17: How the Enneagram Can Help You Nurture Healthy Relationships with Beth McCord {Relationships Series}

What impact does your personality have on your leadership? How can learning about your inner motivations impact your outward leadership? And what does knowing your Enneagram type have to do with creating and sustaining healthy relationships?

In the third episode in the Healthy Relationships series, I chat with Beth McCord, founder of Your Enneagram Coach. Beth is a wife, mom of two college-aged children, and leader of her own business. She gives us a brief overview of the Enneagram, a quick description of each of its nine types, and insight into how knowing about our personality and those of others impacts how we lead and relate to to those around us.

For the full show notes for this episode, visit estherlittlefield.com/episode17.

Key Points:

Beth likes to think of the Enneagram with its nine personality types as our internal GPS. This tool helps you know why you think, feel, and behave in particular ways. The Enneagram cares not so much about what you do, but why you do it.

The 9 Types are:

 

TYPE 1 - The Moral Perfectionist

What you fear: Being wrong, bad, inappropriate or irredeemable What you desire: Integrity, balance, being right + the “good girl”

 

TYPE 2 - The Supportive Advisor

What you fear: Being worthless, rejected, needy, inconsequential, dispensable, and being unworthy of love What you desire: Appreciation, affirmation, love, and being wanted

 

TYPE 3 - The Successful Achiever

What you fear: Failing, inefficiency, being incompetent, worthless, exposed, or unable to succeed What you desire: Admiration, respect, and being highly regarded

 

TYPE 4 - The Romantic Individualist

What you fear: Inadequacy, being plain or emotionally cut off, not having unique significance What you desire: Uniqueness, feeling special and like your most authentic self

 

TYPE 5 - The Investigative Thinker

What you fear: Annihilation, being ignored, intruded upon, depleted or found incapable What you desire: Capability, competence, and feeling like you know enough

 

TYPE 6 - The Loyal Guardian

What you fear: Being without support, guidance, security or being physically abandoned What you desire: Security, guidance, and support

 

TYPE 7 - The Entertaining Optimist

What you fear: Feeling bored, deprived, trapped in emotional pain, being limited or  missing out on fun What you desire: Happiness, success, and contentment

 

TYPE 8 - The Protective Challenger

What you fear: Weakness, powerlessness, being harmed, controlled or manipulated What you desire: Protection

 

TYPE 9 - The Peaceful Mediator

What you fear: Conflict, being unloved, shut out or overlooked What you desire: Inner stability and peace of mind

 

The Enneagram is not the transformation; it is just a tool to illuminate what is happening. Christ and the gospel is going to bring us the transformation.

 

The Enneagram can be useful to grow personally, but also in our marriage, parenting, and team relationships.

 

Other Episodes & Links Mentioned: Episode 8: The Key to Becoming a Better Leader From Fear to Freedom: Living as Sons and Daughters of God* by Rose Marie Miller A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23* by Phillip Keller Anything by Michael Hyatt (books, blog, podcast)

*Affiliate links.

Connect with Beth: Website Instagram Free download of the 9 Types Online courses of Discovering You and Exploring You

 

Connect with Esther and the Christian Woman Leadership Podcast:

Website Instagram Facebook Group Facebook Page

 

Episode Sponsor: Morningstar Media Services

This episode was originally published on estherlittlefield.com/episode17. To join the Purposeful Leadership Facebook Group, go to estherlittlefield.com/group.