Lately, I’ve been supporting a number of people in their ability and agility in guiding people to their Enneagram type. In doing this, some patterns have emerged about the ways in which each of us, depending on our Enneagram type, have typing gifts and also typing potholes. By potholes, I mean type-based holes in the ground we don’t see coming but we may fall into as we guide others to uncover their type.

TYPE ONE

Typing gift: precision and clear process
Typing pothole: need to be right

TYPE TWO

Typing gift: ‘reading’ and remembering patterns
Typing pothole: assuming ‘intuition’ is accurate

TYPE THREE

Typing gift: clarity of structure and process
Typing pothole: rush for results

TYPE FOUR

Typing gift: ‘reading’ meaning between the lines
Typing pothole: overly subjective

TYPE FIVE

Typing gift: understanding frameworks
Typing pothole: over-reliance on the mind

TYPE SIX

Typing gift: curiosity and incisive questions
Typing pothole: self-doubt and continuous questioning

TYPE SEVEN

Typing gift: synthesizing multiple information sources
Typing pothole: not probing deeply enough

TYPE EIGHT

Typing gift: well-calibrated gut reactions
Typing pothole: over-trusting gut reactions

TYPE NINE

Typing gift: perceiving alternative possibilities
Typing pothole: being unclear

For more guidance on how to guide to type, my book “The Art of Typing” has an abundance of helpful information and insights.

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