The Enneagram for Leadership

About the Enneagram

The Enneagram is a personality modeling system that is a highly accurate predictor of behavior because it focuses not just on what you do but on why you do it. It’s an insightful tool to build self-awareness and self-mastery; these qualities in turn enhance the way you lead, communicate, and relate to others at work and at home.

The word “enneagram” comes from the Greek words ennea (“nine”) and gram (“something written or drawn”) and refers to the nine points on the Enneagram symbol. The symbol dates back many centuries, but the application of the Enneagram in modern psychology started in the 1960s and then in business only in the 1990s. The nine different Enneagram types reflect distinct habits of thinking, feeling and behavior. Rather than just showing you where you are, the Enneagram offers a unique path of development for each type, allowing you to break through to new levels of performance and fulfillment. Each of us has only one point or type, although all the types live inside us. We have easiest access to four other types; these are called wings and arrows.

Leadership and Personal Applications

The Enneagram helps you understand the prime motive for your best and worst behaviors so you can make more conscious choices. The system also allows you to appreciate the motivations behind other personality types. As your understanding of your personality structure increases, you are free to interrupt old, unconscious habits and limiting aspects of your personality. You can break through to new levels of leadership and relationship effectiveness and well-being.

The Classic Enneagram test will help you determine your Enneagram type. Note: this test is accurate about 60-70% of the time. It is one step you can take to begin being more self-observant and self-reflective about your Enneagram type. Working with a trained Enneagram coach will help you determine your type.

To take this test, click the button below. Then, click the “Enneagram test” button under the “Classical Enneagram test” section at the top of the page.