I recently read Mark McGuinness’ new e-book, “An Introduction to the Enneagram,” and found it fascinating. I had been introduced to the Enneagram a few years ago but the material I found about it was a wee bit confusing. Fortunately, Mark spells things out with clarity and it makes a lot more sense to me now.

If you’re not familiar with the Enneagram, it’s a nine-pointed star, drawn within a circle. Each point represents a personality type in one of three categories – Heart, Head and Body. The nine types are:

The Helper

The Performer

The Romantic

The Observer

The Guardian

The Optimist

The Leader

The Peacemaker

The Achiever

Although there are many uses for the Enneagram, it’s primarily used today as a system of personality types and a powerful tool for understanding yourself and others. Unlike typical personality tests that focus on traits, the Enneagram is focused on core values and what’s important to you in life. It points to positive values, but also reveals blind spots that can hold you back from reaching your goals.

Within the book is a link to an online “test” that shows your personality type. If you’re thoughtful and honest with yourself, the results are spooky accurate. At least they were for me and really got me to thinking about where I need to make improvements.

Understanding your Enneagram puts you in a much better position to relate to others authentically and constructively in both personal and business relationships. At 26 pages, the book is a quick read but packed with great information.

For more information and to download the e-book, visit Mark’s blog.

all the best,
nt