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What if I told you there was a way to narrow down or maybe finally find your Enneagram type in just two questions? Or maybe help somebody else find their type in two questions. That is what this episode is about today. You will learn where to get your hands on the actual, what it's called, the Riso and Hudson quest test. I'm gonna give you a little background information, some instructions, and a direct link for where to find and use that assessment. We're gonna talk a little bit about why it works and some specific instructions to help you get the most accurate results for from it. Um, I thought with the holidays, being around family and friends, those of us who just cannot stay away from the Enneagram, we want to just bring it up anytime we can. I thought this would give you a good and uh useful way to do that um over the next few weeks with the holidays coming up. So when you are ready, I will see you in this week's episode. You're listening to the Enneagram MBA podcast, a show of understanding people at work, including yourself, usually talking about the Enneagram, sometimes talking about other resources and methods, but always bringing value and having fun along the way. I'm your host, Zara Wallace, certified Enneagram coach, speaker, and workshop facilitator. And I cannot wait to see you inside. Okay, so you're gonna get the link to the two question test in just a second. Before I share that with you, though, I do want to offer an important disclaimer. And that is that even when you get your results back from this or somebody that you're sharing it with gets their results back, um, it still may not be your dominant type. So don't get married to the initial results immediately. You may very well know there are some of us who immediately we get the results back. It was really easy to go through the questions. It's super clear, cannot be any other type. Yes, I agree with this. That's awesome. And I know that feels so good to know and to feel confident in that. That may happen. Um, a lot of times, though, it's uh some additional investigation, some additional self-study is needed to really get clear and feel confident that either that result is in fact your dominant type or to give you some clarity on okay, I'm struggling between these two or three. Yep, this one is me. And in general, quizzes and assessments tend to be really um Enneagram specifically, Enneagram assessments and tests tend not to be 100% accurate. They're not 100% accurate, not tend, they are not, and that is frustrating. I know because most of the time we're used to taking an assessment and getting four letters back, a color back, um, five strengths back, or for a little bit on the woo side, I feel you over there. We're getting in our birth date and getting this is who you are type of results. The Enneagram is not that, it is very much a self-assessment process. And self-assessment processes I know can be a little frustrating because you're questioning, am I this or this? I'm this way at work, I'm this way at home, or I was this way 10 years ago, but now I am uh, and and and you can kind of feel like, oh, I just want somebody to tell me what I am. I get it. But that process right there, regardless of how long it takes you, is just as important as the the path that you will start once you understand what your Enneagram, your dominant Enneagram type is. And so it doesn't need to be rushed. There's nothing wrong with you, you don't need to figure anything out. It's just an opportunity to ask yourself questions that you've never asked before, to reflect on things that maybe you haven't reflected on, just to get curious. Hmm, do I do that? Let me, and it requires effort, it requires time, it requires some some brutal honesty on it sometimes, and you know, that's kind of that can be cringy, that can be hard to face. Um, I was actually just at a female founder's dinner the other night, and we were all sharing what what we do, and I was explaining the Enneagram. It was um this group particular wasn't as familiar um with it. So I was talking about how to find your type. And somebody had said, gosh, if I have to like read a book or if I have to like dig into different types, like that just feels like a lot of work. Like I I I'm not gonna do that. And that's okay. That is absolutely okay. Um, this tool, this assessment, this process may not be for you. And I'm guessing if you're listening to this, that that's probably not you. But if you're sharing this with somebody and that's their response, or or maybe you've been there before and so you can can relate to that way of thinking, um, that's okay. It's just you're just not ready for that because it that that is exactly what this process involves very much. Um, and so it does require time a lot of times. Um, it does require some effort, it does require reading, digging in to yourself, to some other resources. Um, but this two question assessment is meant to help you narrow down that dig, meant to um make that process a little bit easier so that you're not having to deep dive into all nine types necessarily. Maybe it's one or two or three that that you can do your own studying and and digging into and helping you gain some clarification. So it'll it'll point you in the right direction if it doesn't um give you that initial, yes, this is totally me. Um, and a good question that I had also wanted to share in here is how will you know when you finally discovered your type? And a couple of the things that had jotted down is that you will just know, and that's I know that's not a great um answer, but you will just know, like there will be waves of relief, maybe a little bit of embarrassment, maybe some excitement um that will will wash over you when you finally realize, oh my gosh, I think this is me. Um, other another way to tell is that things that you have always known unconsciously about yourself will just suddenly become clear. And those patterns, those repeat challenges, those recurring struggles will start to kind of bubble up into plain sight and become more conscious. You'll you'll slowly start becoming more aware and like, yep, oh, yep, yep, that's me. That makes sense. This all makes sense. Okay, so as you, I'm gonna give you the link and then I'm gonna give you a couple of rules to consider, not rules per se, maybe more instructions on how to take this so that you are getting the most accurate results. Um, the this two question assessment is over at EnneagramMBA.com forward slash Enneagram test. EnneagramMBA.com forward slash Enneagram test. One word. You'll find the two question test there. If you happen to be pulling that up at this time, I do want to offer some uh instructions to think about to consider as you take this so that your results are that much more accurate. In general, um, even in the um 144 question tests that I give to paid clients that I use in a lot of my paid workshops many times, um even those results tend to be just about 80% accurate. Other types of free quizzes and assessments, you can you're looking at, you know, potentially just 60% accurate. Um, this assessment, this two-question assessment that uh was put together by the authors of the book, The Wisdom of the Enneagram, Don Riso and Russ Hudson. Um, it's about 70% accurate, gonna take you about five minutes, 70% accuracy. That's pretty good to help you land on a type or narrow it down for you. Um, and as you're going, what what what you're going to do in this assessment is there's gonna be two sections, kind of two questions. And it's gonna ask pick one from these three paragraphs, and then the second question, the second section is pick one from this other set of questions. And then you're gonna overlap your answers, and it's going to that letter combination is going to give you a specific Enneagram type. Um, so as you go through and look at the questions, a couple things I want you to to keep in mind is one, you're just gonna select one paragraph in each of the groups, and the paragraph should be the one that most reflects your general attitude, general behaviors that you have had most of your life. It will obviously not be a hundred percent accurate, 100% of your life, 100% of the time, but most of the time, most of your life. And we do have all nine types inside of us, but there's going to be one that's going to be that that home base that tends to be driving the bus most of the time. The second thing I want you to keep in mind is that you do not have to completely agree with every single word of each of those statements. They're pretty in-depth um descriptions. And so there will be um maybe a sentence or a word that doesn't ring true for you. But as long as you agree with 80, 90% of that paragraph, that's the one you're gonna want to choose. Um, you should agree with just kind of the general philosophy of the paragraph. You know, don't just pick it because one word or one phrase sounds true for you. It should be kind of as a whole, but within that whole, not every single sentence has to be 100% true for you. And then lastly, this is easier said than done, especially depending on your Enneagram type. Try not to overanalyze your your choices, you know, just kind of go with your gut and and be honest and look at what do I do most of the time, most of my life. Not necessarily who I wish I was or what I wish I did, or who I want other people to think I am, but what is true for me right now, most of the time, most of my life. Okay. And then um the two sections and and why this assessment can work in just in just two simple sections right here, um, is because it's looking at two important groupings on the Enneagram, two important triads in Enneagram language. And one of those is a grouping called stances. It has to do with kind of the energy you bring to the world, the energy you bring to getting your needs met. And then the other grouping has to do around with your conflict style, how you handle challenges, problems, what that is. And so when you take your answer from the stances and overlap it with your conflict style, you're gonna get a pretty good idea of what your dominant Enneagram type is, but it's based on behavior, it's based on um reactions. And at the end of the day, the thing that makes, you know, any type a type, a two or two, is that is that core motive. So a two a two is striving to feel connected. They may behave and look very differently, um, but at the end of the day, they are a two because of that core motive. You know, you are a four because of that core motive of wanting of striving to feel unique. And so that's what it comes down to. But sometimes that can be tricky. And so these additional layers of you know, behaviors and common reactions, ways of thinking about things, how you might feel about something, um, will give you some additional insight and at least point you in the right direction. The other thing that I wanted to offer here is that this is one way of getting some direction and clarity on your Enneagram type. Um, when I first got Enneagram MBA going, I did a blog article about how to find your type. And the top way was reading books and learning about all nine types. And um a couple of book recommendations that I have for you is this is for beginners of all kinds. It's called What's Your Enneotype by Liz Carver and Josh Green. I like it because it's colorful, it has different color size fonts, there's charts, there's graphics, and it speaks to you in layman terms. Love the wisdom of the Enneagram book. I'm not recommending it for a beginner or somebody who's just getting going on their Enneagram journey because it is packed full of incredible information. So eye-opening, incredibly in-depth, insightful. Um, but it is a little, a little bit of a Bible font. It's a little academic. Um, and it I think it just could um it could be a little difficult to get through when you're just getting started. Highly recommend it if you're ready for that next level. Definitely dive in. Um, but what's your enneatype is my recommendation for beginners. And then because this is an Enneagram MBA uh podcast, um one of my favorite work-related books is called The Nine Styles of Leadership: Mastering the Art of People in the 21st Century Workplace by Beatrice Chestnut. I I absolutely love her. Um, I love this book. It's one that I refer to on a daily basis, and it's really um a great resource for explaining the different types through a workplace lens, how to use it in your career, how to use it in on a team, how to use it in your leadership style, understanding what the different styles might look like. Um, so super helpful resource when looking to apply the Enneagram to work situations. And then podcasts are another great way to help you determine your type or learn more about your type. Obviously, shameless plug, Enneagram and VA, you're here, you already know about this one. What would obviously throw that in the recommendation list? Um, some of my other favorites along my journey have been um the art of growth, Enneagram and Coffee, Typology, Um, The Road Back to You. Um, this one's hosted by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabil. And her book, her most recent book called The Journey Toward Wholeness is another one that I would highly recommend for that next level in your Enneagram journey. And she specifically talks about some of the main parts of what this um two question assessment breaks down stances, conflict style. And then she also talks about your stress arrow arrow. And that is another piece of the Enneagram. Um, I did a whole episode on that called the second most um important Enneagram type that you'll want to learn about. And that I will link in the show notes, and that will give you some additional clues too as to as to what your type is. But this two question assessment um will will get you in that direction to even know like what to narrow down, or somebody else that you're talking to can be a quick reference for them. Um, and then there is also a video um that I did called how to find your Enneagram type. I'll link that in here. It's over on YouTube if you prefer some some visual um resources, uh, you can check that out as well. So again, this was meant just to be um have a short and sweet, fun episode, how to get started, how to help somebody else get started as you're talking over uh Thanksgiving or future holiday event, whatever it is that you celebrate, whenever it is that you're gathering, or regardless of what time of year it is, um, how to make it kind of simple and fun um for somebody to get started. So again, that link is enneagrammba.com forward slash Enneagram test. Do you want to offer two additional resources? Oh, actually, before I do that, um, this could be an episode in of itself um talking about counter types. And the reason why I'm gonna bring this up here is just because if you take this as if you happen to already know your Enneagram type and you just kind of want to validate it with this with this assessment here today, and you get different results back, there could be a couple different reasons for that. One of them might be that you happen to be the countertype of your type. And um, like I said, it's a it's a big topic. There's lots of details. You may or may not have already been familiar with it, but there are underneath the main Enneagram type, there are three flavors of that type. There is a self-preservation flavor, there is a social or teaming flavor, there is a sexual one-on-one or pioneering flavor. And when you again overlap those flavors with that type, you get what's called a subtype. And the subtypes can present very differently. They have the core motive, let's say, of the seven, for example, um, but there's gonna be one in each type that doesn't necessarily look like that specific type. It doesn't behave like the typical stereotypical type. Um, type six is can is one of the most, um, can be one of the most confusing because their countertype looks very much like an eight. They may behave and present like an eight, um, but they really are driven by that motive of the type six. So that's the the sexual one-to-one or pioneering six that's the countertype. So there's a countertype for all of them. And so that's why those might be confusing. And if if you're wondering more about that, that we're gonna have some additional content in the future. But there's a lot of resources about um subtypes as well. I uh I just wanted to kind of put that out there as there's one that tends to have the core motive of that type, but can look very different, behave very differently. And that's a situation where these results may not match up with what your type is. So throwing that out there. Um, if you already know your type or if this assessment helps you gain some clarity on your type, I do have a 25 to 28 page, depending on your type, guidebook that is all about that type. So I gave you some book recommendations rather than digging into a book and trying to find your type and you know looking at your information there. This guidebook is 100% dedicated to that specific type. You can find it, you can download it, seven bucks over at Enneagram MBA.com forward slash resources. And if you do happen to be listening to this over Thanksgiving, um, the Thanksgiving holiday, the Black Friday buy one, get one deal is available through Cyber Monday. And you can access that at Enneagram MBA.com forward slash black dash Friday dash 2022. And there you'll be able to select your deal for your buy one get one in focus session. Um, it's $150 savings. You can use both of them yourself. You can use one yourself and gift to the other. There are a couple of options for how you want to use this deal, whether it's figuring out the best service or product to offer based on your personality, if you're starting a side hustle or growing your personal brand business, it can help you understand your next career move if you're looking for a new um, if you're on the job search, it can help you feel confident in the next big decision that you're facing. Maybe you've kind of paralysis analysis, you're thinking it can help you make a decision and feel comfortable and confident with that. Um, maybe you're looking to grow an existing team. It can help you find the perfect fit, find and hire the perfect fit. Um, or maybe you are looking to gain some just general um Enneagram information for yourself, or somebody else wants to understand what their type is, how to use it, and in other areas of your life outside of work, it's available for that as well. So you can find and pick which deal is best for you and get that buy one, get one in focus session deal over in the link below. The Black Friday 2022 um sale is on through Cyber Monday. And uh that will give you some additional information, but also some ideas and ways to apply and actually use the information that we are learning about. That's kind of that second step. It's one thing to be Enneagram informed, it's one thing to begin to become more self-aware. And then it is another thing to start to, you know, manage, act on, be more intentional with your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors based on what you're learning and different areas to apply that information to so that you can, you know, get to where you want to go, be the person that you want to be. And so we there is a focus on learning, but also applying. So you can um work with me and doing both of those inside these in-focus sessions. So, with that, um, you know, and with the theme of of Thanksgiving, moving into that holiday or really any time, I uh am thankful for you being here. I appreciate your support, your questions, your comments, um, you sharing the episode. So thank you so much. I I love hanging out with you each week. Um, next week will be our final interview episode for the season. So keep an eye out for that. We're gonna be talking about women and leadership. Um, and then um we're gonna take a little bit of a break during the holidays, December and January, but you're still gonna get weekly content from our Enneagram case files uh LinkedIn series. We'll be repurposing what it's a 15, 20-minute show about life in the workplace as that type specific one. So type two will be coming to you first, and then uh you'll be getting some of the others each week as we as we go through December and January. So just a little uh announcement, some housekeeping things of what's to come. With that, I appreciate you being here. I am thankful for you being here, and I will see you back here next week.

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Thank you for listening to the Enneagram MBA podcast. Sarah offers Enneagram assessments for employees and entrepreneurs and workshops for company teams and women's groups. To learn more about how Sarah can help you or your organization better understand people at work, visit EnneagramMBA.com.