Your Enneagram Result Isn’t A Free Pass

I have a love-hate relationship with personality and motivational assessments. On one hand, they’re the best thing since sliced bread. The assessments allow us to look into ourselves and “see” who we are and what motivates us.

I know this. I’ve taken plenty of these assessments. From StrengthsFinders 2.0 to the Fingerprint 4 Success to the Myers-Briggs assessments, each test opened up my eyes to a new aspect of my personality and motivation.

Water drops falling into water

Photo by Ali Abdul Rahman

Taking the assessments, I can look at the results and agree with them. I can see where the results expose a truth about myself. But then the danger begins to creep in.

We can use these assessments to excuse our bad behaviors. We can say “I’m a Type One on the Enneagram. It’s okay that I’m abrasive ” or “My strength zone isn’t tending to the needs of others. I won’t do that.”