The Enneagram is a tool to understand what motivates people at their core.

It describes the connection between those core motivations and how a person tends to present themselves to the world.

When understood correctly, the Enneagram identifies how people tend to respond under stress and how to recognize when they are growing.

The Enneagram is unlike other personality, gifts, or skills test in that it isn’t really a measure of personality at all. The Enneagram has nine types which represent nine core motivations.

A core motivation is a God-given desire, housed in the will of every human being. It is a good motivation, and it motivates people to overcome challenges, bring the best of themselves to the world, and make the world a better place.

However, each person has life experiences which have given them a skewed view of God and the world. We call this a “distorted worldview”. The distorted worldview has led each person to attempt to achieve what they desire (their core motivation) in a wrong way. The motivation is right, but the understanding is wrong.

In order for a person to start seeking what they really want in ways that are actually successful, they have to first wrestle with that distorted worldview. The Enneagram can help a person chart their own life in these terms, so that they can see what they what, see how they have misunderstood how best to achieve it, and begin the process of realigning their soul rightly with God.

The Enneagram chart outlines how a person responds in normal conditions, under sustained stress, and when they are on a growth trajectory. When a person assesses themselves in these terms, they can begin to identify whether they are taking the steps they need to in order to continue growing.

Additionally, the Enneagram helps people to relate better to others. By recognizing what is most important to our friends, family members, team members, and those we lead, we can chart how they are doing on their growth trajectory and strategically draw out the best in those around us.

The Enneagram serves to help us understand what makes people tick, where they struggle, and how they grow. This enables us to lead others toward shared goals and positive impact.

Take the time to process your results without judgment.

People like to say “just be yourself,” but the reality is that we often don’t know ourselves and what we do know, we don’t like.

Unfortunately, there’s a high probability that you will deeply dislike some of your results. We all become very good at hiding the things we don’t like about ourselves, and the Enneagram test may make you feel exposed, ashamed, or stuck. This is normal, but it’s not the end.

The REALITY is that each of our core motivations (our Enneagram number) is God-given. Did you hear that? GOD-GIVEN!!! That means it’s GOOD! The parts we struggle with are where things became corrupted or messy, our distorted worldview.

In my book, I cover how to begin using the Enneagram to unpack our distorted worldview so that we can get back on track.

The only way to ever really become ALL that we are meant to be is to first wrestle with the messy parts of who we actually are. We cannot deny, hide, or cover them and be whole. That dishonesty permeates all of our being and we will never experience the power of God in our lives by pretending.

So be brave.

Choose this first step of honesty by acknowledging who you actually are. Grieve what you don’t love, and then let God help you grow.

The Enneagram is only a lifegiving tool for leading others after you have first been honest with yourself.

If you have not first wrestled with your own results, it may teach you some tricks to manipulate others in the short term, but will not help you add true value by teaching others how to grow.

Once you have wrestled with your own results, you are now ready to begin understanding each other number’s core motivations. The most important element for utilizing this tool to bring out the best in others is realizing that there are no bad Enneagram numbers.

GOD MADE THEM ALL.

And all of them are a gift to the world.

It’s your job, as a healed and whole leader, to identify the core motivations of those you lead, to chart their growth, and to use the tools to draw out the best in your team.

Each of your team members will relate to you and each other distinctly based on their worldview and core motivations. It’s up to you to help connect the dots and lead them toward a trajectory of growth. You can only do that if you first do the work of being whole yourself.