Who Do You Think You Are?

I’ve never been a fan of traditional personality tests.

In my experience, they’re often shaped by mood, social conditioning, or a sense of who we think we should be. Worse still, they can become labels; limiting rather than liberating. A tidy four-letter acronym that gives us a neat excuse for why we are the way we are.

But a few years ago, something changed.

A client introduced me to a system that felt different: The Enneagram.

What Is the Enneagram?

The Enneagram is an ancient framework of nine core personality types. But unlike other tools, it doesn’t just describe your behaviours, it seeks to explain why you behave the way you do.

It’s not just a mirror to your personality.It’s a window into your character; into the emotional imperatives, fears, and motivations that quietly shape your choices.

Understanding the Nine Enneagram Types

Here’s a simplified snapshot of the nine core types, framed as characters in a room. Each one brings gifts, challenges, and deeper truths:

Type 1 – The Perfectionist: Focused on doing things right. Detail-oriented, principled, and sometimes overly critical; often believing they’re helping.

Type 2 – The Helper: Warm, kind, and deeply driven by a desire to feel needed and loved. Struggles with boundaries, but thrives on connection.

Type 3 – The Achiever: Success-oriented, efficient, image-conscious. Often struggles to slow down or disconnect from performance mode.

Type 4 – The Individualist: Emotionally rich, expressive, and often drawn to the unique and extraordinary. Sometimes feels misunderstood or set apart.

Type 5 – The Observer: Thoughtful, cerebral, private. Seeks knowledge and autonomy. Can struggle with emotional intimacy and energy boundaries.

Type 6 – The Loyalist: Prone to overthinking and worst-case scenarios. Loyal, responsible, but often caught in a cycle of fear and doubt.

Type 7 – The Enthusiast: Energetic, optimistic, easily distracted. Driven by the desire to avoid pain and seek pleasure in all forms.

Type 8 – The Challenger: Direct, powerful, and fiercely independent. Can come across as intimidating but is often deeply protective.

Type 9 – The Peacemaker: Easy-going, diplomatic, often self-forgetting. Strives for harmony and struggles to assert personal needs.

Why the Enneagram Matters

This isn’t about boxing people in.

It’s about self-awareness, the kind that allows for real change.

When you understand your core type, you begin to:

• Spot your own reactive patterns

• See your gifts in a clearer light

• Build compassion for your “flaws”

• Understand others with more empathy

• Move from unconscious habits to conscious choice

Personality vs Character: Myers-Briggs vs Enneagram

To use a metaphor:

Myers-Briggs is a mirror - showing you how you behave.
The Enneagram is a window - showing you why.

Where MBTI might affirm what’s already visible, the Enneagram gently illuminates the things you may not want to see, but need to.

Using the Enneagram in Real Life

Since learning about the Enneagram, I’ve used it in my personal growth, in coaching clients, and within leadership teams.

It has helped people:

• Build stronger relationships

• Understand conflict styles

• Lead with more emotional intelligence

• Hire and manage teams more intentionally

• Work on their blind spots, with compassion

My Enneagram Journey

I identify as a Type 9, the Peacemaker.

But I also carry traits of Types 1, 2, 4, and 7. Over time, I’ve learned to spot the habits that keep me stuck and consciously choose different responses.

Growth is rarely about becoming someone else.It’s about coming home to who you are, minus the layers you’ve outgrown.

That’s the heart of the Enneagram: an invitation to evolve; with awareness, accountability, and self-compassion.

Ready to Discover Your Type?

If you’re curious to explore your Enneagram type and what it might reveal about your path, relationships, or leadership style…

Book a conversation with me here

No tests. No labels. Just a conversation to help you see yourself more clearly.