The Enneagram personality system can open the door to greater self-awareness. It explains the motivation behind much of our unconscious behaviors. Each of the nine Enneagram types has a preferred (habitual) way of dealing with the world. The system can highlight a person’s inherent strengths, weaknesses, and typical coping mechanisms.
The true benefit of discovering your type is to raise your awareness. Since introducing the Enneagram in our coaching and leadership development programs, we have observed hundreds of leaders make quick connections to how they are making a positive contribution and how they are unintentionally limiting themselves and others. This allowed them to leverage or CHANGE their behavior accordingly.
How to Get Started
According to researcher Anna Sutton, “on the premise that people generally know themselves and their motivations better than anyone else does, self-assessment is the favored method of determining your Enneagram type.” So, landing in your personality type takes self-observation and a willingness to look at the true motivation behind your behavior.
Several tests and assessments are also available to help you land in your Enneagram type, but we recommend you use caution and realize that no test is 100% accurate. The best gauge of your Enneagram type is your self-observation. In our experience, reading about the types, participating in facilitated training, and an Enneagram Type Exploration Interview best supports leaders in accurately gauging their type. For those who are interested in an assessment, we suggest one of these validated tools:
If you can objectively reflect on your behavior, you will start to notice patterns that have been operating under your radar for a while. This journey of self-revelation is an investment with long-lasting implications for how you influence the world and relate to others.
Common Challenges
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It is easier to see the strengths of your type than the negative tendencies. In our workshops, I’ll often hear leaders say, “I do all the things listed under the strengths of my type, but I don’t relate to any of the type’s derailers.” If I were to ask this person’s family members or colleagues that know them well, I’m sure they would recognize a few of the derailers! If you find yourself only seeing the positive, step back and observe your behavior and actions to see if you might display some of the less positive qualities of the personality type too.
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You may be vested in seeing yourself a certain way – an image that is not really who you are. This might cause you to fall into the wrong type. Most of us are not as self-aware as we assume, so this is common. Reality testing our view of ourselves with feedback from others can help here. Calibrate how you see yourself by asking someone close to you how they see you.
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Your real type might cause you to wrinkle your nose and make you hesitant to consider it (even though you might suspect it as accurate on some level). This is a good sign and one I urge you to pay close attention to. Our less attractive qualities can stay hidden from our consciousness. No one wants to admit to being critical, possessive, shallow, moody, detached, suspicious, scattered, controlling, or complacent as each of the types can be at times. Having a sense of humor goes a long way to landing in the correct type.
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If you work in a company that uses the Enneagram as part of leadership development, other people will be tempted to tell you what they think your Enneagram type is, which may influence your typing of yourself. When people tell you which personality type they think you are, it robs you of the chance to self-reflect. Although other people can see your behavior, they cannot know your motivation. If someone feels compelled to tell you your type, hear them out, but don’t let that stop you from your self-reflection of your core motivations.
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Beware of taking a shallow pass at typing yourself or others. As the Enneagram is used more and more, people may be tempted to simplify the process. Avoid the urge to “rush to the answer” and take your time. The Enneagram is a deep and powerful personality system that should not box you into a type. The value of the Enneagram is to help you broaden your lens on the world.
Knowing and accepting yourself gives you the best chance to make your maximum contribution and reach your fullest potential. The process of understanding your motivation reveals patterns that keep you stuck and provides clear strategies for how to overcome your limitations. This makes a huge difference in how you relate to and work with the people around you. Because the Enneagram also gives leaders new compassion for those who see the world differently, they tend to get better at giving feedback and having two-way communication, and this naturally results in improved relationships and higher engagement.