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Welcome to the Enneagram MBA Podcast, a show for aspiring and growing entrepreneurs and unfulfilled employees who know they are capable of playing bigger. If you are wanting to identify your gifts, find your purpose, do work that matters, and create a ripple effect that goes beyond yourself, you're in the right place. Each week you'll get resources, strategies, and support to help you get to know yourself, to get to know and understand others, like your future clients, and help you get known so that you can reach more people with your gifts and purpose. So grab your notebook or open up your notes app, and I will see you in class.

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If you've been listening to the show, welcome back to another episode of the Enneagram NBA podcast. If you are new, if you are a new listener, welcome. I'm your host, Sarah Lynn, and I'm so glad that you're here. This is a show to yes, expand your Enneagram education, specifically in these classroom episodes that come out on Tuesdays, and to also hear from others that in our guest expert interviews that come out on Thursdays, where you're able to hear from somebody else who might be very similar, who might have the same motives and core fears as you do, have that same dominant Enneagram type, um, just to connect with somebody else out there like you. You don't have to feel crazy, like you're the only one going through something. That is one of the biggest benefits that I have experienced through the Enneagram, just knowing that how I am and things that I've felt and feelings that I've had are like are a thing. And then also, even if those guests experts don't happen to be our dominant type, um, still to understand where they're coming from, to learn about different ways that people are seeing the world to better relate to our partners, our teammates, our friends, our family, um, to better understand our customers, our clients, um, the random person um that might have cut you off in traffic or that's taking forever to order at the coffee line. And regardless if you know their Enneagram type or not, just the fact that there are people out there who are viewing the world potentially vastly different than you are, and the lens that they're um making decisions from and what's important to them and what they're valuing is probably very different than you. And just to understand that that exists and how you see the world, and then understanding the different lenses that are out there can be really powerful and creating um happier, healthier relationships. And then also by understanding your personality through the Enneagram, you're able to really understand um what comes easy to you and really lean into that to be able to get your idea out in the world, to get it visible, to get your gifts out, to get your maybe it's a product, maybe it's a book, maybe it's a course, maybe it's um a specific service, whatever it is. Maybe it's wanting to speak up more, um, to be a speaker, maybe it's to speak up and be on a board at work, whatever it might be, um that you're kind of wanting to step into the next level, whatever that is for you, um, requires visibility, requires um getting known, and that takes risk. And so the more that we can learn about ourselves, lean into our strengths, and then also understand the things that are keeping us holding us back potentially, and being able to understand them and then navigate through them in a way that is best for us, not in a way that's best for somebody else that's been a proven strategy, um, but in a way that's best for us, um, really creates that confidence that gives you the ability to be seen, to be known, um, to get your idea out in front of other people, right? Um, and so that is one of the reasons why this podcast exists is to yes, bring yourself self-awareness. I mean, that is so important, but it's what what is that self-awareness, what is that understanding do? And it allows us to embrace those things about us, to accept the things that way we we don't love and just you know, see how they have potentially served us while also recognizing how they might be holding us back. Um, and then be able to kind of grow through them in the way that we that's gonna work best for us, right? So we are in the end at the end of a unofficial series. I I just started recording and the this is what came out. Um, are the different groups on the Enneagram? So we have covered the conflict style group, how we handle conflicts, how we respond to difficult situations when things don't go our way. There's an episode on that. We have gone over the energy we bring to getting what we need, getting what we want. We have covered our natural instincts, how to leverage our dominant natural instinct, and how to um use it in our relationships and better understanding the other person and creating services, offers, products um that uh really align with that natural instinct energy. And today we are talking about decision making. And this is one of the most commonly talked about groupings on the Enneagram, is the center of intelligence. And a lot of times when you hear um or see an Enneagram series, they'll break it out into the center of intelligences, intelligences, um, because there is so much overlap between the three types um in a very um just an easy to understand way. And so that's how we're going to be ending the series with the center of intelligence. And there are three types of intelligences or centers of intelligences, and that is our body instinct, our heart or the feeling grouping, and then lastly is the head or thinking triad or group, and in the body triad is our type eights, our type nines, and our type ones. And this just means that um before anything, they're going to fill it in their gut, they're gonna have some sort of bodily reaction, some sort of strong instinct, and they may not be able to describe why they're making the decision that they're making, but they just know in their body it's the right decision. And this kind of aligns with that reptilian brain, that instinctual um brain that that we first started out with. Um, the next level in in kind of the evolution is that limbic system, our limbic brain, where we have the motion, our feeling brain. And that's where this heart center, this feeling center comes from, um, that our types twos, threes, and fours are in. And so they're gonna feel it before anything. Um, their heart's gonna know, going to know before their minds or their gut. And then the head center is that neocortex brain, the rational thinking brain that eventually evolved. And that is where our types five, six, and sevens, predominantly their go-to decision making comes from. Um, something interesting to note is that our type three, our type six, and our type nines are called the anchor points, and they tend to be repressed in their dominant center of intelligence. Um, so that just means that either it's overused or it's it's not used in the healthiest way. And so when we talk about um, you know, nines being in the body center and feeling it in their gut, that that is their natural instinct. But for other reasons that have to do with their type, um, sometimes that will be repressed. They won't trust their gut, they won't be in touch with their gut, their body as much. Um, because for the type nine specifically, they're they're looking to kind of shove down any emotion or feeling or thought that might rock the boat. They very much want to go with the flow, create harmony, keep the peace. And so if something comes up in their body um that might rock that boat, they they tend to shove it down and then eventually just kind of become they become numb to themselves even. So that's what that means. And each um of those anchor points tend to be a little bit more repressed for different reasons that have to do with your type. So um I thought we could just talk a little bit about um more in for like more detail about what this actually looks like. What does this mean? What is this, what to look out for in each of the types based on your center of intelligence, and then um ways that they productively use it, and then ways that each type kind of misuses their center of intelligence. We'll look at how this shows up in real life, and then some um specific practices for growth. And then I do have a little bonus part of this episode. If you are struggling to make a decision, if you are kind of stuck in, I don't know, um, I have three questions for you at the end that um I have shared with clients and friends. Um, I actually got from, let's see, the Life Coach School podcast at some point along the way. And I have continued to use those and reflect back on those. Gosh, I think it was probably two years ago now that I listened to that episode. Um, but I'll share those questions with you that that might help you come to a decision. Um, and so before we do that though, let's let's talk about these three um centers. And so we'll start with our body instinct, again, types eight, nine, and one. And in this grouping, in this center of intelligence, um, they tend to engage life through their bodies or their guts. And for those in this category, the or this grouping, the common focus tends to be around control, justice, and fairness and knowing what we know about our types eight, nines, and ones, so very appropriate, right? Um, eights typically the the control piece is gonna stand out for them. Um, our nines, maybe the fairness piece is gonna be um stand out to them, and then our ones is going to be focused on that justice, right or wrong, good or bad piece. All of them, though, have this strong desire for autonomy and independence, and they will have issues with aggression or a repressed aggression. Um, and so their emotional struggle is going to be around anger/slash rage. So for each of the types that struggle with anger for an eight, it's gonna be right under the surface. And out of all of the types, they're gonna have the most access to their anger. For our type nines, they're going to tend to deny that anger, anger, and they're really gonna believe that they don't feel angry. Um, and then our type ones are going to have anger, they're going to feel it, but they believe that it's bad, so they're gonna shove it down, they're gonna reypress that anger. And so as far as using their body, the type eight is going to use it for effective action. They are the action takers, they're gonna move things forward, they're gonna move the ball down the field, and so they're gonna be able to use their body in that way to create massive action to get things done. On the flip side of that, a way that they could misuse their body is by having excessive action, constantly on the go, doing, doing, doing, doing more and more and more until they eventually, you know, they're not taking care of their sleep, they're not eating right, they're not resting when they need to. And eventually that's going to lead to burnout. So just being aware that that could be a common, yes, lean into that productive use, but just be careful of when it kind of swings to the opposite side too much. So for the type nine, they're gonna use their body, their inner that body energy for steadfastness, and they could misuse it for being passive, being that passivity um energy and that steadfastness, I can't hardly say that word, um, is so true. They have that calming, grounded presence when they're really using their body effectively, and then we'll just kind of numb out, zone out when it's being misused. And then lastly, the type one in this um center of intelligence, they're gonna use their body effectively with this, they will just have this strong gut knowing. They will just know in their gut what the right answer is, what the right thing to do is. And then the misuse for their body is to have this really strong reactivity. Oh my gosh, that's the wrong thing to do. That's the wrong way to do it. Very black and white, and they're gonna react very strongly to it being the wrong way. Um in the heart center, where our twos, threes, and fours are, are three, or I'm sorry, our twos are well, I guess before I get into that, let me just give you a quick overview. So um they tend to engage life through their feelings. And so their common focus is going to be their self-image and their persona. And so the thing that they're desiring, their common desire is attention. And knowing what we know about each of these types, how you know, how similar are these three? So our two, you know, their self-image is wrapped up in, you know, how helpful they are, how much they're needed and how much they're loved. And they want that attention in that way. Whereas our threes want the attention for being successful and their self-image is wrapped up in material success and being seen as successful. And then our type four, um, their self-image is, you know, they want to be unique and special and extraordinary and um belong, but be able to be their authentic self. And so um they'll go, they'll also they're also seeking attention. But like we talked about in the um energy episode that they you go after what you want, um, their type fours are going to go within to get that attention, kind of pull away and see if anybody notices. Um each type in this heart center is going to have issues with wanting significance and um, you know, having some sort of strong identity. And that makes sense based on you know what we just kind of talked about and knowing what we know about each of the types. And then they are really going to struggle with shame and hostility. And so they're gonna be hostile when they're not perceived how they wanna be perceived. That's kind of where that's coming from. And so when it comes to engaging with their feelings, our type two is gonna be overly focused on the feelings of others and kind of forget about or not pay attention to how themselves are feeling. Our threes, being one of those anchor points, are actually going to repress their own feelings. And um, a lot of times threes will do this because they're so focused on the goal, they're very future-oriented, they're task-oriented. And so it just seems like very unproductive to have feelings. So they're gonna push those aside, even though they do have them. And then our fours are gonna be overly focused on their own feelings and not paying so much attention um to others. And how how you'll kind of see this play out as a productive use of feelings and um maybe a not so productive way for the two, they're gonna have so much empathy. They are gonna have such an understanding for how others feel. Um, where it could kind of swing to the opposite side too much is when they're using those feelings and emotions for manipulation. So, you know, just understanding that, you know, they want to be loved and wanted. And sometimes in those average or unhealthy levels of development, those type twos can manipulate others into giving them the love and attention that that they want. Um, our type threes, they're going to be able to really use their feelings for good when it comes to really being able to authentically relate to others. They're going to be able to read that room to understand, um, be able to read others' faces and the energy. They're very good at picking up on that, very empathetic as well, intuitive in that way. And then, you know, how they might overcompensate though with those feelings is playing roles. So kind of forgetting even who they are because they have to show up as somebody else in all different kinds of situations. And so it's like, I don't even know who I am. I just am trying to be who I think others want me to be. And I'm I'm totally lost sight of who I actually am and who do I actually want to be. Um, and then our type fours are going to use these feelings for good when it comes to showing compassion and being very compassionate and being able to hold space for the hard, uncomfortable feelings that so many um of the other types maybe struggle to do, and they'll put a positive spin on it or run away from it or try and problem solve it. But our fours are going to be able to be able to sit with those feelings and have compassion for them. On the flip side, um, these feelings, when they kind of swing too far to the other side, um, it they can become oversensitive and um, you know, get over thinking that um, you know, get their feelings hurt, get their um thinking that other people are talking about them or um saying something bad about them or don't accept them. And that's that just may not be the case, but they're having that oversensitivity to with those feelings. So the last grouping is in our head center, the thinking um types, and that is going to be our type five, six, and seven. And the thing to know about this group as a whole is that they will engage life, they tend to engage life through mental analysis. So their mind is going to know before their hearts or their guts. Um, the common focus here is that they're focusing on strategies and beliefs, and their common desire is to be safe and secure. And so we talked about in the energy um episode where we talked about the energy you bring to going after what you want. Our type fives are going to withdraw to get that safety and security. Our type sixes are going to feel like they have to earn that safety and security by being dependable, by being a loyal friend, by doing what's expected of them. And then our type sevens are going to be more assertive, aggressive energy and demand that safety and security with that type of energy. Um, the issues that they're going to have is with around insecurity and trust. And the struggle that they're going to have most in this grouping is around fear and anxiety. And very much in our heads, I think we can all relate, we'll all be able to relate to that in this in this grouping. Um, our sixes, when it comes to fear and anxiety, they're going to be worried and have anxiety around scarcity of resources. And so that's going to lead them to this tendency to to hoard, to hoard material items, to hoard their knowledge. And that is the vice of the type five, is that is that hoarding, but that's why they're doing it, is because of the fear um around not having enough resources. This is also what allows them to be so good at managing their energy and setting clear boundaries because they understand um, you know, resources, their energy level, um, and and able to use it for good in that way. Our type sixes are going to struggle with fear and anxiety um by constantly scanning the room, constantly looking at people and situations. Are they trustworthy, looking out for worst case scenario? Um, and that is very type six to um, that is a type six tendency to prepare for worst case scenario, to be in your head, to plan and prepare for all the bad things that could happen and Have a backup plan for the backup plan. And then our type seven is going to struggle with fear and anxiety by thinking if I just stay busy and stimulated and on the move, I actually won't have to feel the anxiety. I definitely have it. But the and the moment that I sit still, the moment that I'm quiet with myself, I'm going to have to, I'm going to have to recognize it. I'm going to have to feel it. I don't want to feel it. So I'm going to constantly be moving. I'm going to constantly be reading books, listening to podcasts in the shower, thinking of all the ideas, um, so that I don't have to feel that way. And the way that the type five is going to be able to use their thinking for good and in a productive way is by their ability to have this objective analysis makes sense. They're the expert, the innovator, um, always asking questions, diving deep into the research. And then they, the flip side of that, that same energy, but just kind of the flip side when it can tip too far to the other side is over-analyzing. So just over-researching, overlooking into something before they feel like they can take action. Our type six has so much insight. We have talked about their ability to, um, they are also, yes, very intuitive, being able to pick up on the energy of other people because they are looking to keep themselves and those that they care about safe. And so they do have this insight of others and then insight into complex ideas and large amounts of data, they're able to go in there and then pull the key insights out and be able to break it down into bite-sized pieces and and and give that to others so that they can more easily understand it. Um, how they're going to misuse their thinking center is by projection. And projection is the type six's vice, um, their defense mechanism, where they're going to think that just the way that they're feeling must be the way that somebody else is feeling. So it's like, well, um, in a relationship, an example that I think I've shared before is um, well, this they're not, I'm not happy, so they must not be happy and they must be thinking about breaking up with me. So I'm gonna break up with them before they can break up with me. Um, this might happen with um a new service that you put out in in your business thinking, um, or a book that you're gonna be sharing, thinking, oh my gosh, this sucks. Uh nobody's gonna love it. I'm just not even gonna put it out there because nobody's gonna love it. They're not gonna want to buy it anyway. So I'm not even gonna, I'm not even gonna do it. Um, and then just being like, well, they're upset, they're thinking, I'm thinking, I'm upset, I'm thinking this way. They must be thinking that way too. And we're gonna talk about um defense mechanisms at some point because that's really interesting to again, just another thing to learn about yourself and then also to notice in other people. And then lastly, our type sevens are going to use their head thinking center for productive planning, very good at planning. Um, they're all, you know, in that future focused, what's next category and that assertive stance that we have talked about before. And then the flip side of that is going to be over planning, always planning, always thinking um about the next thing. So they might be in the moment doing something really enjoyable and fun, but they're not able to be in that moment and actually enjoy it, um, which is ironic because they have planned for it, they want to get to this moment, they've in that um kind of, yeah, what's next? But they're they're they get there and then it's on to the next thing and let's overplan and let's overthink and let's overdo it with the with the thinking, with the planning. So that is um how you'll kind of see each of those groups, and then even the types within those groups kind of show up with those specific tendencies and qualities. Um, how this looks like in real life. So in the body center, our eights, nines, and ones might be showing up where this might look like they feel an emotion physically, maybe it is a knot in their stomach, and then um to be able to pull in the other two types to really become fully integrated, which ultimately is the goal for this, is not just to rely on one center of intelligence, but to use all three. And so when you feel a sensation physically, get in touch with your heart to identify, okay, what is the issue? And then pull in your head to problem solve through that issue. In the heart center, you're going to first feel maybe emotionally flooded in a situation and maybe not understand why. So, in those situations, get in touch with your head, engage your head to process maybe with a journal or with a trusted friend, what's really going on. And then use that body, engage the body to maybe um sit in stillness and kind of understand what's going on, be able to process, maybe um engage the body by just hugging somebody, sitting next to somebody. Sometimes um, you know, that's what you need is just to be in the same room and to touch, hold somebody's hand. Um, and then lastly, we have our head center of intelligence where they may notice a clouded mind and this inability to focus. And um, the way that they can engage the other two centers is to bring in the body and release that all that nervous, anxious energy, maybe with a walk or a run, and then get in touch with the heart by um just giving yourself compassion for whatever it is that's going on, um, whatever feeling you're feeling. Um maybe you weren't able to get something done because of that cloud in mind, and just to give yourself it's okay. It's okay to not be okay. Um, and then lastly, how to grow in each center of intelligence. So, really quickly, um, the body center you can bring in um the body more if the heart and the head is one of your um dominant centers of intelligence by stretching, just anything to do with moving your body, running. Um, you could also sit in stillness and meditate. It could be hugging somebody, having a dance party, um, holding a warm cup of coffee, sitting outside, or cleaning something to bring in your heart center more to ask yourself, how am I feeling? Maybe journal about those feelings. Um, maybe it's sitting in therapy, getting involved in therapy. Maybe it's expressing appreciation for somebody, maybe it's sharing honestly with somebody, opening up and really being authentic and honest. Um, and then lastly, we have that head center. And so if you're in the heart or the body to bring in more of that thinking energy, um, look at new things that you can learn. How can you add in some rational thinking? Um, maybe it's reading, studying concepts, maybe it is making that pro and cons list, planning ahead, um, getting coached, using mantras, using positive affirmations to speaking to yourself in that way. Um, so those are ways to we've kind of talked about understanding where you are, and then um understanding the other two centers of intelligence so that you can look at ways to bring those in. And then I talked about three questions if you are having a hard time making a decision that might help you get in touch with how you're feeling, that might give you an initial intuitive reaction to one of these answers, or might give you something to think about. And one is what decision brings me closer to who I want to be even if I fail. The second one is what is the best case scenario for both of my options three years from now? And lastly, what would you choose if you knew you would be equally happy either way? So with that, I hope those questions are helpful and giving you some clarity to a decision that maybe you've been struggling to make, trying to decide which option is the best, which way to go, which thing to do. Hopefully that helps. And then hopefully it just helps too to understand um maybe either for a specific decision you're struggling with right now, and then as you make decisions in the future, to understand um what your go-to is and to trust that more, and then to understand when you're using it to help yourself, and then to to notice when you're you're over using it and it's becoming um more destructive than helpful, and then to also understand um the other centers of intelligence to bring in to really help you make the best decisions that you can make by checking in with your gut, by checking in with your heart, by checking in with your head. And there's more that we're going to talk about with this topic when it comes to leadership style, when it comes to um, you know, working with your clients and other ways. So this won't be the last time you hear about centers of intelligence, but I wanted you to have a place to go to for a general overview to start understanding if you've ever, you know, what the heck, center of intelligence, what does that mean? And to um start to get clear on um, you know, which one most resonates with you. If you don't yet know your type, that might give you some additional clues and um leaning into that. And then, like I said, understanding the other two types so you can you can use those. So if you are still not sure what type your dominant Enneagram type is, but would like to, or maybe you are struggling or you're stuck between a couple types and you're just sick of circling around trying to figure out which which type are you, um, I do offer know your number sessions. I have a couple of those um each month that I have opened up. So if that is something you'd like to sit down together and work through and get closer to uncovering your dominant type or to um verify or confirm what your dominant type is, I love to sit down and and and help you with those. It's a lot of asking questions, it's a lot of reflecting on um your results and some um how you know how you are now, looking at the present, looking at the past, where you've come from, and then also talking about where you want to go are all such great clues into helping you narrow down that type. And so that is something that I offer over at Sarah Lynn Co.com forward slash know your number. And with that, I so appreciate you being here. If you've listened to all these in the series, I I appreciate that. Um, would love to hear your feedback or ideas for future episodes, honing in on specific pieces of these groups that you feel like would be helpful. Always love to hear from you. Get in touch with me over on Instagram or email and let me know um what you'd like to hear more about, what you'd like to know more about. So, with that, um, I hope you'll join us back here on Thursday for our guest expert interview. And then I will see you next week, just you and I, for another classroom episode.