The Enneagram Test. You might just think of it as a fun way to compare your personality to friends and family, or a quick way to kill some time and get to know yourself a little better. While that it may be, the enneagram test should not be treated with the same nonchalant regard as other tests of its kind — for us business owners, knowing your enneagram type is a highly overlooked asset. Here’s why:
First off, how exactly does the enneagram differ from other mainstream personality tests? As opposed to its counterparts, the enneagram does not necessarily seek to appease our wishful thinking. While other similar breakdowns of our psyches tend to highlight our strengths and admirable qualities, the enneagram test keeps it real: it doesn’t pretend you’re perfect, and it gives you real, honest insight into your character as a person. In emphasizing your weaknesses, the enneagram test gives you the ability to use those parts of yourself that may initially seem to be going against you, to your advantage — an ability you can gain in very few other places.
So, in what specific ways can knowing your enneagram type affect your work performance as a business owner?
01 Self-Awareness — One of the biggest favours you can do for yourself in the business world is to know yourself. While that may sound redundant, having confidence in your understanding of yourself as a person before jumping into the uncertainties of the business market greatly increases your chances of being a resilient and accomplished business owner. The enneagram's unique way of presenting you with the fabrics and ties of your inner self are key in helping you to ensure you’re optimizing your personal productivity while also meeting your own various personal needs (physical, mental, emotional), and are thus always maintaining satisfaction within your field. Without this sense of personal understanding, business owners are far more prone to burnout, lack of motivation, and discouragement — the type of stuff we’re pretty certain you’re looking to avoid.
02 Organization — Maintaining a consistent schedule and keeping yourself organized is key for success in business. If things feel out of control and messy, chances are your business is showing itself that away, and turning away prospective clients as a result. In learning about your enneagram type, you’ll find awesome insight into how you can approach your work in a way that aligns with your personal thought processes and learning methods. You can also quickly discover what parts of your business you should outsource first based on your own strengths and weaknesses so that you can move the needle faster, by hiring someone else to do the tests that don't come as naturally to you. The enneagram test is perfect in guiding you towards the optimal approach to your work weeks — one that both you and your clients will appreciate.
03 Business Management — You’re running a business. You control how your brand presents itself to others, what your business offers clients and how, and how every other aspect of the biz culminates to meet these goals and expectations. When you think of it that way, it’s pretty easy to realize how much pressure that puts you under. In providing you with a deep, thorough understanding of what motivates and inspires you, as well as what deters and discourages you, your enneagram results will help you to be fully prepared to face this big challenge — and successfully at that. The weaknesses outlined in your results will give you insight into the types of challenges of the business world that you are most susceptible to, and thus should prepare yourself for in the future. This will drastically help to make certain that you are able to maintain a calm, organized attitude when facing any such problems when and if they arise, and therefore always stand resilient as a business owner.
04 Communication — One of our favourite aspects of the enneagram test is its emphasis on the different types’ communication habits. By showing you how you tend to communicate as an individual, your results will enlighten you regarding what areas you may need to work on/strengthen in order for your communication to resonate with others the way you intend. In learning about the ways you both effectively and ineffectively tend to communicate, you are far more likely to be able to appropriately respond to and solve business conflicts.
And if you have employees on your team, it's a great idea to have them take the enneagram test as well so that you can better understand how to communicate effectively with each other and play off of each others strengths and weaknesses!
...And that’s just scratching the surface! Much like we’re all made very differently, we can all benefit from knowing our Enneagram types in wildly different but equally significant ways. Either way, taking the Enneagram test is a short investment of your time that you’ll quickly find pays off tenfold in business — so, to say we highly recommend it is an understatement! To take the test yourself, click here and try it for free!
If you’ve already taken the Enneagram or are just now learning about it, we hope this has opened your eyes to some of the many incredible ways that you can benefit from knowing your type. We’d love to hear your ideas as to how it’s helped YOU, and how knowing your own type has changed your relationship with both yourself AND your biz. Be sure to reach out to us on our socials and let us know! We look forward to hearing from you. Until next time, friends!
