“I can see myself in several of these.”

If you’ve ever said that while trying to determine your Enneagram type, you’re not alone, and it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re doing anything wrong.

In this episode of Enneagram at Work, we’re talking about why it’s completely normal to relate to multiple Enneagram types and why identifying your type requires looking beyond individual traits and behaviors.

Of course you can be helpful without being a Type 2. Ambitious without being a Type 3. Security-conscious without being a Type 6. Excited by new possibilities without being a Type 7. And there are probably times when you want connection, peace, autonomy, recognition, or certainty.

The question isn't “Which type descriptions sound like me?”

It's “Which underlying strategy do I find myself returning to most often?”

We’ll also look at some of the factors that can make multiple types feel familiar, including your work role, learned behaviors, resource points or arrows, Instinctual Biases, and simply being a complex human being.

If you’re stuck between two (or three!) Enneagram types, the goal isn’t to find the description that matches everything you do. Start getting curious about why you do it.

Because your Enneagram type isn't meant to explain every behavior.

It helps you notice the pattern underneath them.

Bring the Enneagram to Your Team: enneagrammba.com

Have a request for a future episode? Drop a text here!

Someone plagiarized our website.

Not exactly the way I expected to find clarity about the future of Enneagram MBA, but here we are.

In this behind-the-scenes episode of Enneagram at Work, I'm sharing what happened when I discovered that a significant amount of our website messaging, design, and offers had been copied, and the unexpected good that came out of an understandably frustrating experience.

Because somewhere between “Are you kidding me?” and figuring out what needed to happen next, I started asking a much more interesting question:

What have we built that someone else can't simply copy so easily?

That question made me realize something: Enneagram MBA had outgrown some of its own messaging.

For years, we've talked about Enneagram workshops for the workplace. But the work our clients are asking us to do today goes much further, helping teams improve communication, navigate tension, develop leaders, strengthen cross-department relationships, and figure out how to keep using the Enneagram long after the initial workshop ends.

In this episode, I'm taking you behind the scenes of that evolution, including our new Shared Language Framework:

Learn It → Translate It → Use It → Keep It Going

You'll hear why learning the nine Enneagram types is only the beginning, what we mean when we talk about creating a shared language at work, and why the real value comes from translating Enneagram theory into your team's actual meetings, feedback, conflict, leadership, and day-to-day relationships.

I also share what's changing at Enneagram MBA, from standalone workshops to development programs and organization-wide experiences, and why we're putting even more attention on what happens after the workshop.

Because ultimately:

The Enneagram is the tool. What you do with it matters.

Knowing I'm a Type 7 and you're a Type 1 might be interesting. But what changes in our next meeting? Our next conflict? The way we give each other feedback? The way our departments work together?

That's where the work really begins.

So no, I wouldn't necessarily recommend having someone plagiarize your website as a business strategy. But in this case, it forced us to get much clearer about what we believe, what makes our approach different, and how we can better support the people and organizations we work with.

Curious what this could look like for your team? Visit Enneagram MBA and tell us what's going on. You don't need to know which workshop or program you need, that's our job to help you figure out.

enneagrammba.com

Have a request for a future episode? Drop a text here!

Have you ever walked out of a meeting thinking a decision had been made, only to discover your coworker thought you were still discussing it?

You were in the same room. You heard the same words. And somehow, you walked away with two completely different interpretations.

In this episode of Enneagram at Work, we’re kicking off our Overheard at Work series by looking at what can get lost in translation during everyday workplace communication.

Because we don't necessarily listen to conversations neutrally. One person may be listening for What did we decide? Another is listening for What could go wrong? Someone else is focused on How will this affect the team? while another is already thinking about What happens next?

The Enneagram can help us understand some of the different patterns influencing what people naturally pay attention to, and why two smart, engaged coworkers can hear the exact same conversation differently.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why workplace miscommunication isn't always about someone being a “bad listener”
• How different people assign importance to different parts of the same conversation
• Why we can mistake our interpretation of a conversation for the conversation itself
• How the Enneagram can help teams get curious about what coworkers may be listening for
• One simple question managers can use at the end of a meeting to catch misunderstandings before everyone walks out the door

Try This

Instead of ending your next meeting with:

“Does everybody understand?”

Try:

“What is everyone walking away believing we've decided?”

Or:

“What are you taking away as your next step?”

You may be surprised by the answers.

The goal isn't to test whether people were paying attention. It's to give everyone a chance to translate back what they heard, and catch what's been lost in translation before it turns into a missed deadline, unnecessary frustration, or the classic:

“Wait...that's not what I thought we decided.”

That's your translation to try this week.

Learn more about bringing the Enneagram to your team: enneagrammba.com

Have a request for a future episode? Drop a text here!