PREVIOUS : Understanding them (Types 8, 9)

NOTE: See posts about Enneagram TRIADS  (centers):
☼ Feeling #s 2,3,4 / ☼ Thinking #s 4,5,7 / ☼ Action #s 8,9,1

In strategy & in life, as in archery, the order of operations is important : Ready – preparing, steadying & grounding yourself
Aim – thinking strategically & taking aim at the intended goal or objective
Fire – taking action to execute the strategy.
While we each have all three Enneagram Centers available to us, we give them different priorities. There are 6 possible ranked or ‘stacked’ combinations how a person is likely to access their Thinking, Feeling & Action Centers.

Stacking the TRIAD Centers
🗯 Fire – Ready – Aim  = 1. Action, 2. Feeling, Thinking-last
This person tends to be intuitive & impulsive, connected to what needs to be done, engaged with the world in an active, energized way. They seem to just ‘know’ what’s happening or what needs to happen, but can’t always explain how they know. 

🗯 Fire – Aim – Ready = 1. Action, 2. Thinking, Feeling-last
These action-oriented people are quite aware of the environment they operate in, especially what’s missing, & sense what could make things better or move things forward.

When grounded & healthy, their drive is balanced by an ability to take a step back to consider the facts & options available – before moving into action.
In a less-healthy state, this ability is reversed – the person prematurely jumps to action, getting mixed or poor results, & only then pausing to think.

🔆 Ready – Aim – Fire = 1. Feeling, 2. Thinking, Action-last
This classic sequence combines emotionally intelligent, self-aware decision-making with collaboration & consultation, in people who prefer to consider all aspects of a challenge along with others, rather than being a lone wolf.

This person is quite thoughtful, taking the time to make decisions, asking others about their requirements & point of view, looking first for deep insights.
They like to work with others to build strong relationships, which also helps them understand any current problem. But accumulating too much information & too many opinions can prevent them from taking action.

🔆 Ready – Fire – Aim = 1. Feeling, 2. Action, Thinking-last
Open-hearted & responsive to the feelings & needs of others, these people intuitively know what someone wants or requires. They can be a great support to others, taking on the role of coach or facilitator, helping others to deal with their challenges & act on their goals. While emotionally aware, they’re too likely to only respond to their feelings, giving un-needed feedback or over-helping others, in stead of spending that time on analysis.

♻️ Aim – Ready – Fire = 1. Thinking, 2. Feeling, Action-
These thoughtful people excel at seeing the different sides of an issue, including a variety of other points of view, which generate many ideas & options. Their understanding of both facts & people make them powerful systemic thinkers.
Seeing the big picture brings in so much data to be considered for decision-making that there’s a potential risk of ‘analysis paralysis’ leading to procrastination, delaying action in favor of more thinking.
Collecting more information, assessing more risks, or consulting others – is an unconscious attempt to control a complex & uncertain world. In the process, they can miss an opportunity to test their thinking directly.

♻️ Aim – Fire – Ready = 1. Thinking, 2. Action, Feeling-
This profile is often appreciated in corporate environments, because these people show up as rational strategic planners, seeing things clearly & moving from insights to action without being distracted by subjective emotion. They think through the various aspects of an issue, generating ideas & possible actions. These suggestions are based on a solid understanding of facts & practicalities, so are available to make things happen.

The down side is that, with feeling-last, they may neglect the importance of emotions – both their own, their colleagues or customers. As a result, they can find strong resistance to their ideas, genuinely surprised that others don’t appreciate their efforts to create change. Their reaction is to explain why an action makes sense, rather than listening to the concerns of others, & potentially incorporating them. (MORE….)

BALANCE the Centers of Expression by :
✅ moderating your dominant Center if it’s over-expressed, using it intelligently
✅ adjusting your secondary Center to ensure it’s conscious & healthy
✅ compassionately accepting & connecting to the under-expressed or neglected Center, to give it a voice.

NEXT : Enneagram – Children & Parents