Page 246 - Using the Enneagram System to Identify and Grow Your Leadership Strengths and Achieve Maximum Success

Make Optimal Decisions 221

Individuals with all Enneagram styles can use and misuse their
Centers of Intelligence in the ways described in the preceding
paragraphs. In addition, each style misuses its own Center of Intel-
ligence in a specific way. Fives, Sixes, and Sevens have specific mis-
uses of the Head Center; Twos, Threes, and Fours have specific
misuses of the Heart Center; and Eights, Nines, and Ones have spe-
cific misuses of the Body Center.
The productive uses and misuses of each Center of Intelligence,
as well as the common Enneagram style–specific misuses, are
described in Chart 7.1. This chart is followed by the Enneagram
dimensions of Make Optimal Decisions and specific developmen-
tal activities for each Enneagram style that support the productive
use of each center.

CHART 7.1 Centers of Intelligence: Uses and Misuses
Center Productive Uses Enneagram Style–
of Intelligence of This Center Specific Misuses
Head Center Objective analysis Overanalyzing (Fives)
Understanding data Obsessive collection and
without bias examination of data
Astute insight Projection (Sixes)
Understanding the true Attributing one’s own thoughts,
meaning and implications motives, and behavior to
of data other people
Productive planning Overplanning (Sevens)
Structuring sets of activities Excessive planning;
effectively overscheduling
Heart Center Empathy Emotional manipulation (Twos)
Identifying with and Attempting to control others
understanding another through the calculated use of
person’s feelings feelings
Authentic relating Playing roles (Threes)
Relating without pretense Relating through an image or
role
Compassion Oversensitivity (Fours)
Heartfelt kindness toward Excessive emotionality
another person
Body (Gut) Center Taking effective action Excessive action (Eights)
Taking well-chosen and Taking too much action
timely action
(Continued)