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Welcome back to another episode of the Enneagram at Work. I'm your host, Sarah Wallace, founder and managing director here at Enneagram MBA, a team training company. And in this episode, I'm giving you a little bit of behind the scenes about my own personal Enneagram journey that continues to this day. Now, I have been teaching the Enneagram professionally now for almost six years. And every year, at least once a year, I try to, I do, uh, take the Enneagram Institute assessment. And I do it to remind myself of how difficult sometimes these assessments can be. The things that we are asking our clients to do, I think it's important to remember what it's like going through those. Um, it is quite a lengthy assessment. Um, and some of the questions are really challenging. It's neither, absolutely neither. And sometimes it's like, oh, both of them. I could, I want both, or I could see both. And so I go through those to remind myself of how challenging that is so that when I get questions during a workshop or people asked um questions, you know, beforehand as they're taking this, I'm I'm still able to relate, to remember, and uh really to empathize with sometimes how how difficult it can be. Um, and then recently the awareness to action framework, which is the the framework we use here at Enneagram MBA, published their own quiz. And I love it. I'm so excited about it because it has the uh the type, and then it also will give you your instinctual bias hypothesis as well. So recently I've taken two Enneagram assessments and they have both typed me as a three. So when I went through the awareness to action one, most recently I got a transmitting three. And then when I went through uh the Enneagram Institute assessment, I came up as a type three. Uh seven was closely behind there, but I but I got a type three. And I know that this is something that happens to so many people. It might have happened to you. If you, you know, you're listening to this, you might have had a similar experience with your own typing journey where you get a top type, uh, but then you go through the workshop, you learn about others, and you're like, oh, well, my quiz is saying this, or my test is saying this, but really I'm identifying with the third one that I ranked, or sometimes it's the fourth or fifth one. Turns out it wasn't even my top three, and that is always okay. And it happened to me recently too. Now I thought, you know what? This is that maybe, maybe I am. Maybe I've been identifying as the type seven this whole time. And turns out I'm really a type three. And I will tell you, I I actually started to get excited. I was like, oh good, maybe, maybe I'm actually a three. Oh, I would I've kind of like that idea. Yes, yes. I I, you know, what I know about so many of you threes, I thought that is not a bad type to be if that's the one I ends up end up being. So I was talking to uh my Enneagram mentor, Mario Socora, who is the the president and one of the the uh founders at Awareness to Action. And uh he was generous enough to take me through a typing interview with himself. And uh it was really interesting. I I did it because I was curious about what type I really was, and I wanted to just really more so like what am I what blind spots might I be having uh because I think I'm one type but really testing another. And then again, I had shared this over on uh Instagram the day that I was getting typed. But I think as Enneagram practitioners, if you happen to be one listening to this, or uh, you know, human resource, learning and development uh individual, professional inside an organization, I do think that it is important that we are doing the things we are asking our clients, students, uh attendees, whatever, whatever it is to go through. And so I go through the assessment at least once a year for that reason. And I thought, you know, I haven't been through a typing session in years. And here I am typing people, you know, inviting people to go through a typing session, and it's been so long since I've been one. So it had kind of two purposes. And uh it it, you know, it it was interesting because um I know so many of you can also relate to this, you know, and it's kind of like what is what happens when your assessment results don't match the type that you think that you are. So I thought, all right, let's let's get let's get into this. So I got a type three originally, and I will tell you, I I wasn't shocked at that result. It it made sense. Um, I think it makes sense for me personally, and then I think it makes sense for um I think it makes sense for me based on my specific situation, and then just the fact that I'm in the United States where I think we have a very type three culture. So many of us can see these type three tendencies in our lives. But, you know, I I am a business owner, and Neagram MBA is is the company that I that I run. Um, I do, you know, tend to be very achievement goal-oriented. Uh, you know, sevens have a reputation for lack, you know, struggling with execution. And um, yes, and at times I can accomplish quite a bit. So I thought, okay, there's that. Um, I do care about accomplishing things. I care about, you know, podcast metrics, uh search uh metrics, uh feedback that we get, uh reviews. Uh, you know, I I do. I want to accomplish things. I want to do them well. Um, I have a lot of goals. And I am constantly creating things and moving forward. I very much have the leap and the nut will appear type of energy. Now it's it has gotten dialed back a little bit the older I get. I think parenting um, you know, uh has naturally made me a little bit more cautious. But I thought, yeah, okay, a three, a three could probably make sense. Um, there were some things though that I know about threes that I thought, I don't know. It do I do that? Do I just not see that in myself? Um, so I was kind of going back and forth. Um, and one of the things that we were talking about during my interview to begin with was just that kind of reminder that looking like a type, exhibiting similar behaviors, um, isn't the same as using that type's underlying strategy. And I'm gonna say that again because I think that this is such an important thing to remember in along your own typing journey. And even if you have been through your typing journey, you're two years out, four years, seven years out, I do think it is always a good idea just to kind of check back in. Not because it's changed, but ideally you're bringing more awareness. Those blind spots are getting less, probably never gonna go away, but less. So looking like a type isn't the same thing as using that type's underlying strategy. As a reminder for the three, it's striving to feel outstanding. For the seven, it's striving to feel excited. So Mario took me through this typing interview, and uh, we went through it, it was just he he did a great job of kind of making me feel comfortable. Um, started with some kind of warm-up questions about early life, what I enjoyed, what I was drawn to, my college experience, my first job experience, what I enjoyed about those roles, what was difficult with those roles, um, some decisions in my life, relationships. So we kind of we kind of covered it all. And uh he, you know, he would, I think he was kind of telling me, I kind of have a hypothesis. And so what I do when I start to get a hypothesis is start to try and poke holes in it, start to actually try to disprove myself. So he started kind of asking some of those questions to try and poke holes and what was becoming his theory of hypothesis of me being a type seven. And so, you know, obviously I'm I'm not Mario, so I can't tell you what was exactly what was happening in his brain, but on on my end, um, you know, he he was starting to see some patterns, starting to connect some dots. I was kind of hearing them as they were, as they were coming up, and I was not hearing a lot of three patterns, um, maybe some behaviors because of the reasons that I just listed. And, you know, we left the interview. It was about it was a 45, 50 minute conversation, and he had shared that, okay, you know, based on this conversation, my hypothesis at the moment, and it could very well change, is that you are a transmitting seven. And I said, well, not only did I, you know, test as a type three in those two tests recently, but I've also been around some fellow sevens, and I just wasn't sure that I was quite as, you know, outgoing, as kind of unfiltered, as fun even as as they were. And so I just wondered, am I really a seven? And then I know, you know, the transmitting seven for those of you who are familiar with the instinctual biases. If not, we're gonna be continuing to weave that content throughout. Um, and this is something that we we do talk about in our half day to full day standalone workshops and some of our programming. Um they're kind of the ultimate stereotypical type seven. And so I thought, gosh, I I really believe that I'm a transmitter, but I just I now I'm questioning, am I a transmitting seven? Because I don't feel like I look like some of these other, like very textbook sevens. So how you know, how can this be me? And he made a great point, and this is just a reminder, you know, about some misconceptions and specifically here about the seven is that a lot of the literature that you will read about sevens describes, and now I I can say our uh describes their slash our outside experience, like our outer world experience. And sevens do have a tendency to kind of feel like it's our responsibility to keep the vibe up, to keep the energy up, make sure that people are feeling happy, that people feel included, um, to, you know, get people laughing, get, you know, kind of maybe be the entertainment a little bit. And so that's what other people see. And I had forgotten, you know, even though that I teach this, I talk about this on a daily basis, um, that that was what I was seeing from those other people that I thought, gosh, I don't know that I I'm that, I'm like that, because I was comparing my internal experience with what I was seeing on their outside. And a sevens internal experience isn't necessarily the, you know, kind of tigger energy, rose color glasses, glasses half full. You know, that there is some of that, but there's a there can be a little bit of a darker side to the sevens when when they get home, they can be a little bit more, we we can be a little bit more withdrawn. So I thought that was a good reminder. Um, and I think you can apply that same advice, that same logic to to any type. If you happen to say, you know, gosh, I feel like I'm an eight, but then I compare myself to other eights and I, you know, I I don't know. And so what might be happening is you're comparing your inner world to what you're seeing, you know, with their outer world. So just again, something to be aware of. I don't know that it's a hard and fast, there's a hard and fast rule there, but it's just something to kind of reflect on. So, you know, then the question I think is a lot of people will maybe come to it's like, well, the assessments are wrong. Assessments are a waste of time. If they can't give you, you know, the right result, you test it as a type three in two different types of tests. Testing must not work. It failed. Um, well, an inter typing interview got it right. Now, I do very much believe that these one-on-one conversations can be so beneficial. And uh, we have started doing more of those and offering those and talking about those a little bit more before a uh workshop experience, especially with the leadership team, because it is important at some point you do get it right. Um, but the assessment still gave me information that was worth exploring. I started to kind of pause and self-reflect on things I hadn't thought about or reflected on in a while. Um, and that conversation that I had with Mario kind of helped me put that information into some context. So, you know, I always am saying in in our workshops, the assessment is a data point. It's a data point, it is not a hundred percent accurate result. Um, it can, it certainly can help identify patterns and it can help you narrow down possibilities. That is one of the reasons that we historically have used the Enneagram Institute assessment. It's called the the Ready R-H-E-T-I, if you're wanting to look at it. Um, we use that because it ranks all nine. So it doesn't just narrow you down to one or two. And I a lot of people like that. I like that it helps narrow down the possibilities, but it's not closing off the possibilities. Um, but ultimately the Enneagram does require some sort of self-questioning because we're trying to understand what's underneath the behavior. We were we've just talked in a previous episode about how we need to be careful when we're looking at our behavior at work versus our behavior at home and trying to figure out oh, are we two different types because we're behaving differently? It and the answer, the short answer to that was no. Um, it's probably the same type. The strategy is going to be the same, but of course, the expression of that strategy, the the behavior will vary depending on the context that you're in, work versus home. So, you know, I had said sometimes I don't think I look like other sevens. And um the other thing that's kind of underneath that is the instinctual bias, which is again why I want to be talking about this more. Um, I have an episode coming up. Um, I outlined uh based on this about a preserving seven. So you have a very, you know, seven striving to feel excited with that preserving, which is a little bit more uh risk adverse, not as kind of textbook seven that you might think. What does that look like when that comes together? And that seven is gonna look very different than a navigating seven, perhaps, than a transmitting seven, perhaps. Um, and then we also got into you know, the Enneagram is is one tool, it's one lens that you can view yourself through. But there's so many other factors that make me who I am and that make you who you are. Um, we had talked about Marianna, I had talked about, I grew up in rural uh southern Indiana. My father was uh a preacher, so preacher's daughter over here. Um, so that experience alone, you know, the the culture, the expectations um that I grew up with that have influence that are that are baked into me, you know, whether I like some of them or not, um, that that's in there. And that is going to present a different transmitting seven than maybe somebody who, you know, grew up in uh, you know, the East Coast somewhere that where, you know, they're a little bit more maybe that New York directness, like that, that transmitting seven is probably gonna look very different. So all of these things can play a uh play a part, will play a part into how that is expressed, even when you narrow it down to okay, this is the flavor of the type I am, this is my instinctual bias. There's still gonna be things that are unique to you based on your background, your culture, your you know, uh race, gender, all of these things um will will be will play a part are baked into the unique recipe that is you. So um with that, I guess the the thing that I'll leave you with, um I thought it you might find it interesting that you know I I I teach this, I talk about this professionally, and I still had questions, I still had some blind spots. Of course, of course we do, right? Um, so I thought if you're struggling to find your type or, you know, I thought, let me share this story, it might be validating, it might be interesting, it might be entertaining. Um, but what I'll leave you with is if your assessment gave you a result that doesn't feel quite right, don't immediately throw it away. Don't immediately say the Enneagram doesn't work, the assessment was wrong, um, or latch on to it and say, Well, the computer says I'm a three, so I guess I'm a three, right? Get curious, just kind of get get curious, ask yourself some questions. That self-reflection I'm always talking about is part of the price process. The type, the, the work that you do to to quote unquote figure out your type is all part of the the Enneagram benefits. And so you might ask yourself things like, okay, well, this is what I tested as. Um, what about this type resonates? What about this type does not resonate? Um, looking also specifically at that strategy versus just the behavior, um, and thinking, am I identifying with the behavior or am I identifying with the reason underneath that behavior? And then another one might be what am I consistently trying to get to protect, avoid, accomplish? Um, I think he started to see in my in my career path. Um, when I talked about the the various roles that I've had in the various organizations that I've worked with, um, I was always, you know, thinking, well, I don't know that this is where I want to be forever. I'm gonna start job searching. And then something new would come along. I would get a promotion. I would get, I would move to a new city, I would get a new territory. And so about every year, um, especially in my first career, something new was being added. I thought, oh, okay, I can, I can hang on a little bit longer. Like this is attractive to me. This is interesting to me. It wasn't the promotion because of the the, it wasn't because of the title, it wasn't because of the promotion itself. It was because, oh, I'm getting to do something new. I get, I get to take on a new role. I get to talk with new people, I get to attend new meetings, go to new places with this promotion. And so that became pretty clear, okay, this is this is kind of more seven strategy here versus the the three. Um, and so there's gonna be things, hopefully, aha moments like that in your own reflection if this happens to be uh uh something that you're kind of wrestling with yourself. So if you're between two types, just remember, I don't think this is anything new, but just just remember to explore that strategy underneath both of those types rather than creating a checklist of which descriptions sound most like you. And I want to leave it at that. Um, if you do have questions about your type, we do offer typing sessions for past clients, um, past clients, past workshop attendees, if you've attended one of our conference events. Um, that's just so that you have at least gone through the um introduction part of the the Enneagram, you've gone through one of those. Um, and if that happens to be you and you are thinking, you know, I would like to get some clarity, I would like to talk this out with somebody. Um, I have myself, we have two or three other um coaches on the coaches, consultants uh on our visiting the facilitator visiting. And I'm gonna leave it at that. I'm gonna leave it at that. I'm gonna leave you with those words. And then if you happen to be feeling how I was feeling a couple weeks ago and thinking, gosh, you know, I'm I keep typing this way, but I'm kind of thinking this, or gosh, I don't know. I'm so confused. I I could see this, this, this, or this. Um, if you are, if you have ever been through one of our workshops, one of our conference events, have been a past client in any way, and would like some additional guidance around clarifying your type or understanding your type, understanding your instinctual bias and type, um, we are offering those typing interviews for our past attendees, past clients. Um, and that's just because that way people have gone through our introduction framework. Um, so if that happens, if you have our listener and you've joined us in a past experience, however long ago it was, you can learn more about those options on our website, enneagrammba.com, or feel free just to send me an email directly at Sarah at Enneagram MBA and uh Enneagram MBA.com. And then it will either be myself or one of our three other typing coaches specifically who are good at this, who enjoy it. Um, so we'll get you uh connected with the best fit for you. With that, thanks for being here, and I look forward to seeing you in the next one.