"You’re the Enneagram expert...can’t you just tell me what type I am?”

It’s a question I hear sometimes. And while an experienced Enneagram practitioner might have a hypothesis about someone’s type, there’s a reason we should be cautious about typing people based only on what we see from the outside.

In this episode of Enneagram at Work, we’re talking about the difference between observing someone’s behavior and understanding the motivation or strategy underneath it.

The same behavior can come from very different places. The coworker who stays late perfecting a presentation might be concerned about getting it right, producing an impressive result, or simply making sure they feel prepared. From the outside, we see the behavior. The Enneagram asks us to get curious about what’s driving it.

In this episode, we cover why common stereotypes like “helpful = Type 2,” “ambitious = Type 3,” or “quiet = Type 5” can lead us in the wrong direction; what an Enneagram assessment can (and can’t) tell you; and how a trained Enneagram professional can help you ask better questions, distinguish between similar patterns, and notice things that may be difficult to see on your own.

And there’s an important workplace takeaway:

The Enneagram should help us become more curious about people—not more certain that we already have them figured out.

Instead of thinking, “She’s doing that because she’s a Type 6,” try asking:

“I wonder what’s important to her here?”

Because the goal isn't to get better at putting people into boxes. It's to get better at understanding what's happening underneath the behaviors we see.

References:

"My Test Said I Was a Type 3. Why I'm Still a Type 7" Episode

Learn more about bringing the Enneagram to your team: enneagrammba.com

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