensus important in a civilized society, a team in families so that everyone has input or agrees with what will happen next? Consensus, as opposed to arbitrary or unilateral action, does create buy-in, offers the space for differing views to be expressed and integrated, and can provide an alignment an between and among those involved in moving forward. Consensus has its pitfall. Sometimes a consensually agreed-upon response may have agreement, but it may not be the optimal course of action. For 9s, placing such a high value on consensus can be a distraction so that the 9 does not have to identify or disclose their own positions, feelings and ideas. Not being forthcoming in this way takes 9s in the opposite direction of what is best for their own growth – to go inside, become embodied, know what they want, and then take action. Consensus is safe, but it may not always be wise.

Harmony

What makes harmony so important for Enneagram 9s? Harmony in life, as in music, sounds good, feels good emotionally, and generally makes the body feel in sync. Above all, the harmonic effect is pleasing; the parts seem to fit together without tension. As a way of life for Enneagram 9s, a harmonic existence is one in which there is little or no conflict, where everyone gets along in a peaceful way. There is even-temperedness, orderliness, and unity. Nothing really dramatic happens either. All is copacetic, meaning “just fine.” But is it? What is lost is speaking up, finding your voice, engaging with others in deeper and more dynamic way, and experiencing the value and vibrancy of conflict when fully discussed and resolved.

Respect

What makes respect so important for Enneagram 9s. Respect is about honoring each person’s value, listening fully to everyone’s point of view, and treating others with positive regard even when they do something you don’t like. Respect is a central value for Enneagram 9s, and when it is not present, the normally easy-going 9 experiences inner tension and also avoids people they perceive as rude and disrespectful. Enneagram 9s also have very specific ways in which they perceive rudeness in others. For example, someone not making eye contact when talking with another person can be perceived as rude. Or adding ideas when another person is still talking can be considered as rude. In both these case, however, a person may not make eye contact for a variety of reasons, including some that are cultural. A person may add something to an idea before the other person is finished may do so because they are excited about what is being said or in their culture, this overlapping conversation is the conversational norm and not considered rude. 

Summary

Values of the foundation of civil communities. Type-based values are organizing principles for people of each type. However, when our values are held too tightly, they limit our development.

Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, the author of seven Enneagram-business 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, and is past-president of the International Enneagram Association. Visit: TheEnneagramInBusiness.com | ginger@theenneagraminbusiness.com

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