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How do you get to be so BIG in the Enneagram world?

My last blog focused on concerns related to claims of being an Enneagram “master” and “expert.” This blog examines a different kind of claim, that of being “world-recognized,” “world-respected,” “world-renowned,” “globally- known,” “world-famous,” “highly acclaimed,” and multiple variations on these themes could go on and on. I see people using these adjectives more and more frequently in their ads and biographies online.

But what is the basis for such a BIG description of oneself? What does it mean to be acknowledged throughout the globe? Is it where a person has traveled outside their own country to teach or present Enneagram programs? Perhaps they have conducted virtual programs drawing participants from different countries. However, does that actually mean you are world-recognized? Perhaps it is having written books that have been translated into multiple languages. OK, but these would have to have sold a huge number of copies to justify the claim. Possibly, a person has been on some podcasts that have a global listening audience, but the listening base would need to be quite large to justify saying you have worldwide recognition.

As I was writing this blog, I’ve been thinking through my background and how I sometimes describe myself in bios or promotion. Sometimes, I use the term “world-recognized” in brief bios as a sort of shortcode for a longer description of where I’ve taught the Enneagram. Although I don’t count, I just did a calculation of  the number of countries where I’ve done in-person work with the Enneagram: conference keynotes and session presentations, conducting certification programs, doing direct work with organizational clients on site. It comes to more than 20 countries, covering North and South America, Europe and Asia and most often, I’ve been there multiple times. So I think “world-recognized” isn’t inaccurate, but I may need to rethink even using these words.

Highly acclaimed raises the issue of by whom? The Enneagram community doesn’t give awards (or acclaim) for books, teachers, etc., so this isn’t the source. “Well-respected” also raised the question of respected by whom and how do you know you are respected. My conjecture is that words like these reflect how people want to see themselves or how they want others to perceive them.

Other BIG claims have also caught my attention. “Best-selling” author is one of them. In the publishing world, there’s actually no standard for what ‘Best-selling” means. When my first book was published in 2004, Bringing Out the Best in Yourself at Work, I asked my publisher, McGraw-Hill, this question: What qualifies as a best seller? They said that about 20,000-30,000 books met this threshold. That is a very high standard. In the current environment with social media and the internet, marketing-savvy people can up their numbers, although often for a very short time period. They do pre-sales with lots of promotions or even get people to buy their own books in bulk to up their sales, at least initially. This may get a person’s book listed in the top 10% of books on certain platforms, but it is often an artificial elevation.

Did you know that you can buy into awards? I get emails and LinkedIn offers like this all the time. Essentially, you pay them – often several thousand dollars USD – and then they offer you an award with some name that sounds impressive. You also appear on their website as having won this award when, in fact, it has been purchased. Is it really honest to claim having won an award when, in fact, the award has been bought and you were found through a generic online search?

Enneagram teachers who are, in fact, better known outside their countries of origin are generally not the people most likely to use these superlatives to describe themselves or to claim they are “best-selling” authors or have won awards. Generally, people newer to the Enneagram are far more likely to use the words. That tells the story!

I mention no names in this blog, and that is by intention. My hope is that this blog gives people food for reflection and that those wanting to access excellent Enneagram professionals are aware of some of the ways the current marketing environment has given rise to many of these practices.

About Ginger

Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, author of nine 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

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